Pre-specifying the computer name for Windows PE

Here's a tip on how you can pre-specify the computer name for Windows PE. By default, Windows PE randomly generates a computer name each time it initializes on a system. The randomly-generated computer name is of the form MININT-####### where ####### is a randomly-generated alphanumeric string.

In some scenarios however you may want the Windows PE computer name to be pre-specified. To do this, create an unattend.xml answer file like this:

 
_SNOOPY_
true
false

This example assumes you are using a 64-bit version of Windows PE and that you want the Windows PE computer name to be SNOOPY. Then, when you build your Windows PE environment, copy this answer file to the \ISO folder of your Windows PE build folder. Now, when you boot a system using Windows PE it will use the answer file to set the computer name. Specifically, when wpeinit runs it will apply the customizations you have specified in your answer file. Note that you can also apply such customizations manually from within Windows PE by running the wpeinit /unattend:\unattend.xml command, but this won't work for setting the computer name since this must be done at startup and cannot be done after Windows PE has initialized.

If you have feedback concerning this tip, please email me. And be sure to check out my website!

About The Author

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Scroll to Top