I have seen quite a few posts here about setting the computer name by prompting the user and/or using the MDT. My goal is to do bare-metal, "unknown" builds that assign the computer name to be the serial number from the BIOS. All our machines are Dell. I would like to not have to integrate the MDT if possible, but if the MDT is the only way to do it, so be it. Thanks in advance.

Simple! In the Task Sequence add a step right before Apply Window Settings by adding a new step Set Task Sequence Variable and in the "Task Sequence Variable" set OSDComputerName and below set %SERIALNUMBER% As simple as that! :) Good luck PS: No need to use MDT.

So I tried it that way and it did not work. Here is what the output of the "Apply Windows Settings" task was: ============================[ OSDWinSettings.exe ]============================ Command line: "osdwinsettings.exe" /config Setting %SystemRoot% to "C:\Windows" Loading existing answer file "C:\Windows\panther\unattend\unattend.xml" Computer Name: %SERIALNUMBER% Getting namespace "Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" for architecture "x86" Registered Owner: Admin Getting namespace "Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" for architecture "x86" Registered Organization: Company, Inc. Time Zone: Eastern StandardTime Time zone: Eastern Standard Time The OSDProductKey variable is not set in the environment. Not setting the product key in the unattend answer file. Setting local admin password. Writing configuration information to C:\Windows\panther\unattend\unattend.xml Successfully saved configuration information to C:\Windows\panther\unattend\unattend.xml Exiting with return code 0x00000000 It looks like it was actually trying to use %SERIALNUMBER% as the computer name. Shortly after that, I got errors in the postinstall that said that Windows setup could not continue and to press OK to reboot and restart the installation.

... (it's official... I just hate the proxy I have between me and the internet). Did you added the Set Task Sequence Variable step before the Apply Windows Settings step as I said, or you did just... "injected" the %SERIALNUMBER% directly into Apply Windows Settings step?

I created the Set Task Sequence Variable step before Apply Windows Settings step... I wouldn't know how to "inject" the %SERIALNUMBER% into the Apply Windows Settings step if I wanted to... 2/23/2010 9:27:39 AM 4 Apply Operating System Install Operating System 11134 The task sequence execution engine successfully completed an action 0 oint path [C:\programdata\Documents] Fixing junction point path [C:\programdata\Favorites] Fixing junction point path [C:\programdata\Start Menu] Fixing junction point path [C:\programdata\Templates] Setting %SystemRoot% to "C:\Windows" Getting namespace "Microsoft-Windows-Deployment" for architecture "x86" Getting namespace "Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" for architecture "x86" Getting namespace "Microsoft-Windows-International-Core" for architecture "x86" Writing configuration information to C:\Windows\panther\unattend\unattend.xml Successfully saved configuration information to C:\Windows\panther\unattend\unattend.xml Image installation completed sucessfully. Closing image file \\SCCM.DOMAIN.LOCAL\SMSPKGD$\MA10003F\win7ent.wim Entering ReleaseSource() for \\SCCM.DOMAIN.LOCAL\SMSPKGD$\MA10003Freference count 1 for the source \\SCCM.DOMAIN.LOCAL\SMSPKGD$\MA10003F\ before releasing Released the resolved source \\SCCM.DOMAIN.LOCAL\SMSPKGD$\MA10003F\ 2/23/2010 9:27:39 AM 5 Set Computer Name to Service Tag Install Operating System 11134 The task sequence execution engine successfully completed an action 0 Finished with error code 0 2/23/2010 9:27:40 AM 6 Apply Windows Settings Install Operating System 11134 The task sequence execution engine successfully completed an action 0 ============================[ OSDWinSettings.exe ]============================ Command line: "osdwinsettings.exe" /config Setting %SystemRoot% to "C:\Windows" Loading existing answer file "C:\Windows\panther\unattend\unattend.xml" Computer Name: %SERIALNUMBER% Getting namespace "Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" for architecture "x86" Registered Owner: Admin Getting namespace "Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" for architecture "x86" Registered Organization: Company, Inc. Time Zone: Eastern StandardTime Time zone: Eastern Standard Time The OSDProductKey variable is not set in the environment. Not setting the product key in the unattend answer file. Setting local admin password. Writing configuration information to C:\Windows\panther\unattend\unattend.xml Successfully saved configuration information to C:\Windows\panther\unattend\unattend.xml Exiting with return code 0x00000000

And the variable you've set was OSDComputerName? It is quite strange that that step doesn't work, since I'm using it without no problem. Try to follow the steps in the next link: http://www.windows-noob.com/forums/index.php?/topic/1133-setting-computername-during-deployment/#entry5374 Oh .. forget what I've said before... You will need MDT.

why don't you just create a vb script that reads the serial number from the BIOS by using WMI query and injects it into the sysprep.inf (assuming you are doing Windows XP deployment) just after the "Apply Network Settings" step?

I'm actually doing a Windows 7 deployment, and I found a solution where I join a workgroup at the Apply Network Settings step, I have a Run Command Line using wsname.exe command to change the name after the Setup Windows and ConfigMgr step and then a Join Domain or Workgroup step after that to join it to the domain.

OK, this worked for me! But I would like to add extra caracters to the computer name, before the serial number. Anyway to do that?