How to Join a Domain in Windows XP Pro

To add a computer description

On the Computer Name tab, type a name or description in the box, and then click Apply.

This name will help you identify the computer on the network and in the Network Neighborhood, so please try to be as specific and as methodic as possible.

To change a computer name

Many users setup their computer without giving a second thought to it's name. This is a bad thing.

Make note of the following naming rules:

· If your computer does not have TCP/IP networking installed, or it has other networking protocols installed (without TCP/IP), the computer name must be in uppercase 15 or fewer bytes long (depending on which characters are used and the language set as the Language for non-Unicode programs in Regional and Language Options in Control Panel).

· If your computer has TCP/IP networking installed, the computer name can be up to 63 bytes long (depending on which characters are used and the language set as the Language for non-Unicode programs in Regional and Language Options in Control Panel) but should only contain the numbers 0-9, the letters A-Z and a-z, and hyphens. You can use other characters, but doing so might prevent other users from finding your computer on the network. If your network is using a Microsoft DNS server, you can use any characters except periods.

· Microsoft recommends using computer names that are shorter than 16 bytes. If you want to specify a computer name that is longer than 15 bytes and you want to join your computer to a domain that includes Windows 2000 domain controllers, the domain administrator should enable longer names in the computer account of the Active Directory domain.

· If you rename your computer or workgroup when it is disconnected from the network, duplicate computer names might result. Check with your network administrator before renaming your computer.

On the Computer Name tab, click Change, and then enter the information in the Computer Name Changes dialog box.

A reboot will be necessary to complete this process.