OSD does not prompt for Computer Name

[Edenost]

Couldn't you apply that variable to the "All Systems" collection? I have it set on only unknown, and I get the symptoms you do, which is the desired effect.

I don't know if it's possible to do it for all systems, or what any negative side effects may be as I've never needed it, but maybe rocketman might know?

But what rocket is saying is all correct.

[Config_Mgr_noob]

The Collection Variable is greyed out for All Systems device collections so I'm unable to get prompted for Known systems. I understand and agree where Rocket Name is coming from but what happens if I have 50 PCs/users from different department who got fired or quit. I would have to go into SCCM database and manually delete each device in the database in order for me to re-image that PC to prompt me for computer names?

 

I've read online that it might be possible to create a vbs script and add it to a Run Command Line in the task sequence to prompt for computer name regardless if its a known or unknown device. Would any of you be familiar with this method?

[lord_hydrax]

Your Task Sequence is deployed to at least two collections, the Unknown Computers collection and maybe All Systems Collection (for PC refreshes as you described). If you browse to the Task Sequence in the SCCM Console, you will see where else it is deployed in the Deployments Tab that comes up at the bottom.

 

You need to define the OSDCOMPUTERNAME variable on whatever the other collection is so it will prompt.

 

You can't however define variables on the default All Systems collection if that is what you are using. (You could in CM07 I believe, but not CM12)

 

The work around if you want to do that is to create a collection that includes all the members of the All Systems collection and deploy the TS there as well as set the collection variables there.

[Config_Mgr_noob]

lord_hydrax, thank you for your reply!! I havent thought of doing a separate collections for all systems aside from the default all systems collections. Have you tried doing this in your environment? If I do another All Systems collections, do I need to query that collection to point to All Systems or some other collection? I would mimic the query statements within the default all systems but these are also grayed out.

[lord_hydrax]

I haven't done that exactly, but all you need to do is create a new collection and instead of a query rule use a INCLUDE rule and select the all systems collection. Make sure it is scoped to the all systems collection as well of course.

 

What we do in our environment, is we have a collection setup purely for PC refreshes and add computers to it as required. This is so users do not inadvertently boot into WinPE and generate a helpdesk call wondering wtf is going on.

 

With your script question btw, yes there are a few scripts around to set the computer name in the task sequence.

 

I used to use a HTA frontend to do computer name, location and software but it got a bit annoying to manage so I just went with a couple of basic collection variables for now.

[Config_Mgr_noob]

This all great advice's and I will try this attempt first thing tomorrow morning.In case if I fail with this task, would you be able to point me to the right direction or have any suggestions has to how to create an HTA file and reference that in my TS for the computer name?

[lord_hydrax]

In this article Rocket Man actually has a script for prompting for computer name if you check the comments:

 

http://www.windows-noob.com/forums/index.php?/topic/5542-how-can-i-easily-prompt-for-a-computer-name-in-configuration-manager-2012/

 

I had a look for the prompt for computer name script I have and its actually that one mentioned.

 

If you want to go down the path of HTA, it takes a bit of configuration and testing to get it right and I'd suggest doing a bit of research beforehand. I had help from a number of different articles on the web before I got it right for our systems.

[Edenost]

Ahh well there you go. Thanks Hydrax.

Although, I just checked my default collections, I have the "All Desktop and Server Clients" collection, and I am able to add the variable to that. Not sure if that would fix it in a simpler way?

[Rocket Man]

That script is what I use along with another for auto-naming to serial for laptop collections. This script will have the same affect, it will bypass it if the system is already known thus keeping the same system name.

So it pretty much is doing what you have right now unfortunately.

 

There could be scripts that allow you to re-name PCs, without having to delete the system and imaging it as a new client. Remember reading one blog quite some while ago where an engineer had a similar problem, the only difference was that he was moving systems to different location and his existing naming convention was site prefix and PC name. Now I was fairly sure there was a solution to this, but it may have involved MDT integration or/and a web-service.

 

BTW: Still wondering how SCCM allowed you to re-image the same systems over and over again and allow you to re-name them different each time via the OSDCOMPUTERNAME variable.

[Config_Mgr_noob]

Thank you all for your support, greatly appreciate this. Hydrax, thanks just tried your attempt this morning and is working like a charm. Getting prompt for computer name even if I just imaged it and is known to SCCM database. And for Rocket Man, I did notice a few weeks back that when I attempt to PXE boot a known PC it would give me a PXE boot error and continues booting the OS. I found online to deploy the task sequence to both Unknown and All systems and it allowed me to OSD the machine.

 

I also have another issue regarding the smsts log file but I created a separate post for that if some of you guys can help me with that. Its titled: SMSTS.log file indicate Access is Denied for VBS script.