How do I set the comment for my machine that is displayed in Network Neighborhood?

A. A. There are 3 ways to set this, from the command line, edit the registry or via the GUI.

The easiest way is via the Server control panel applet

An alternative method is from the command prompt using the "net config" command.

C:> net config server /srvcomment:"machine comment"

Note that even if you are performing this on a workstation machine you still use "net config server" as this is a configuration on the server service of the machine.

Both of the methods shown update a single registry value so this can also be edited directly.

This method only works once the Server Service has been restarted, however, both other methods work instantly. This is because the registry area is only read during startup of the service.

You can remotely change the comment of other machines by using the NT Server utility "Server Manager". Double click on a machine and you will then be presented with the same dialog box as with the Server control panel applet. This has the advantage of allowing the Administrator to set a common description format.

Under Windows 2000 and above right click on My Computer and choose Manage. Then Right-Click on Computer Management (Local) and choose Properties. The option for the Description is under the Network Identification tab.