Microsoft KB Archive/170846

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Computer or Workgroup Name Not Set Properly Using Msbatch.inf

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Q170846

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The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Windows 95

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SYMPTOMS
When you attempt to use an Msbatch.inf file to set the computer name or workgroup name during a batch installation of Windows 95 and you specify the name using a variable, the name may be set to the variable itself instead of the value the variable is intended to represent.

CAUSE
This problem occurs because the values assigned to the ComputerName and WorkGroup parameters in the Msbatch.inf file do not need to be enclosed in quotation marks and because the percent character (%) is a valid character in workgroup and computer names in Windows 95. Therefore, when you use an Msbatch.inf file to set the computer name or workgroup name, the Windows 95 Setup program cannot distinguish between percent characters used to enclose variable names and percent characters intended to be included in the computer name or workgroup name.

MORE INFORMATION
When you use an Msbatch.inf file to set the computer name or workgroup name, the name must be unique for each computer on the network and should be no more than 15 characters in length. It cannot contain spaces, but it can contain the following characters:

  ! @ # $ % ^ & - _ ' { } . ~ If you define a variable in an Msbatch.inf file and then use the variable with the ComputerName or WorkGroup parameter, the Windows 95 Setup program assumes that the percent characters should be included in the computer name or workgroup name. For example, an Msbatch.inf file may contain lines similar to the following:

  [Network] ComputerName=%cname%

[Strings] cname="MyComputerName" If you use this Msbatch.inf file during a batch installation of Windows 95, the computer name is set to %cname% instead of MyComputerName.