# Computer Name



## comput65 (Jul 23, 2008)

I recently bought a Macbook second hand, and I was wondering if you could change the computer's name. Ex. At login window it says john doe's mac book. how do i change this?


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## dannyn (Nov 9, 2007)

What I would do is reformat the hard drive, and reinstall the os and start fresh. 
I firmly believe it is worth your while to do that!


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## namenotfound (Apr 30, 2005)

You can change the login name, but I don't think you can change the name of your "home" directory.

To change the login name, go to the apple menu, then system preferences, then accounts. Next, where it says user name, change that.


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## Headrush (Feb 9, 2005)

namenotfound said:


> You can change the login name, but I don't think you can change the name of your "home" directory.


Yes you can.

What version of OS X are you using because the procedure makes a difference.

< 10.5 OS X : http://homepage.mac.com/frakes/ChangeShortName.html
10.5 OS X : http://www.macworld.com/article/132693/2008/03/changeshortusername.html

Although like namenotfound suggested, if possible a clean install is a better option when obtaining a machine from someone else.


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## halloweennut (Jan 3, 2009)

If you're talking about changing the hostname, I use scutil. That is if the gui in system preferences/sharing isn't doing what you want.
Here's a good link: http://www.cs.usfca.edu/~bhardie/misc/misc/scutil.html
However, I agree that a fresh start is best.


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