How To's & GuidesChanging the Workgroup Name in Windows Home Server 2011

Changing the Workgroup Name in Windows Home Server 2011

By Andrew Edney

May 29, 2011

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Select Active Directory Certificate Services and click Next

Click Next

Ensure Certification Authority is checked and Certification Authority Web Enrollment is not checked

Click Next three times

Select Use existing private key and Select an existing private key on this computer

click Next

Select your private key (which should look something like SERVERNAME-CA) and click Next five times

Click Install

Click Close when done

And that’s it!

So thanks again to Diehard for the initial forum post Smile

Andrew Edney https://moviesgamesandtechcom.wpcomstaging.com

I am the owner and editor of this site. I have been interested in gadgets and tech since I was a little kid. I have also written a number of books on various tech subjects. I also blog for The Huffington Post and for FHM. And I am honoured to be a Microsoft MVP since January 2008 - again this year as an Xbox MVP.

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31 COMMENTS

John Zajdler May 29, 2011 At 4:46 pm

Cool, thanks for the mention Andrew.

There’s an increase in confidence for folks to try when there’s images. Thanks.
welchwerks May 30, 2011 At 3:00 am

Thanks John, Works like a charm,

Andrew the pics were the key 🙂
Geoff Coupe May 30, 2011 At 8:27 am

There’s a far simpler way to do it, if you plan to set up your workgroup name when you first install your WHS 2011.

See http://social.microsoft.com/Forums/en-GB/whsvailbeta/thread/9562b42c-a252-4c96-8e3d-c2ebbef35275

Far less hassle – and it works like a charm.
- Andrew Edney May 30, 2011 At 8:30 am
  
  thanks Geoff – that is much simpler, but only if you know about it before you install WHS 2011, but well spotted!
Dave Heckendorf May 31, 2011 At 9:22 pm

Aside from simplifying browsing the computers on your “network neighborhood” that are part of the same workgroup (and possibly adding a layer of complexity to browsing to/from ones that aren’t part of the same workgroup), why should I care about renaming the workgroup? I can completely understand adding computers to a domain, but I’ve never gotten the whole workgroup notion as most folks/businesses that don’t have/need a domain don’t usually have so many computers that browsing “WORKGROUP” is big deal…

That said, I believe there is merit (though I don’t honestly know what the merit is) to adding Win Vista/7/2008/WHSv2011 computers to the same “HOMEGROUP” (if only it made Windows Media Center on these computers capable of being an extender to a primary HTPC and it’s guide/recordings…).
- Andrew Edney Jun 1, 2011 At 8:06 am
  
  I think Dave that simplifying is the point. However, if you have never changed the workgroup name on any of your computers either then you will all be in the same workgroup.
  
  It isnt something that has to be done, in fact, prior to John responding to the forum post with the steps, I hadnt bothered to change mine becuase I didnt need to, however people were asking how to do it.
  - John (ITBeast) Keller Jul 8, 2011 At 8:25 pm
    
    To amplify on Andrew’s answer to Dave what it comes down to is “preference” in your own Home (Or Small Office) Network. In Dave’s case (and yours as well Andrew) changing the default name is not relevant or necessary since your Network Artitechure is based on the New Microsoft “HomeGroup” that started with Windows 7 or that having a predifined Name for your group of Network Nodes is not necessary in your final Network outcome.
    
    My Home Network is tethered on the the Legacy Workgroup convention of Identify all my Nodes in one Collective Group Name that I have been using for the last 5 years.
    
    Lucky for me I had just finished with the initial install when I came about this problem and had already formulated some of the steps that “DieHard” had put into his article.
    
    However after reading the comments from ANdrew and Geoff I will be going with Geoff’s recommendation and changing the Workgroup Name durring the install.
    
    Thanks DieHard on your How To and everybody’s Comments concerning this.
    - Andrew Edney Jul 9, 2011 At 7:34 am
      
      thanks John – yeah, for most people it wont really matter, but if you want to do it, the best time is during the install.
      - John (ITBeast) Keller Jul 9, 2011 At 9:02 am
        
        Hi Andrew, just thought I update you, Geoff’s Link was a total success. When I got to the “Name” Your Server part durring the install/Setup I just did the “Shift-F10” which brought up the cmd prompt, typed “control system” and hit enter. This brought up the “Computer properties” which allowed me to change the workgroup. exited out back to the install/setup and continued with the rest of the install. FYI, it will prompt to restart once you change the workgroup name but you just click “restart later”.
        
        Again Thanks for the Help.
        
        Andrew Edney Jul 9, 2011 At 9:05 am
        
        excellent – thanks John.
Andrew Edney Jun 8, 2011 At 8:57 pm

It seems that people are having mixed results with changing the workgroup name.

This is because it can break some of the AD Certificate Services so I would recommend not doing it unless you want to have to risk reinstalling your WHS box.

There is a way of during it during the installation which will work fine.

Check out Dave’s comment in this forum thread:

http://forums.usingwindowshomeserver.com/topic/282-dashboard-not-working/page__gopid__1039#entry1039
John Zajdler Jul 16, 2011 At 2:39 am

Here more on the subject http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2581361/en-us?sd=rss&spid=1167
John Zajdler Jul 16, 2011 At 2:39 am

Here’s more on the subject http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2581361/en-us?sd=rss&spid=1167
- Andrew Edney Jul 16, 2011 At 1:26 pm
  
  thanks John 🙂
John Galt Jul 24, 2011 At 1:38 pm

One thing I noticed when experimenting with DFS on WHS 2011, it uses the workgroup during setup to add servers. I had my old WHSv1 in a special workgroup, not the famous WORKGROUP workgroup, therefore it did not show up during the setup. I tried this method listed here to change it only because I intend to reinstall my ‘experimental’ WHS 11. It broke the dashboard of all things, however, the shares are still out there.
Ken Smith Jul 31, 2011 At 4:28 pm

I tried this on my HP EX-490 I upgraded with an unattended installation script and the dashboard failed to start. I also received errors connecting from my clients. Fortunately I had a second HD configured for local backup and did a system state recovery. It returned everything back to working order although with the WORKGROUP workgroup.

Is there a way to change the workgroup name in the installation script, cgi.ini?
- John (ITBeast) Keller Aug 1, 2011 At 7:01 pm
  
  None that we know of other than doing a clean reload and changing the workgroup name at the Server Name and Password setup page per this link from the Microsoft forums… http://social.microsoft.com/Forums/en-GB/whsvailbeta/thread/9562b42c-a252-4c96-8e3d-c2ebbef35275
  I’ve used it myself and works like a charm, so far there is no known way of changing the workgroup name after the install completes without breaking the dashboard.
hdtv Aug 28, 2011 At 11:02 am

This worked for me:

1.open PowerShell window
2.use the following commands in the PowerShell window, where workgroupname is the new work group name:

$sysinfo = Get-WmiObject Win32_ComputerSystem
$sysinfo.JoinDomainOrWorkgroup(“workgroupname”)
- Andrew Edney Aug 28, 2011 At 2:38 pm
  
  excellent – thanks for sharing 🙂
- Faza Feb 2, 2012 At 11:05 am
  
  Yeah this worked for me too
  
  A full guide with video for this method is: http://www.logicalflux.com/2012/01/changing-the-workgroup-on-windows-home-server-2011-video/
James Sep 21, 2011 At 3:41 pm

This did break my server.

I’m currently tarting all over again. Just wonder if the powershell commands work? Would be useful to know for the future!
Andy Sep 24, 2011 At 11:52 pm

This initially broke things for me. I created a new certificated instead of selecting the existing one. I think it may taint the certificate’s integrity and therefore machine’s will reject it (kind of like changing a fingerprint with SSH) if you change server details. I am able to login to launchpad and dashboard now.
RobertOzone Jan 24, 2012 At 12:16 am

I had the same result as Andy, I then ran the steps again and created a new certificate instead of selecting the existing one and wala it worked.
Ronin7888 Mar 10, 2012 At 3:55 pm

thanks, everething went great
Ron Dewilde Mar 19, 2012 At 4:46 am

The latest updates for WHS 2011 will correct the loss of dashboard.
Ron Dewilde Mar 19, 2012 At 4:49 am

Issues with installing clients are corrected if AD services is enabled at the server. To get the workgroup name right .. we disabled AD services .. to get client support back just enable the previous procedure and turn on AD services. RDW
Darconogan Apr 6, 2012 At 12:29 pm

You can just click on server settings, general, change product activation key which will bring up the windows to change the workgroup.
Fish2281 Nov 20, 2012 At 6:51 pm

I did try this and it works unfortunately now i cannot add users anymore in the dashboard and I have 4 services that fail to start.

Which is the following :

– Windows Server Identity Management Service
– Windows Server Initialization Service
– Windows Server Addins Infrastructure Service
– Windows Server Server Backup Service

They start for 3 seconds and stop. I haven’t been able to fix this 🙁
Anyone got an idea ?
Joe Mar 21, 2015 At 9:53 pm

I don’t give a fuck what all you want to be experts have to say, this bullshit of joining a domain is bullshit with windows home server 2011!!! This shit here, “$sysinfo =
Get-WmiObject Win32_ComputerSystem $sysinfo.JoinDomainOrWorkgroup(“workgroupname”)” is complete ignorance, all it does is change the fucking “workgroup” name, it doesn’t mean you joined a damn domain by putting in your registered domain name here!!! WHERE DO YOU MOTHERFUCKERS COME FROM, DAMN!!!
Joe Mar 21, 2015 At 9:54 pm

THESE FORUMS ARE SO FUL OF KIDS THINKING THEY HAVE IT ALL FIGURED OUT!!!!!!!!!! ROFLMAO!!!!!!!