Overview

A Windows Server takes a good hour or two to setup and patch. Once a basic server has been brought online, it is easier to create new servers by cloning them and changing their identify (IP number, NetBIOS name etc).

NewSID

One thing that can’t easily be changed is the Security Identifier of the computer. SysInternals have released a tool which, though not supported by Microsoft, permits automatic changing of the Computer SID and computer name, named newsid. (Download site).

Whoami Wallpaper

Another fantastic piece of freeware is whoami wallpaper - a little Win32 exe that prints the computer name, IP number, user account etc on the top right of the desktop as wallpaper. Very handy in a VMware environment! (Download Site).