Summary: A duplicate name existing on the network happens when two resources - usually computers - have been given the same name. We'll look at how to check, and where to fix it.
Windows System Error: A duplicate name exists on the network. I get this message in a little nag box when I sign on. It doesn't come up every time, so has someone hacked in to my computer?
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It's unlikely that you've been hacked.
It's more likely that the error message is exactly right: A duplicate name exists on the network. The question you're probably asking is, "what name?".
Your computer's name.
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Right click on My Computer and click on Properties. Then click on the Computer Name tab and you'll see something like this:
Yours will of course have different computer descriptions, names and Workgroup names.
The error message is complaining about the Full computer name listed there. Each computer on your network must have a unique name. If two computers have the same name "a duplicate name exists". In such a case, some network operations may fail because there's no way to tell which computer you mean when you specify the computer name.
Computer names should also be different than the Workgroup name.
Pick one of the two computers that have the same name, and pick a new name.
To change the name, on that Computer Name dialog, just hit the Change button, and you'll see a dialog such as this:
As you can see, you can change your computer name to whatever you like, or change the Workgroup it's a part of. (You probably want all the computers on your network to be a part of the same Workgroup to enable file sharing more easily.) Once you change the computer name, OK your way back out. Reboot and see if the error message you were seeing hasn't disappeared.
Article C2801 - October 4, 2006
An article at Stanford's School of Earth Sciences gives a reason why this might continue to happen.
Posted by: Cecile Dunbar at September 25, 2007 11:52 AMLink to it here
http://pangea.stanford.edu/computerinfo/resources/network/faq/windupname.html
Actually, I had the same problem this morning when I got to work. I tried all means but none work. I decided to change my IP address and domain name.. Guess, what happened.. it worked perfectly and all is back to normal.. Thanks for your thread though.
Posted by: Mac-Jordan at October 9, 2007 7:05 AMI have worked/asked/searched this problem on our network for two - three weeks.
The solution was surprising and had nothing(?) to do with this error message.
By isoliting a small part of the network, using new cables and a new switch everything was OK, and I could continue from this.
What caused the error message?; a damaged cabletip(I don't know the English name) from the 3Com AP to the switch, tightly bundled cables, old equimment or a a pupil/teacher who has put a cable into the wrong connection. I am not sure, but my bet is the cable from the AP to the switch.
I hope this could be of help for some? Let me know - - -,
Posted by: Eldmar Korsnes at February 13, 2008 1:51 PMeldmar@gmail.com
Thanks! I had this problem because I configured a NAS device to have a device name that matched the workgroup name. The message popped up on each computer on the network as soon as they started up. Changing the hostname on the NAS fixed the problem.
Posted by: Jac Goudsmit at December 25, 2008 8:47 PMThis will help you . . .
http://www.tech-archive.net/Archive/Windows/microsoft.public.windows.server.dns/2005-06/msg00224.html
Posted by: Rohit Bansod at January 14, 2009 10:00 AM