Networking conflict - What is the most common default computer name for Windows?

Question

I recently had to change the name of my computer to log onto a public wi-fi spot, because a computer with my name was already logged on. (I asked a guy there what to do after it said there was already a computer named "(omitted)" logged on.) I've never been at a wifi spot you had to log into before. I didn't even notice what the computer's name was before.

My question is what are the most common default computer names. I'm curious. How often does this sort of problem happen?

Thanks.

Answer 1

Probably: Home,HomeComputer,Notebook,Laptop,PC,MyPC,Computer,<\YourName>-Computer etc.
Or maybe : AssetNo.761238129ER

Default Computer Name when installing Windows is pretty complicated so we can't blame Microsoft. (although why not, let's do it!)

Trivia:
http://www.whatsmypass.com/the-top-500-worst-passwords-of-all-time and
http://modernl.com/article/top-10-most-common-passwords

Answer 2

There is no good answer for the question you're asking. Windows doesn't have any common default computer names. Each vendor can make up their own. Taking a wild-ass guess, I imagine that the most common names are "home" and "computer" and "laptop". The most common naming scheme that I've seen in corporations makes the computer name related to either the serial number or the asset tag - the former should be globally unique, the latter might not be.

If you have a known example, that of your own computer name, why don't you include it in this question?

To solve the problem, why don't you try to name it something obscure? Your first initial, last name, and then a random number? Of course, since your first name is John, if your last name is Smith, that's still risking a lot of collisions.