Changing the computer name: Windows Vista feature or bug?

I was at a client’s site today and had to change the computer name on a Vista PC to clear up a conflict. I found what is either a “feature” of Vista or a bona fide bug in the OS. When I tried to change the computer name from “Xyz” to “XYZ,” the OK button was greyed out. In fact, no three-letter name would work. I either had to go with more or fewer letters to get the OK button to activate. I changed the name to “Xy” and rebooted. I was then able to change the name to “XYZ.”

I haven’t found anything to indicate that this is a Vista feature, so for now I’m going to assume it’s a bug. This, and the fact that the client’s remote backup program doesn’t support Vista (so I can’t restore his data directly to the new machine) made for one of those “interesting” days.

If anyone has any insight on this issue, feel free to comment!

Cheers!
The Geek

Have a computer problem? A question about your latest gadget? Click here to Ask the Geek! Kenny “The Geek” Harthun has been playing with geeky stuff since 1965. He’s a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer with Connective Computing, Inc. providing network, desktop, data recovery and info security support services to a wide range of clients.