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I see that my Mac is called "A's MacBook" on the network.

How do I rename it (i.e., change the hostname) to "C's MacBook"?

That's the question. Here are the details:

Having read various suggestions to create a superfluous admin account before migrating using Time Machine, I went ahead and used "A Admin". The trouble is that that resulted in the hard disk getting named "A's MacBook", which does not match the directory under /Backups.backupdb on the Time Machine disk.

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Since you found it (it is in fact the right solution to rename your mac), can you add it as answer and accept it? – Loïc Wolff Apr 7 '12 at 9:13

2 Answers

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One can rename one's "Computer Name" under Sharing in System Preferences.

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Click on the hard drive on the Desktop and then click again on the name of the drive or hit enter, the same way you'd rename any folder or file in the Finder.

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Not quite. I found the answer here: maciverse.com/quick-tip-rename-your-mac.html . It can be done through Sharing in System Preferences. What I am trying to rename is also apparently a device, not a drive. – Calaf Apr 7 '12 at 4:59
You're trying to change the hostname of the computer. I'll edit the question so it better specifies that and you should answer it and accept the answer. (When you do answer it, both include the link and describe the process just in case the link goes down.) – CajunLuke Apr 7 '12 at 19:09
Are you sure they did not intend to make a distinction between the hostname and the Mac-specific "Computer Name"? The former is "As-MacBook.local" and the latter is "A’s MacBook" (neither quote nor space in the first, and no hyphen in the latter). – Calaf Apr 7 '12 at 23:26
There is no actual difference. If you change the computer name ("A's MacBook") to "Something else", the fully qualified hostname changes to "Something-else.local" automatically. – patrix♦ Apr 8 '12 at 8:59

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