Deployment Solution

I have a job to rename a computer, remove from the domain. Reboot then re-join to the domain with the new name. The problem is that when the first script runs there is nothing to stop the user logging onto the computer. Is there anyway I can have a message displayed while the script is running? I can do a message box in my script but that will only display when logged on. Not before the user logs on.

I'm not sure this is possible -but would be very interested to hear from others if there is a route to achieve this.

There are a couple of alternative to consider though, which might give you the same result?

1. Making the default background include a warning that the computer is configuring. When the script is finished, the last thing it does is replace pre-login background with whatever you use as standard.
2. Forcing Using the legal-text functionality and CRTL-ALT-DEL. The legal box could contain some text referring to the fact that this computer is configuring. On completion these settings should also be reset.

Kind Regards,
Ian./

What about the splash screen that is displayed with "modify configuration" is running? can this be forced to appear?

Good idea, but the aclient "configuring" splash is a special case code path for the agent. If it starts up and finds its in a cloned state it will popup this splash whilst it loads its configuration file from the root of the C: drive.

There is no feature which enables you to  activate this splash to cater for other admin-specified circumstances.

Kind Regards,
Ian./

I think this is a case of over-thinking the issue.

From a practical standpoint, the minute you remove the PC from the domain, its domain users can no longer log on. Unless the user attempting to log on has a local PC account that should be a non-issue.

So don't script it, use a modify configuration job to do this, then it will come up. Even if they do sign in they won't have enough time to do any work before it reboots. It's not like they will be losing work.