Why does the Windows Guest OS hostname change when I restart it?

The hostname of a VM guest OS has changed to host-1. When changed back to its original hostname in Windows, it reverts to host-1 on the next power cycle.

About Skytap Helper

Skytap Helper is a service that runs on every Skytap Windows VM which was created from a Skytap public template. It has two functions: the first is to sync the in-guest hostname with the hostname assigned to it in the Skytap UI; the second is to ensure all hostnames on the same network are unique.

It updates the Guest OS hostname to be in sync with the hostname assigned to the network adapter in the Skytap UI.

Skytap Helper updates hostnames automatically, as a result, it can sometimes break hostname-dependent applications like Domain Controllers.

The Skytap Helper service can be disabled by following the below steps:

1. In the Windows VM, click Start > Run.
2. Type services.msc. The Services management console displays.
3. Double-click Skytap Helper. The Skytap Helper Properties dialog displays,
4. Set the Startup type to Disabled.

5. Click Stop.

Reference Links

Synchronizing Windows hostnames and Skytap network hostnames with Skytap Helper:
https://help.skytap.com/kb-using-skytap-helper-for-windows-vms.html#DisablingSkytapHelper