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 Kyndryl Cloud Uplift Helper

Kyndryl Cloud Uplift Helper is a service that runs on every Kyndryl Cloud Uplift Windows VM which was created from a Kyndryl Cloud Uplift public template. It has two functions: the first is to sync the in-guest hostname with the hostname assigned to it in the Kyndryl Cloud Uplift 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 Kyndryl Cloud Uplift UI.

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

The Kyndryl Cloud Uplift 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 Kyndryl Cloud Uplift Helper. The Kyndryl Cloud Uplift Helper Properties dialog displays,
4. Set the Startup type to Disabled.
5. Click Stop.

Reference Links

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