To increase computer security, INTEK recommends that you disable File and Print Sharing and disable your NetBIOS over TCP/IP. This will conceal your computer and workgroup names from the Internet, as well as making it harder for malicious Internet users to access your computer files.

NetBIOS stands for Network Basic Input/Output System. TCP/IP stands for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. Protocols are languages computers use to communicate with each other. NetBIOS over TCP/IP may allow a user to click the Network Neighborhood icon and see other computers on the network. Charter Communications typically filters certain types of NetBIOS traffic. It should be noted that regardless of your Internet connections (such as Dial-Up, DSL or Cable Modem), an attacker can use various methods to access a computer attached to the Internet. To help reduce the risk of file and print sharing across the Internet, Charter recommends that you disable file and print sharing and unbind NetBIOS from TCP/IP on Microsoft Windows-based systems.

These instructions will take you through each procedure step-by-step to disable File and Print Sharing and disable your NetBIOS over TCP/IP for the listed operating systems.

To get started, select your operating system from the choices below.

Microsoft Windows 95
Microsoft Windows 98
Microsoft Windows NT
Microsoft Windows XP
Macintosh

If you don't know which operating system you are using, click here.