NetBIOS over Tcp/IP - Do I want this enabled?  

On previous versions of Windows, I've always disabled NetBIOS over Tcp/IP.
Are we still doing that?

I'm on a stand alone computer, with all Sharing disabled. No network, no printers.
As far as I know I have no programs that require it. What is the current thinking on this?

pparks1 said:

It's not something that I have ever disabled. But I have been on a home lan since around 1998.

I was kind of looking for a bit more.

joeandmarg0 said:

With a backup ready,try it and see.There are far too many dependencies in computers to be conclusive without practical experience.
Be interested to hear the outcome.

I always have recent full OS image backups.

From what I've read... if whatever DNS server I'm on goes down, NetBIOS tcp/ip takes over. Other than that (in my case only), there's no need for it.

FreeBooter said:

I don't see why you need to disable the service it doesn't cause any problems.

Hackers (port scans) and unsolicited traffic. Virtually every PC today is on a shared network (no public IP).

Security risks: Netbios, port exposure & remote access removal – HMA Support

WannaCry uses the MS17-010 exploit to spread to other machines through NetBIOS.

Found a handy article that shows how to check NetBIOS status, and how to disable it completely, if desired: Testing and Disabling NetBIOS - 1. Frontline.
FWIW, I've never messed with it on my Windows PCs, and it's never caused me any problems.
Here's a link to the NetBIOS chapter from TCP/IP Unleashed, back from 2001/2002: NetBIOS and TCP/IP | NetBIOS and TCP/IP | InformIT.
HTH,
--Ed--