Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) servers are used to resolve NetBIOS (Network Basic Input/Output System) names to IP addresses. Windows 7 uses NetBIOS names in addition to hostnames to identify network computers. This is mainly for backward compatibility with legacy Windows operating systems, which used this addressing scheme extensively. When you attempt to access a computer using the NetBIOS name, the computer must be able to resolve the NetBIOS name to an IP address. This address resolution can be accomplished by using one of the following methods:

• Through a broadcast (if the computer you are trying to reach is on the same network segment)
• Through a WINS server
• Through an LMHOSTS (LAN Manager HOSTS) file, which is a static mapping of IP addresses to NetBIOS computer names