When I run the NBTSTAT -c command, why do some lines have a period (.) in the name column?

A. An incorrect entry in the LMHOSTS file causes this problem. Sample output indicating a problem appears below:

C:>nbtstat -c

Local Area Connection:
Node IpAddress: [200.200.200.1] Scope Id: []

NetBIOS Remote Cache Name Table

Name             Type   Host Address  Life [sec]
------------------------------------------------------------
savilltech2  UNIQUE 200.200.200.2 -1
SAVILLTECH . UNIQUE 200.200.200.1 -1
SAVILLTECH . UNIQUE 200.200.200.1 -1
SAVILLTECH . UNIQUE 200.200.200.1 -1

The LMHOSTS entry must have the following format:

[IP address][tab]"[15-character domain name]x1b" [tab] #PRE

For example,

200.200.200.1 "savilltech     x1b" #PRE

Notice the five spaces after savilltech to make the domain name 15 characters. If the domain name isn't the full 15 characters (padded with space characters), the period appears in the Name column. To correct the problem, edit your LMHOSTS file (in the %systemroot%system32driversetc folder) and ensure that all domains defined in this format are padded with spaces to make them 15 characters.