USFamily.Net

Connecting families, communities and businesses for over 7 years

usa.gif (12791 bytes)

  HOME · HELP · CONTACT US

  WEBMAIL · MY ACCOUNT · USE POLICY

 
Internet Services


Dial-up
DSL
------------------------
E-mail
Web Hosting
------------------------
Support
My Account
------------------------
Computer Care
------------------------
Search The Web


 Search Help

 
DSL > General Computer Issues
Reinstall the WinSock Layer

Winsock is the interface between your Windows applications and the TCP/IP protocol (which is what communicates with the Internet). Sometimes the Winsock layer becomes corrupted, and may need to be reinitialized, or even reinstalled. This article will show you how to do both.

Reinitialize the WinSock Layer
In Windows XP, do the following:

  • Click on "Start"
  • Click on "Run"
  • Type in the following command and the click "Ok"
    netsh winsock reset catalog
  • Reboot your Computer.

Reinstall the WinSock Layer
Sometimes reinitializing the WinSock layer will not fix the issues you may be experiencing. The following instructions will show you how to reinstall the WinSock layer. As a warning, these instruction will require you to work in your registry editor. If you do not know what you are doing, you can cause irreparable damage to your computer. You may follow these instructions at your own risk.

In Windows, do the following:

  • Click on "Start"
  • Click on "Run" (in Vista, you will need to press the "windows key" and "R" at the same time on your keyboard).
  • Type in the following command and the click "Ok"
    regedit
  • You will now in in the Windows registry editor. You will need to navigate to the following folders, and delete them.
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>SYSTEM>CurrentControlSet>Services>Winsock
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>SYSTEM>CurrentControlSet>Services>Winsock2
  • Close the registry editor.

You have now removed WinSock. Now you must reinstall TCP/IP to reinstall WinSock.

Windows Vista:

  • Click on "Start"
  • Click on "Control Panel"
  • Click on "Network and Sharing Center"
  • Click click on "Network Connections"
  • Right click on your network adapter (usually it's named something like Local Area Connection), and select "Properties"
  • Click on "Install"
  • Select "Protocol" and click on "Add"
  • Click on "Have Disk"
  • Enter the following and click on "Ok"
    C:/windows/inf
  • Select "Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)" and click on "Ok"
  • Click on "Close" or "Ok" (not cancel!)
  • Reboot your computer

Windows XP:

  • Click on "Start"
  • Click on "Control Panel"
  • Double click on "Network Connections"
  • Right click on your network adapter (usually it's named something like Local Area Connection), and select "Properties"
  • Click on "Install"
  • Select "Protocol" and click on "Add"
  • Click on "Have Disk"
  • Enter the following and click on "Ok"
    C:/windows/inf
  • Select "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)" and click on "Ok"
  • Click on "Close" or "Ok" (not cancel!)
  • Reboot your computer

Windows 2000:

  • Click on "Start"
  • Select "Settings"
  • Select"Control Panel"
  • Select "Network and Dialup Connections"
  • Right click on your network adapter (usually it's named something like Local Area Connection), and select "Properties"
  • Click on "Install"
  • Select "Protocol" and click on "Add"
  • Click on "Have Disk"
  • Enter the following and click on "Ok"
    C:/winnt/inf
  • Select "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)" and click on "Ok"
  • Click on "Close" or "Ok" (not cancel!)
  • Reboot your computer

Windows 95/98/ME:

  • Click on "Start"
  • Select "Settings"
  • Click on "Control Panel"
  • Double click on "Network"
  • Remove all References to "TCP/IP"
  • Click on "Add"
  • Select "Protocol" and click on "Add"
  • Click on "Have Disk"
  • Enter the following and click on "Ok"
    C:/windows/options/cabs
  • Select "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)" and click on "Ok"
  • Click on "Close" or "Ok" (not cancel!)
  • Reboot your computer

Did this Frequently Asked Question provide the information you were looking for? Provide us with your Feedback and suggestions for improving this FAQ.


Email FAQ to: