subject: Winsock - How To Repair A Windows Sockets Api
[print this page] Winsock, the shortened term for Windows Sockets API, is technical specification that Microsoft uses in its Windows operating system to tell network applications how to communicate with various network services like TCP/IP, the protocol behind the Internet and other similar computer networks. Sometimes when a user is removing viruses, spyware, or other nasty things that a computer can get infected with, it is possible to corrupt Winsock, thus causing networks to not function properly. The user may see strange error codes displayed that mention Windows Sockets, and even the most basic network functions like the command IPCONFIG will not work like they normally would. When trying to use the Internet, the user may see the error "Page cannot be displayed", if their Windows Socket is corrupted.
If Winsock has become corrupted on a machine, it is not hard to fix, but requires a little effort. The entire TCP/IP protocol must be reset on the computer. There are a few different ways to go about doing this, including using a command line prompt, as well as downloading third party software to fix the issue. Winsock Fix is the first application to try. This is a full featured program from the start,not a demo that one will have to pay for before they can use all the features of the program, and
should only be used as a last resort if there are problems with connecting to the internet. There are numerous other reasons that could cause it to not be working properly. It can repair the connection if there are any Windows Registry entries that are missing.
If this techinique doesn't do the trick, then a user can try to reset the TCP/IP network stack manually to fix Winsock. First, a command prompt must be opened by clicking Start, Run, and then typing CMD. Once the command prompt opens, type "nets hint ip reset resetlog.txt", minus the quotes of course, and hit Enter. What this does is essentially recreate the 2 registry entries that are needed for TCP/IP to function properly.
If that doesn't work either, one can try typing "netsh winsock reset catalog" into the command prompt instead. This will reset the catalog to its original default configuration. If it is an LSP that is causing the network issues, then this command should help fix it. Some programs may need to be reinstalled after using this command though.
There are many alternatives to fixing these computer errors. If you are ready to get started, don't wait, start today!
