How to determine and to recover from Winsock2 corruption in Windows Server 2003,...

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Article ID: 811259 - Last Review: August 5, 2009 - Revision: 16.2

How to determine and to recover from Winsock2 corruption in
Windows Server 2003, in Windows XP, and in Windows Vista

To continue receiving security updates for Windows, make sure you're running Windows XP
with Service Pack 3 (SP3). For more information, refer to this Microsoft web page: Support is
ending for some versions of Windows (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/help/end-support-
windows-xp-sp2-windows-vista-without-service-packs)

When you try to release and renew the IP address by using the Ipconfig program
(Ipconfig.exe), you may receive one of the following error messages.
Message 1

An error occurred while renewing interface 'Internet': An operation was

attempted on something that is not a socket.

Message 2

An error occurred while renewing interface Local Area Connection: the requested
service provider could not be loaded or initialized.

When you start Internet Explorer, you may receive the following error message:

The page cannot be displayed

When you use your computer, you may receive the following error message:

Initialization function INITHELPERDLL in IPMONTR.DLL failed to start with error

code 10107

Additionally, you may have no IP address or no Automatic Private IP Addressing

(APIPA) address, and you may be receiving IP packets but not sending them.

When you use the ipconfig /renew command, you may receive the following error
messages.

Message 1

An error occurred while renewing interface local area connection: an operation

was attempted on something that is not a socket. Unable to contact driver Error
code 2.

Message 2

The operation failed since no adapter is in the state permissible for this
operation.

Message 3

The attempted operation is not supported for the type of object referenced.

In Device Manager, when you click Show Hidden Devices, the TCP/IP Protocol
Driver is listed as disabled under Non-Plug and Play drivers, and you receive
error code 24.

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When you create a dial-up connection, you may receive the following error message:

Error 720: No PPP Control Protocols Configured

These issues may occur if the Winsock registry keys are damaged or corrupted.

Manual steps to determine whether the Winsock2 key is

corrupted for Windows XP users
To determine if the symptoms are caused by a problem with the Winsock2 key,use
one of the following methods.

Method 1: Use the Netdiag tool

To use the Netdiag tool, you must install the Microsoft Windows XP Support Tools.
To do so, follow these steps.

Notes

If you already have Support Tools installed, go to the second procedure in

this section.

If you do not have Support Tools installed and you do not have the Windows
XP Setup CD, go to Method 2.

1. Insert your Windows XP Setup CD, and then locate the Support\Tools folder.
2. Double-click the Setup.exe file.
3. Follow the steps on the screen until you reach the Select An Installation
Type screen.
4. On the Select An Installation Type screen, click Complete, and then click
Next.

When the installation is complete, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type Command, and then click OK.
2. Type netdiag /test:winsock, and then press ENTER.

The Netdiag tool will return the test results for several network components,
including the Winsock. For more details about the test, use /v at the end of the
netdiag command: netdiag /test:winsock /v

Method 2: Use the Msinfo32 program

Note Use this method only if you do not have a Windows XP Setup CD and you do
not have Support Tools installed.

1. Click Start, click Run, type Msinfo32, and then click OK.
2. Expand Components, expand Network, and then click Protocol.
3. You will have ten sections under Protocol. The section headings will include
the following names if the Winsock2 key is undamaged:
 MSAFD Tcpip [TCP/IP]
 MSAFD Tcpip [UDP/IP]
 RSVP UDP Service Provider
 RSVP TCP Service Provider
 MSAFD NetBIOS [\Device\NetBT_Tcpip...
 MSAFD NetBIOS [\Device\NetBT_Tcpip...
 MSAFD NetBIOS [\Device\NetBT_Tcpip...
 MSAFD NetBIOS [\Device\NetBT_Tcpip...
 MSAFD NetBIOS [\Device\NetBT_Tcpip...

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 MSAFD NetBIOS [\Device\NetBT_Tcpip...

If the names are anything different from those in this list, the Winsock2 key
is corrupted, or you have a third-party add-on, such as proxy software,
installed.

If you have a third-party add-on installed, the name of the add-on will replace the
letters "MSAFD" in the list.

If there are more than ten sections in the list, you have third-party additions
installed.

If there are fewer than ten sections, there is information missing.

Note These entries represent an installation with only the TCP/IP protocol installed.
You can have a working Winsock and see additional entries if another protocol is
installed. For example, if you install NWLink IPX/SPX, you will see 7 additional
sections, for a total of 17. Below is an example heading of one of the new sections:
MSAFD nwlnkipx [IPX]

Also, each of the new sections that are created by installing NWLink IPX/SPX start
with "MSAFD." Therefore, there are still only two sections that do not start with
those letters.

If the Netdiag test fails, or if you determined that there is Winsock corruption by
looking at Msinfo32, you must repair the Winsock2 key by using the steps in the
next section.

To have us reset the Winsock settings for you, go to the "Fix it for me" section. To
reset the Winsock settings yourself, go to the "Let me fix it myself" section.

To reset the Winsock settings automatically, click the Fix it button or link. Click Run
in the File Download dialog box, and then follow the steps in the Fix it wizard.

Fix this problem

Microsoft Fix it 50203

Note this wizard may be in English only; however, the automatic fix also works for
other language versions of Windows.

Note if you are not on the computer that has the problem, save the Fix it solution to
a flash drive or a CD and then run it on the computer that has the problem.

Next, go to the "Did this fix the problem?" section.

Manual steps to recover from Winsock2 corruption

Windows XP with Service Pack 2 instructions

To repair Winsock if you have Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) installed, type

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netsh winsock reset at the command prompt, and then press ENTER.

Note Restart the computer after you run this command. Additionally, for computers
that are running Windows XP SP2, there is a new netsh command that can rebuild
the Winsock key. For more information, visit the following Web site:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb457156.aspx
(http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb457156.aspx)

Warning Programs that access or monitor the Internet such as antivirus, firewall, or
proxy clients may be negatively affected when you run the netsh winsock reset
command. If you have a program that no longer functions correctly after you use
this resolution, reinstall the program to restore functionality.

Note If these steps do not resolve the problem, follow the steps in the next section.

Windows XP without Service Pack 2 instructions

To repair Winsock if you do not have Windows XP SP2 installed, delete the corrupted
registry keys, and then reinstall the TCP/IP protocol.

Step 1: Delete the corrupted registry keys

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify
the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry
incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added
protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the
registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore
the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft
Knowledge Base:
322756 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322756/ ) How to back up and restore
the registry in Windows

For more information about how to back up the registry, click the following article
number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
322756 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322756/ ) How to back up and restore
the registry in Windows XP and Windows Vista

1. Click Start, and then click Run.

2. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
3. In Registry Editor, locate the following keys, right-click each key, and then
click Delete:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Winsock

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Winsock2

4. When you are prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes.

Note Restart the computer after you delete the Winsock keys. Doing so causes the
Windows XP operating system to create new shell entries for those two keys. If you
do not restart the computer after you delete the Winsock keys, the next step does
not work correctly.

Step 2: Install TCP/IP

1. Right-click the network connection, and then click Properties.

2. Click Install.
3. Click Protocol, and then click Add.
4. Click Have Disk.
5. Type C:\Windows\inf, and then click OK.
6. On the list of available protocols, click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and
then click OK.

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If Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) does not appear, follow these steps:

a. Click Start, and then click Search.
b. In the Search Companion pane, click More advanced options.
c. Click to select the following three check boxes:
 Search system folders
 Search hidden files and folders
 Search subfolders
d. In the All or part of the file name box, type nettcpip.inf, and then
click Search.
e. In the results pane, right-click Nettcpip.inf, and then click Install.
7. Restart the computer.

Manual steps to determine whether the Winsock2 key is

corrupted for Windows Vista users

1. Click Start, click Run, type Msinfo32, and then click OK.
2. Expand Components, expand Network, and then click Protocol.
3. Ten sections appear under Protocol. The section headings will include the
following names if the Winsock2 key is undamaged:
 MSAFD Tcpip [TCP/IP]
 MSAFD Tcpip [UDP/IP]
 MSAFD Tcpip [TCP/IPv6]
 MSAFD Tcpip [UDP/IPv6]
 RSVP UDP Service Provider
 RSVP TCP Service Provider
 RSVP UDPv6 Service Provider
 RSVP TCPv6 Service Provider
 MSAFD NetBIOS [\Device\NetBT_Tcpip...
 MSAFD NetBIOS [\Device\NetBT_Tcpip...
 MSAFD NetBIOS [\Device\NetBT_Tcpip...
 MSAFD NetBIOS [\Device\NetBT_Tcpip...
 MSAFD NetBIOS [\Device\NetBT_Tcpip...
 MSAFD NetBIOS [\Device\NetBT_Tcpip...
If the names are anything different from those in this list, the Winsock2 key
is corrupted, or you have a third-party add-on such as proxy software
installed.

If you have a third-party add-on installed, the name of the add-on will replace the
letters "MSAFD" in the list.

If there are more than ten sections in the list, you have third-party additions
installed.

If there are fewer than ten sections, there is information missing.

Note These entries represent an installation with only the TCP/IP protocol installed.
You can have a working Winsock and see additional entries if another protocol is
installed. For example, if you install NWLink IPX/SPX, you will see 7 additional
sections, for a total of 17. Below is an example heading of one of the new sections:
MSAFD nwlnkipx [IPX]

Also, each of the new sections that are created by installing NWLink IPX/SPX start
with "MSAFD." Therefore, there are still only two sections that do not start with
those letters.

If the Netdiag test fails, or if you determined that there is Winsock corruption by
looking at Msinfo32, you must repair the Winsock2 key by using the steps in the
next section.

Manual steps to recover from Winsock2 corruption for Windows

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Vista users
Winsock corruption can cause connectivity problems. To resolve this issue by using
Network Diagnostics in Windows Vista, follow these steps:

1. Click ,

and then click Network.

2. Click Network and Sharing Center.
3. In the Network and Sharing Center box, click Diagnose and Repair.

Note You may also access the Network and Sharing Center in Control Panel.

Reset Winsock for Windows Vista

To reset Winsock for Windows Vista, follow these steps:

1. Click

, type cmd in the Start Search box, right-click cmd.exe, click Run as
administrator, and then press Continue.
2. Type netsh winsock reset at the command prompt, and then press ENTER.

Note If the command is typed incorrectly, you will receive an error message.
Type the command again. When the command is completed successfully, a
confirmation appears, followed by a new command prompt. Then, go to step
3.
3. Type exit, and then press ENTER.

Did this fix the problem?

Check whether Winsock is reset. If Winsock is reset, you are finished with this
section. If the Winsock is not reset, you can contact support
(http://support.microsoft.com/contactus) .

For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the
Microsoft Knowledge Base:
936211 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/936211/ ) How to troubleshoot network
connectivity problems in Internet Explorer

For more information about how to troubleshoot network and Internet connection
problems in Windows Vista, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/33307acf-0698-
41ba-b014-ea0a2eb8d0a81033.mspx (http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/
en-US/Help/33307acf-0698-41ba-b014-ea0a2eb8d0a81033.mspx)

APPLIES TO

Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition (32-bit x86)

Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition (32-bit x86)

Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition

Microsoft Windows XP Professional

Windows Vista Home Basic

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Windows Vista Home Premium

Windows Vista Ultimate

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