TCP/IP issues

[Guest]

I have the strangest issue I have ever seen
This customers system using XP Home can be seen from a network on a workgroup, but Ping 127.0.0.1 gets: Unable to Initialize windows sockets interface, error code

So I check the properties of the network connection, and there are no protocols, no agents, nothing on the window associated with the connection. If I click Install, to add a protocol (TCP/IP), I get "Could not add the requested component. The error is: The system cannot find the file specified"
Obvioulsy, the installer is not able to find the files needed to install TCP/IP. Now, is there a way to correct this, short of reinstalling the OS?

 

[Guest]

Here is what you do

Open regedit. (start /run regedit
Go to the following key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Service
Right click on winsock and choose export. Save it to my documents as winsoc
Right click on winsock2 and choose export. Save it to my documents as winsock
Now right click on winsock and choose delet
do the same for winsock
Close the registry editor
Reboot the computer. (very important. Do not skip
Once booted, go to network connections
Right click on your local area connection for your network and go to properties
Click on Install
Choose protocol and click add
Click on have disk
Type in c:\windows\inf (assuming xp is installed in a windows folder and on the c: drive.
Click Ok
Choose tcp/ip from the list
Once you get back to the properties box click ok
Reboot the system and test

 

[Guest]

Ron,

Thanks for your answer to German's question. I had a very similar problem, and your solution to him solved my problem. Thanks for taking the time to answer German's question.

Confused (no more)