Win XP - Winsock 2 problem

[DP]

Hello -

I use Windows XP on my home PC and as of yesterday, I
cannot open a browser window - I keep getting the edit:
cannot find server - 'page cannot be displayed'.

I called my internet servie provider and they confirmed
the internet connection is fine but during their
troubleshooting, they discovered I had a 'Winsock 2'
problem related to the operating system - because this is
outside of their scope for resolving the problem, they
mentioned I needed to get a 'Winsock 2 fix' by bringing my
PC to a computer store to get this fix.

Is this something I can resolve on my own or should I
leave this to a technical expert?

Thanks.

DP

 

[Rich Barry]

Take a look here
http://www.experts-exchange.com/Operating_Systems/WinXP/Q_20786932.html



http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;811259&Product=winxp

 

[R. C. White]

Hi, DP.

That error message is the classic symptom of DNS failure. The Domain Name
Server is what acts as the "great phone book in the sky" that looks up
www.google.com, for example, and then dials the IP address 216.239.53.99 so
that we don't have to deal with all those numbers. Your ISP must connect
you to at least one DNS so that Internet Explorer can find the web pages
that you ask for.

I'm not sure what a "Winsock 2 fix" is, but I doubt you need one. Google
gets 122 hits on "winsock 2 fix", so it apparently really does exist, but
since I read these newsgroups daily and never heard of it before, it must be
a rare problem. You didn't mention the make and model of your computer, but
unless it (or the software you are running) is somewhat unusual, I doubt
that this is the correct diagnosis for your problem.

My first suspect is your firewall. You may have it configured so tightly
that it can't access the sites that you want to see. What firewall are you
using? WinXP has one built-in which protects us from inbound intruders.
You may be running a third-party firewall that also restricts what your
computer can send out (to keep some malware from "phoning home" with your
credit card number or from launching an attack on other computers from
yours).

What happened yesterday? You said this problem started "as of yesterday".
Can you do a System Restore to a point before yesterday?

RC

 

[Wesley Vogel]

How to determine and recover from Winsock2 corruption
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;811259#appliesto

[If you have suddenly lost your Internet connection after removing spy-ware
(such as NewDotNet, and Commonname) the following steps will help restore
your connection. This works for Windows 9x/NT/2000/XP.

1.) Download WinsockFix.zip. (by: Option^Explicit)
http://members.shaw.ca/installations/WinsockFix.zip

2.) UnZip WinsockFix.zip (Pay close attention to where the file is extracted
to.)
3.) Run WinsockFix.exe.
4.) Click the Fix button.

This program will clean up your TCP/IP connection and rebuild the database.
After the program is complete, reboot and your problems should be resolved.
----------------------
WinSock Fix
Winsock and TCP Repair Utility
This Utility Restores Registry Keys, that may become corrupt after Removing
the Host Program that Modified them.]
-----------
The Winsockfix Utility will:
1.) Detect your current Operating System
2.) Release the IP address, taking you "Offline"
3.) Reset the TCP stack using Netsh.exe (Windows XP only)
4.) Delete the current Registry TCP and Winsock Values
5.) Import new "Working" Registry Values
6.) Backup any Current "Hosts" file
7.) Replace the "Hosts" file with a default one
8.) Reboot the Computer
================

WinsockFix.zip also available here:
http://news.swzone.it/swznews-9826.php
==================

WinsockFix.zip also available here:
Dealing with Unwanted Spyware and Parasites
Repairing your Winsock Connection
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
=================