How to Uninstall and Fix Winsock in XP

With Windows XP SP2 Installed
1. Click 'Start,' and then choose 'Run.' Enter 'cmd' (without the quotation marks), and press 'Enter' to open a command prompt window.
2. Enter the command 'netsh winsock reset catalog' (minus quotes), and press the 'Enter' key to reset the Winsock key.
3. Reboot the computer to complete the reinstall.
Prior to Windows XP SP2 Installation
4. Click 'Start,' then click 'Run.' Type 'regedit' (minus quotes) into the 'Open' box. Press 'Enter.'
5. Navigate to 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services' in the left hand pane of the registry editor. Right-click on the keys named 'Winsock' and 'Winsock2' in the right hand pane, and choose 'Delete.' Confirm the deletions when asked.
6. Restart your computer to create empty shells for the deleted registry keys.
7. Open your 'Start' menu. Point to 'Connect To' and click on 'Show All Connections.'
8. Right-click on your Internet connection in the window that opens. Click 'Install,' and choose 'Protocol.' Select the 'Add' button.
9. Click on 'Have disk.' Type 'C:\Windows\inf' (minus quotes) into the location box, and click 'OK.'
10. Select 'Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)' from the list. Click on 'OK.'
11. Reboot Windows XP to complete the reinstall.