Error Message: Unable to Initialize Windows Sockets Interface


This information applies to Windows 95 and 98.
This article was previously published under Q288133
IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry

[Ed. note--I wouldn't worry about backing up the registry too much. In my opinion, a computer is worthless if it can't go on the Internet.--]

SYMPTOMS
After you upgrade from Windows 95 to Windows 98, you may receive the following error message when you try to use the Ping utility:

Error Message: Unable to Initialize Windows Sockets Interface
CAUSE
This behavior can occur when the Winsock2 files have been damaged or replaced by third-party programs.
RESOLUTION
WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

[Ed. note--Don't worry about it. You can visit Download.com for programs to clean up or back up your precious Registry.]

To resolve this behavior:
Locate the following files: Winsock.dll
Wsock32.dll
Wsock32n.dll

Then:
For each file, right-click it, and then click Rename.
Type a file name with the .old extension, for example, winsock.old, and then press ENTER.
Extract the preceding files using the System File Checker (SFC) tool from the Windows 98 CD-ROM:
Click Start, and then click Run.
In the Open box, type: sfc.
Select the Extract one file from the installation disk option.
Type in the name of the file (for example, winsock.dll) that you want to extract, and then click Start.
Specify the location of the installation files if it is not automatically selected. You may also need to specify the folder to which the file needs to be copied. The Winsock.dll file is placed in the Windows folder. Both the Wsock32.dll and Wsock32n.dll files are placed in the Windows\System folder.
By means of Regedit, locate and click the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Winsock2

Then:
Click Start, and then click Run.
In the Open box, type: regedit.
In the left pane, locate the previously mentioned key.
Left-click the key to select it.
Click Registry from the menu, and then select the Export Registry Key option. You must specify a location to store and a name for the key that is to be exported. With the key still selected, press DELETE to delete the selected registry key. Close Registry Editor.
Remove the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP/IP) and Dial-up Networking (DUN) files by using the following article:
181599 How to Remove and Reinstall Dial-Up Networking and TCP/IP Files
[Ed. note--Instruction for Removing and Reinstalling Dial-Up Networking and TCP/IP Files are reposted below.]

Restart the system.
Reinstall the DUN and TCP/IP files.
The information in this article applies to:
Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition
Microsoft Windows 98

How to Remove and Reinstall Dial-Up Networking and TCP/IP Files

This information applies to Windows 95 and 98.
This article was previously published under Q181599
NOTE: The steps in this article do NOT apply to Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me) and should not be performed on a Windows Me computer.

SUMMARY
This article describes how to remove and reinstall Dial-Up Networking and Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). These steps may be necessary under the following conditions:
You are unable to connect to a remote computer, remote network, or the Internet using TCP/IP bound to a dial-up adapter.
You have verified the accuracy of your TCP/IP settings.
You have verified your modem is functioning correctly.
MORE INFORMATION
To remove and reinstall Dial-Up Networking and TCP/IP, use the following steps:

NOTE: You should have your original Windows CD-ROM or disks available before beginning these steps. Also, if the Rna.inf file is not re-extracted correctly, the option to reinstall DUN is not available in Windows Setup. Because of this, you must re-extract the Rna.inf file to the INF folder.
Record the configuration information for each connection in the Dial-Up Networking folder. To do so, use the following steps:
Double-click My Computer, and then double-click Dial-Up Networking.
Right-click a connection, click Properties, and then record all of the settings including the TCP/IP information. Repeat this process with another connection until you have recorded all of your connection's configuration information.
If the Dial-Up Networking 1.2 or 1.3 Update is installed, uninstall it. If it is not installed, continue to the next step. To uninstall the Dial-Up Networking 1.2 or 1.3 Update, use the following steps:
Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Add/Remove Programs.
On the Install/Uninstall tab, click Dial-Up Networking Upgrade 1.2 (or 1.3), and then click Add/Remove.
When you are prompted to remove the update, click Yes, and then click OK.
Delete all of your connections from the Dial-Up Networking folder. To do so, right-click a connection, and then click Delete. Repeat this process with another connection until you have deleted all of your connections, and then close the Dial-Up Networking folder.
In Network properties, record each component and its configuration information:
Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Network.
Click a component on the Configuration tab, click Properties, and then record all of the component's settings. Repeat this process with another component until you have recorded all of your component's configuration information.
NOTE: Make sure that you have the required disks to reinstall any third-party items before you remove them in Network properties.

Remove all of the network components from Network properties. To do so, click a component on the Configuration tab, and then click Remove. Repeat this process until you have deleted all of the network components from Network properties, click OK, and then click Yes when you are prompted to restart your computer.
Uninstall Dial-Up Networking. To do so, follow these steps:
Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Add/Remove Programs.
Click the Windows Setup tab, click Communications (the word Communications, not the checkbox), click Details, and then click the Dial-Up Networking check box to clear it.
Click OK, click Apply, click OK, and then click Yes when you are prompted to restart your computer.
Restart your computer to a command prompt. To do so, click Start, click Shut Down, click Restart, and then click OK. Press F8 for Windows 95 (or CTRL key for Windows 98), choose Command Prompt Only, and then press ENTER.
At the command prompt, type the following commands, pressing ENTER after each command:
NOTE: You can create a batch (.bat) file by copying and pasting all of the following commands into Notepad, saving it as "tcp.bat" (for example ) and then run this file at the command prompt to help automate this step.
cd\windows
ren winsock.dll winsock.old
cd\windows\system
ren rnaapp.exe rnaapp.eex
ren splitter.vxd splitter.dxv
ren vgateway.vxd vgateway.dxv
ren pppmac.vxd pppmac.dxv
ren wsock.vxd wsock.dxv
ren spap.vxd spap.dxv
ren rnasetup.dll rnasetup.lld
ren rnathunk.dll rnathunk.lld
ren rasapi16.dll rasapi16.lld
ren rasapi32.dll rasapi32.lld
ren smmscrpt.dll smmscrpt.lld
ren smmsetup.dll smmsetup.lld
ren rnaserv.dll rnaserv.lld
ren wsock32.dll wsock32.lld
ren rnaui.dll rnaui.lld
ren rnanp.dll rnanp.lld
ren rnaph.dll rnaph.lld
ren vdhcp.386 vdhcp.683
ren vnbt.386 vnbt.683
ren vtcp.386 vtcp.683
ren vtdi.386 vtdi.683
ren vudp.386 vudp.683
ren vip.386 vip.683
cd\
cd progra~1\access~1
ren slipmenu.scp slipmenu.old
ren slip.scp slip.old
cd\
cd windows\inf
ren netcli.inf netcli.fni
ren netservr.inf netservr.fni
ren net.inf net.fni
ren nettrans.inf nettrans.fni
ren netppp.inf netppp.fni
ren rna.inf rna.fni
ren drvdata.bin drvdata.old
ren drvidx.bin drvidx.old



For Windows 98 only, include the renaming of these additional Winsock2 files:
cd\windows\system
ren msafd.dll msafd.lld
ren mswsock.dll mswsock.lld
ren mswsosp.dll mswsosp.lld
ren ws2help.dll ws2help.lld
ren ws2thk.dll ws2thk.lld
ren rnr20.dll rnr20.lld
ren ws2_32.dll ws2_32.lld
ren wsasrv.exe wsasrv.eex
ren afvxd.vxd afvxd.dxv
ren ndis.vxd ndis.dxv
ren wshtcp.vxd wshtcp.dxv
ren wsipx.vxd wsipx.dxv
ren wsock2.vxd wsock2.dxv

NOTE: Some of these files may not be present.

Restart your computer to a command prompt, and then extract the files in the following table from your original Windows disks or CD-ROM to the following folders. File Folder

Rasapi32.dll Windows\System
Wsock32.dll Windows\System
Rnasetup.dll Windows\System
Netcli.inf Windows\Inf
Netservr.inf Windows\Inf
Net.inf Windows\Inf
Nettrans.inf Windows\Inf
Netppp.inf Windows\Inf
Rna.inf Windows\Inf
Winsock.dll Windows
For information about how to extract a file, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
129605 How to Extract Original Compressed Windows Files

[Ed. note--I recommend starting up using a Microsoft Windows Start-Up Disk with CD-Rom support. The reasons for using the command prompt are many, but primarily, the problem with using "sfc" is that you may receive an Access Denied when using Windows 98, because that file may be in used. Also, trying to start Windows after doing all the renaming can cause problems, especially with Windows complaining about missing essential files, and may cause Windows to do the things you don't want to happen. For those who bought PC with Windows pre-installed, the cabinet files are found in c:\cabs\ folder. Type "ext" at the command prompt and follow the instruction. See below for files to extract.]

For information about which cabinet files contain the files you want to extract, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

135540 Windows 95 CD-ROM Directory Listing (1 of 5)

135537 Windows 95 CD-ROM Directory Listing (2 of 5)

135538 Windows 95 CD-ROM Directory Listing (3 of 5)

135539 Windows 95 CD-ROM Directory Listing (4 of 5)

135541 Windows 95 CD-ROM Directory Listing (5 of 5)

188428 Windows 98 CD-ROM Directory Listing (1 of 14)

188429 Windows 98 CD-ROM Directory Listing (2 of 14)

188430 Windows 98 CD-ROM Directory Listing (3 of 14)

188431 Windows 98 CD-ROM Directory Listing (4 of 14)

188432 Windows 98 CD-ROM Directory Listing (5 of 14)

188433 Windows 98 CD-ROM Directory Listing (6 of 14)

188434 Windows 98 CD-ROM Directory Listing (7 of 14)

188435 Windows 98 CD-ROM Directory Listing (8 of 14)

188436 Windows 98 CD-ROM Directory Listing (9 of 14)

188437 Windows 98 CD-ROM Directory Listing (10 of 14)

188438 Windows 98 CD-ROM Directory Listing (11 of 14)

188439 Windows 98 CD-ROM Directory Listing (12 of 14)

188440 Windows 98 CD-ROM Directory Listing (13 of 14)

189503 Windows 98 CD-ROM Directory Listing (14 of 14)

238664 Windows 98 Second Edition CD-ROM Directory Listing (1 of 14)

238666 Windows 98 Second Edition CD-ROM Directory Listing (2 of 14)

238668 Windows 98 Second Edition CD-ROM Directory Listing (3 of 14)

238728 Windows 98 Second Edition CD-ROM Directory Listing (4 of 14)

238729 Windows 98 Second Edition CD-ROM Directory Listing (5 of 14)

238730 Windows 98 Second Edition CD-ROM Directory Listing (6 of 14)

238749 Windows 98 Second Edition CD-ROM Directory Listing (7 of 14)

238767 Windows 98 Second Edition CD-ROM Directory Listing (8 of 14)

238771 Windows 98 Second Edition CD-ROM Directory Listing (9 of 14)

238775 Windows 98 Second Edition CD-ROM Directory Listing (10 of 14)

238809 Windows 98 Second Edition CD-ROM Directory Listing (11 of 14)

238811 Windows 98 Second Edition CD-ROM Directory Listing (12 of 14)

238813 Windows 98 Second Edition CD-ROM Directory Listing (13 of 14)

239011 Windows 98 Second Edition CD-ROM Directory Listing (14 of 14)

NOTE: The following table displays the location of several files. 

   +-------------------------------+--------------------------------------
   | File Name    | Folder         | File Location                       |
   +-------------------------------+--------------------------------------
   | Rasapi32.dll | Windows\System | In the standard cab files           |
   +-------------------------------+--------------------------------------
   | Wsock32.dll  | Windows\System | precopy1.cab                        |
   +-------------------------------+--------------------------------------
   | Rnasetup.dll | Windows\System | precopy1.cab                        |
   +-------------------------------+--------------------------------------
   | Netcli.inf   | Windows\Inf    | precopy2.cab                        |
   +-------------------------------+--------------------------------------
   | Netservr.inf | Windows\Inf    | precopy2.cab                        |
   +-------------------------------+--------------------------------------
   | Net.inf      | Windows\Inf    | precopy2.cab                        |
   +-------------------------------+--------------------------------------
   | Nettrans.inf | Windows\Inf    | precopy2.cab                        |
   +-------------------------------+--------------------------------------
   | Netppp.inf   | Windows\Inf    | precopy2.cab                        |
   +-------------------------------+--------------------------------------
   | Rna.inf      | Windows\Inf    | precopy2.cab                        |
   +-------------------------------+--------------------------------------
   | Winsock.dll  | Windows        | precopy1.cab                        |
   +-------------------------------+--------------------------------------

Standard cab files in Windows 95 are in the Win95_10.cab file. In Windows 95 OSR2 the location is the Win95_16.cab file. In Windows 98 the location is the Win98_37.cab file, and in Windows 98 Second Edition it is the Win98_40.cab file. Note that these files are in the actual .cab files of the operating system as opposed to the precopy .cab files. [Ed. note--I had a problem in extracting certain files. The files sometimes weren't where they were supposed to be. The best thing I suggest you do is look for it using ext. They can help you if you know how to use it. Some files might be found in another cab files.]

Restart your computer.
Reinstall Dial-Up Networking. To do so, use the following steps:
Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Add/Remove Programs.
On the Windows Setup tab, click Communications (the word Communications, not the check box), click Details, and then click to select the Dial-Up Networking check box.
Click OK, click Apply, click OK, and then click Yes when you are prompted to restart your computer.
NOTE: You may receive version conflict error messages during this process. If this happens, click Yes when you are prompted to keep a newer version of the Secur32.dll and Rpc*.dll files. Click No for all other files.

Reinstall and configure the network components (listed in step 5). To do so, use the following steps:
If you have a network adapter installed, install the software for the adapter according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Network.
On the Configuration tab, click Add, click Adapter, click Add, click Microsoft in the Manufacturers box, click Dial-Up Adapter, and then click OK.
Click Protocol, click Add, click Microsoft in the Manufacturers box, click TCP/IP, and then click OK.NOTE: You may receive version conflict error messages during this process. If this happens, click No when you are prompted to keep a newer version of each file.

: You may receive version conflict error messages during this process. If this happens, click No when you are prompted to keep a newer version of each file.If needed, add a network client. To do so, click Client, click Add, click the appropriate manufacturer, click the client you want to install, and then click OK.
NOTE: You may need to reconfigure the network components that have been reinstalled. To do so, click the network component, click Properties, add any appropriate settings, and then click OK. If needed, refer to the configuration information you recorded in step 4.

Restart your computer.
Re-create your Dial-Up Networking connections. To do so, use the following steps:
Double-click My Computer, double-click Dial-Up Networking, and then follow the instructions on the screen in the Make New Connection Wizard.
Right-click the connection that you created, click Properties, and then verify that the settings are the same as the configuration information you recorded in step 2. Repeat steps a and b until you have re-created all of your Dial-Up Networking connections.
NOTE: If after you perform the steps listed in this article you receive the following error message:

Error 745: An essential file is missing. Re-install Dial-Up Networking.
Refer to the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base to resolve the issue:
174579 Error Message: Error 745: An Essential File Is Missing

NOTE: The Arabic and Hebrew localized versions of the Dial-Up Networking 1.3 update cannot be uninstalled from Windows 95. For additional information about how to determine which folder Windows is installed in, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 305792 How to Determine Which Folder Windows Is Installed In

The information in this article applies to:
Microsoft Windows 95
Microsoft Windows 98

Thanks for reading this. Good luck in solving that Windows Sockets Interface!