NetFAQs: Windows - Dial Up Connections

WSOCK32.DLL Repair For Win95b & 95c (OSR2)

Overview of WSOCK32.DLL

WSOCK32.DLL is a major networking component in the Windows 95b (OSR2) operating system. If it is missing or damaged then you will be able to connect but you won't be able to surf or do e-mail. You will also have problems if there are multiple copies of winsock.dll installed on your computer. Reinstalling dial-up networking, the dial-up adapter or TCP/IP won't fix this problem. This page will tell you how to find and fix that file.

Your fix will depend upon whether you have the Win95 installation CD or cab files on your computer.

Warning: If you are used to repairing winsock.dll for Win95a then please note that wsock.dll is installed in C:\Windows\System rather than C:\Windows.

There are 5 steps to this process:
    1) Locate wsock32.dll on your computer
    2) Delete any extra copies of wsock32.dll
    3) Locate .cab files either on your computer or on your Win98 CD
    4) Extract wsock32.dll from the .cab files
        4a) You can use the .cab files on your CD
        4b) Or, you can use the .cab files on your computer
    5) Replace your old wsock32.dll with the newly extracted copy of wsock32.dll

Note: There are multiple ways to do this. We've tried to pick the easiest and safest route.

Step 1: Locating WSOCK32.DLL on Your Computer:

Let's begin with locating the WSOCK32.DLL on your computer.

Click the Start button, then choose Find, then choose Files or folders, as pictured below.

The "Find" window is pictured below. Make sure that the Look in box is pointing to the C: drive (or whatever drive letter is assigned to your hard drive). If not, click the drop-down arrow at the right side of that box to choose the C: drive.

In the Named box, type wsock32.dll and hit the Find Now button. You will get a response similar to the one pictured below. In this example, you can see that the "in folder" column shows that wsock32.dll is located in "C:\Windows\System". Write this down, as you'll need that address soon.

The wsock32.dll file will probably be about 65 kb in size if it is uncorrupted.

Step 2: Delete any extra copies of WSOCK32.DLL

The wsock32.dll file will probably be about 42 kb in size if it is uncorrupted. Remove any extra copies of wsock32.dll so that there is only one copy. Restart your computer and see if you can surf the Web now.

If you still cannot surf or do e-mail then put in a new copy of that file as described below. Your fix will depend upon whether you have the Win95 installation CD or cab files on your computer. Choose the correct option.

Step 3: Locating .cab files

Next, let's locate the "cab" files to see if we even need the Win98 installation CD.

Click the Start button, then choose Find, then choose Files or folders, as pictured below.

In the Named box, type win95_02.cab and hit the Find Now button. You will get a response similar to the one pictured below. In this example, you can see that the "In Folder" column points to a a cab file in "C:\WINDOWS\OPTIONS\Cabs" so write that down. You'll need that address soon.

If the .cab files are not located on your computer, you will have to use the .cab files on your Windows 95 CD. Click the drop-down arrow at the right side of the "Look in" box to choose the D: drive (or whatever letter your CD-ROM drive happens to be), and repeat the search. In this case, you should find the win95_02.cab file in the "D:\Win95" folder.

Step 4: Extracting WSOCK32.DLL from .cab Files on your CD or Hard Drive

How you extract WSOCK32.DLL depends on whether your .cab files are located on your Hard Disk or you Win95 CD.
Step 3 above explained how to find whether the .cab files are located on the CD or Hard Disk.
Step 4a covers extracting from the Win95 CD. Step 4b covers extracting from the Hard Drive.

Step 4a: Extracting WSOCK32.DLL from the Windows 95 CD:

The following assumes that your CD-ROM drive is the D: drive.

Go to Start -> Programs -> MS-DOS Prompt, as shown below.

You will be presented with an MS-DOS prompt, as below.

At the C:\> prompt type the following four commands (the smiley face J represents a space):

    D:
    CD J \WIN95
    EXTRACT J /A J WIN95_02.CAB J WSOCK32.DLL J /L J C:\
    EXIT

WSOCK32.DLL has been extracted from the .cab files on your CD and placed onto your C: drive.

Go to step 5.

Step4b: Extracting WSOCK32.DLL from the Hard Drive:

The following assumes that your Hard Drive is the C: drive.

Go to Start -> Programs -> MS-DOS Prompt, as shown below.

You will be presented with an MS-DOS prompt, as below.

At the C:\> prompt type the following three commands (the smiley face J represents a space):

    CD J WINDOWS\OPTIONS\CABS
    EXTRACT J /A J WIN95_02.CAB J WSOCK32.DLL J /L J C:\
    EXIT

WSOCK32.DLL has been extracted from the .cab files on your computer and placed onto your C: drive.

Go to step 5.

Step 5: Replacing the Old WSOCK32.DLL with the Newly Extracted WSOCK32.DLL

Click Start, then Shutdown, as shown below.

Choose the last option to Restart in MS-DOS mode. Then click OK.

After your computer restarts, you will be presented with an MS-DOS prompt, as below.

At the C:\> prompt type the following four commands (the smiley face J represents a space):

    CD J \WINDOWS\SYSTEM
    REN J WSOCK32.DLL J WSOCK32.OLD
    MOVE J C:\WSOCK32.DLL J C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM
    RESTART

Reboot the computer into regular Windows mode after you've made these changes to make them take effect.

Your WSOCK32.DLL is now completely refreshed.