NetFAQs: Windows - Dial Up Connections

Restoring Winsock With Win98's System File Checker

Overview of WSOCK32.DLL

WSOCK32.DLL is a major networking component in the Windows 98 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 wsock32.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 Win98 installation CD or cab files on your computer.

Windows 98 makes it really easy to repair its version of winsock (called wsock32.dll) by using a utility called the System File Checker. Make sure that you have your Win98 installation CD ready or a Win98 cabinet file (.cab) where the winsock can be retrieved.

There are 4 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) Use the System File Checker (sfc) to reinstall wsock32.dll

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 65 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

Let's begin with locating 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 w*.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 bunch of cab files 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 98 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 w*.cab files in the "D:\Win98" folder.

Step 4: Using the System File Checker (sfc) to restore wsock32.dll

Click the Start button and choose Run, as shown below.

Type in sfc in the open box (short for "system file checker") and then click OK.

This is the window that will pop-up. Click a black spot in the "Extract one file from installation disk" as shown below. Type in wsock32.dll and then hit the Start button at the bottom.

The Save file in box will very likely have the correct final destination for the new installation of winsock. If not, type in C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM as pictured below.

The trick is finding the answer to the Restore from box. That is why we ran the "Find" command earlier. Click the Browse button to the right of the "Restore from" box.

The following window will pop-up. Click the + sign to the left of (C:) and locate the address of the cab file that we found earlier. In our earlier example, the file was located in the win98 folder under the C: drop-down. It is also commonly located at C:\windows\options\cabs. The picture shows where you would find the C:\win98 folder.

You will not see a file called wsock32 so don't worry. Just select the right folder and click OK.

Note: If you were unable to locate cab files but you have your Win98 installation CD then click the + to the left of D: or possibly E: to find the Win98 folder on the installation CD (after you've put that CD in your CD-rom drive).

Once you've clicked OK, your computer will prompt you to create a backup copy and then it should install the fresh version of winsock (wsock32.dll) before prompting you to restart your computer. Reconnect to the internet and you will probably be able to surf, e-mail and chat.