Windows Socket Registry Entries Missing Or Corrupt

Kevin Kelly
Kevin Kelly Last Updated: May 19, 2022

Software: Windows 7, 8 & 10 | Last modified on 2018-06-18

Always create back-ups of any registry keys or values that you might alter or delete in case something goes wrong.

The Windows built-in network troubleshooter states that the Windows Socket registry entries are missing or corrupt. This is caused by a corrupt registry setting that will have to be reinstalled manually.

[Step 1] Delete the Winsock registry settings


  1. Open Run and execute Regedit.
  2. Open HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services.
  3. Delete the Winsock and Winsock2 keys.
  4. Continue to step 2.

[Step 2] Reinstall the Winsock registry settings


  1. Open the Control Panel.
  2. Open Network and Internet.
  3. Open Network and Sharing Center.
  4. Open Local Area Connection.
  5. Open Properties.
  6. Open Install...
  7. Select Protocol and select Add... to continue.
  8. Select Have Disk...
  9. In the Copy Manufacturers' files from box, type: C:\windows\inf
  10. In the list of protocols, select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and select OK to finish the installation.
  11. Reboot the computer.

Kevin Kelly
Written by

Kevin Kelly

Kevin Kelly is Senior Maverick at Wired magazine. He co-founded Wired in 1993, and served as its Executive Editor from its inception until 1999. He is also editor and publisher of the Cool Tools website, which gets half a million unique visitors per month. From 1984-1990 Kelly was publisher and editor of the Whole Earth Review, a journal of unorthodox technical news. He co-founded the ongoing Hackers' Conference, and was involved with the launch of the WELL, a pioneering online service started in 1985. He authored the best-selling New Rules for the New Economy and the classic book on decentralized emergent systems, Out of Control."


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