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#1
Resetting Winsock Protocol
Ever since I got my 7 Pro x86 laptop in Dec 09 I've experienced periodic loss of Internet connectivity, usually a couple of times a month. My computer is connected to an external modem provided by AT&T, no router, no home network. The modem has been tested by two different AT&T repair centers and no problems were noted. Even so I bought another modem and connectivity is still regularly lost. My laptop is wired like this AT&T diagram:
Attachment 113514
Based on my own research I've found that one possible cause of network connectivity problems is the mis-configuration or the corruption of the Winsock protocol (network drivers) on the 7 computer. (Prior to getting the 7 laptop I was using an XP Pro machine. I never had any connectivity issues with it.) Per Microsoft, this protocol is used by Windows to communicate with other computers and to access resources on the Internet, such as e-mail and Web sites. If there is a problem with Winsock, Windows will no longer be able to access the Internet. The recommended Microsoft fix is:
1. Run elevated command prompt.
2. Type netsh winsock reset > ENTER:
3. The following message should be seen: "Successfully reset the Winsock Catalog. You must restart the computer in order to complete the reset."
4. Restart computer.
Another elevated command prompt that has been suggested is:
netsh int ip reset reset.log hit
So far I have not tred this because netsh winsock reset has been able to restore my Internet connectivity.
FWIW, all drivers are the lastest versions, no malware on computer (connectivity issue has occured in the past even after a clean install of OS), device manager shows no problems including ethernet drivers and network adapters, all cables have been swapped out including the filter, and the only event log entry of any substance was a warning: "Name resolution for the name dns.msftncsi.com timed out after none of the configured DNS servers responded" after latest loss of connectivity a couple of hours ago.
My questions are:
1. What exactly is happening when I enter the netsh winsock reset command?
2. Why would my Internet connectivity / network drivers fail so often? Does it sound more like an ISP issue or a computer issue?
3. Any recommended diagnostic checks to better pinpoint what is happening and why?
If this is posted in the wrong section I apologize.
Last edited by marsmimar; 05 Jan 2011 at 00:39.