Removing & Reinstalling TCP/IP

The Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol suite is central to maintaining a successful Internet connection. Unfortunately, it has proven vulnerable to corruption in the Windows 95/98 environments. Windows 3.x does not have a built-in TCP/IP suite and relies on third-party software which seems to be less prone to failure, and the problem rarely surfaces on the Mac. Therefore, the instructions below only cover the removal and reinstallation of TCP/IP for the Windows 95 and 98 operating systems.

You will most likely need the Windows disk(s) to complete these operations. If you don't have a CD or the installation floppy disks, you can check for the presence of the necessary files by using the Find utility (Start -> Find -> Files or Folders) to search for the string "*.cab" (without quotation marks). If you have more than approximately 14 such files, you will probably be able to continue without the Windows disk. If you have any concerns or don't feel comfortable performing these steps yourself, please don't hesitate to contact our phone-in technical support team.

• Click on Start, go to Settings, and click Control Panel. Once the Control Panel is open, double-click Network.
• Click on TCP/IP, and then click Remove. If there is more than one TCP/IP, remove them all. If there are multiple copies that are distinguished by an adapter listed to the right, only remove the one that reads "TCP/IP -> Dial-Up Adapter". (This last situation will occur if you have a network card set up under Windows.)
• Click OK, and restart the computer when prompted to do so.
• When the machine restarts, the Control Panel will be open. Ignore it for the moment, and click on Start -> Find... -> Files or Folders.
• In the "Named:" field, type "wsock.vxd" without the quotation marks. Ensure that the "Look in:" field shows your hard drive (C:), and click Find Now. When the file appears (c:\windows\system, 16Kb, virtual device driver), right-click it and delete the file. This is a part of the TCP/IP suite, and must be removed before a clean installation can be performed.
• Close the Find window, and then go back into Network in the Control Panel.
• Click Add. Select Protocol and click Add. Select Microsoft in the left-hand window, and then select TCP/IP in the right-hand window. Click OK.
• Highlight TCP/IP, and then click Properties. (If you're using Windows 98, a dialog box will appear; just click OK.) Check the WINS Configuration and DNS Configuration tabs: both should be set to "Disable...". Once they are, click OK.
• Click OK again. Windows will now try to copy files; if it requires the CD, it will prompt you to place it in the drive. Once the necessary files have been copied, Windows will ask to restart again. Click Yes.

When the computer has restarted, try your connection. With TCP/IP reinstalled, any connection problems should vanish.