What you will achieve

Repair a corrupted Winsock catalog when apps cannot connect to the network despite a working adapter and IP address.

1) Symptoms of Winsock corruption

Browser and apps fail with connection errors but ping 1.1.1.1 still works.
VPN or security software was removed incompletely.
Network troubleshooter resets adapters but problems return immediately.

2) Reset Winsock and IP stack

Open Admin Command Prompt or PowerShell:

netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset
ipconfig /flushdns

Reboot the PC — the reset does not take full effect until restart.

3) Verify catalog providers after reboot

netsh winsock show catalog | more

The catalog lists LSP providers. Orphan entries from uninstalled software sometimes remain — reset should restore defaults.
Test browsing and the failing application again.

4) If problems persist

Run Settings → Network & internet → Advanced network settings → Network reset as a heavier fix.
Check for leftover virtual adapters in Device Manager → View → Show hidden devices → Network adapters.

5) Reinstall TCP/IP stack (rare)

netsh int ip reset log.txt
netsh winsock reset catalog

6) Remove broken LSP manually

Compare netsh winsock show catalog output to a clean PC of same Windows version.
Third-party firewalls sometimes leave LSP entries — reinstall or fully remove the vendor suite.

7) When to skip Winsock reset

If only one app fails, fix that app's proxy settings first — global Winsock reset affects everything.

8) Compare to clean winsock catalog

Export catalog: netsh winsock show catalog > C:\Temp\winsock.txt before and after reset to confirm cleanup.

9) Reset network adapter driver stack

Device Manager → network adapter → Uninstall → tick delete driver → reboot for clean inbox driver reload.

10) Repair after antivirus removal

Vendor removal tools (Norton, McAfee, Kaspersky) often include Winsock repair — run official cleaner before manual reset.
Reboot twice after Winsock reset — some LSP providers register on second boot.

Verification checklist

After reset, test browser, VPN, and one legacy app that failed before. If only one app still fails, reinstall that app rather than repeating global stack reset.

Reboot once after changes that affect services, drivers, or firmware.
Confirm the original problem is resolved under normal daily use, not only immediately after the fix.
Note date, Windows version (Settings → System → About), and what changed in your personal runbook for next time.

Quick reference paths

netsh winsock show catalog
netsh winsock reset
Device Manager → Network adapters
Admin tools: press Win + X for Terminal (Admin), Device Manager, and Computer Management.