LSP / Winsock Analysis Using "netsh"

The LSP / Winsock component in the Internet Protocol network stack is complex. It's used by the Windows OS, and by malware and anti-malware alike, to allow, and to affect, your access to the network.

Problems with the LSP / Winsock layer can be a lot of fun to diagnose. Generally, the problem is termed "corruption", and you are urged to use any of several tools / procedures to simply reset it. But what if you suspect a problem, but a simple reset isn't possible? Or what if you want to make an educated decision about a problem, or to help somebody else do the same?

Hoping that the operating system on your computer is Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (which is where you should be for so many reasons), Microsoft has provided a native Windows command, "netsh". This command is one of the procedures used to reset Winsock.

A variation on the netsh Winsock reset provides an inventory of Winsock. In this case, please DO NOT type, into a command window:

netsh winsock reset catalog

but instead type:

netsh winsock show catalog

To create text to be posted online:

netsh winsock show catalog >c:\winsock.txt
notepad c:\winsock.txt