You may receive a The page cannot be displayed error message when you try to visit a Website. This problem may occur if the Winsock component in Windows XP has been damaged.

This article describes how to remove and then reinstall the Winsock component on a computer that is running Windows XP.

When you try to visit a Website by using a Web browser program such Microsoft® Internet Explorer, you receive the following error message: The page cannot be displayed

This kind of error message indicates that the Web browser program cannot locate the Internet Protocol (IP) address that is associated with the Website. This problem may occur if one of the following conditions is true:

• The Web server has stopped responding to client requests.
• Your computer cannot obtain an IP address. Therefore, your computer cannot connect to the Internet.
• Your computer cannot resolve the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the Website with the IP address that is associated with the Website. The fully qualified domain name of a Web site resembles Dell website.

Except for a scenario in which the Web server has stopped responding to client requests, you may experience this problem if the Windows Sockets (Winsock) settings on the computer are damaged. You must remove, and then reinstall the Winsock settings on the computer to resolve this problem.

To remove the Winsock settings in Microsoft Windows XP, use one of the following methods, as appropriate for the Windows XP service pack that is installed.

Determine Your Service Pack Level

To determine the service pack level that Windows XP is running, use an account that has Administrator rights and follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.

2. In the Run window, type sysdm.cpl in the Open box, and then click OK.

3. In the System Properties window, on the General tab, note the service pack level that appears under System. For example, information that resembles the following may appear:

   Microsoft Windows XP
   Professional
   Version 2002
   Service Pack 2

For Computers Running Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2

On a computer that is running Windows XP Service Pack 2, you can use the Netsh command to reset the Winsock settings to the default configuration:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.

2. In the Run window, in the Open box, type cmd, and then click OK.

3. At the cmd.exe screen, type netsh winsock reset catalog, and then press <Enter>.
   The following message appears:

   Successfully reset the Winsock Catalog.
   You must restart the machine in order to complete the reset.

4. Type exit, and then press <Enter> to quit the cmd.exe screen.

5. Restart the computer.

For Computers Running Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 1 and Earlier

To remove Winsock settings from a computer that is running Windows XP Service Pack 1 or from a computer that is running the original release version of Windows XP, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.

2. In the Run window, in the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.

3. In the Registry Editor window, click the plus sign (+) that is next to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE to expand the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE registry hive.

4. Click the plus sign to expand the SYSTEM subkey, click the plus sign to expand the CurrentControlSet subkey, and then click the plus sign to expand the Services subkey.

5. Under the Services subkey, click the Winsock subkey.

6. On the File menu, click Export.

7. In the Export Registry File window, in the File name box, type winsock.reg, and then click Save.
   The Winsock registry subkey is saved in the My Documents folder as winsock.reg.

8. Right-click the Winsock subkey, and then click Delete.

9. In the Confirm Key Delete window, click Yes to confirm the removal of the Winsock subkey.

10. Click the Winsock2 subkey.

11. On the File menu, click Export.

12. In the Export Registry File window, in the File name box, type winsock2.reg, and then click Save.
    The Winsock2 registry subkey is saved in the My Documents folder as winsock2.reg.

13. Right-click the Winsock2 subkey, and then click Delete.

14. In the Confirm Key Delete window, click Yes to confirm the removal of the Winsock2 subkey.

15. Quit the Registry Editor program, and then restart the computer.

Use an account that has Administrator rights and perform the following steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.

2. In the Run window, in the Open box, type ncpa.cpl, and then click OK.

3. In the Network Connections window, right-click Local Area Connection, and then click Properties.

4. On the General tab, click Install.

5. In the Select Network Component Type window, click Protocol, and then click Add.

6. Click Have Disk.

7. In the Copy manufacturer's files from box, type c:\windows\inf, and then click OK.

8. In the second Select Network Protocol window, under Network Protocol, click Microsoft, click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and then click OK.

9. In the Local Area Connection Properties window, click Close.

10. Restart the computer.

11. After the computer has started successfully, click Start, and then click Run.

12. In the Run window, in the Open box, type cmd, and then click OK.

13. At the cmd.exe screen, type netsh int ip reset delllog.txt, and then press <Enter>.

The Winsock settings are reinstalled.

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