Girl Geekette

The following is a way for Windows XP users to check without the Windows XP CD. 
 
Go to Start/Run/ type Msinfo32 [ENTER]Expand Components, then Network and click on Protocol
You will have ten sections inside Protocol and the section headings will include the following names if the Winsock2 key is clean:

        1.)   MSAFD Tcpip [TCP/IP]
        2.)   MSAFD Tcpip [UDP/IP]
        3.)   RSVP UDP Service Provider
        4.)   RSVP TCP Service Provider
        5.)   MSAFD NetBIOS [\Device\NetBT_Tcpip...
        6.)   MSAFD NetBIOS [\Device\NetBT_Tcpip...
        7.)   MSAFD NetBIOS [\Device\NetBT_Tcpip...
        8.)   MSAFD NetBIOS [\Device\NetBT_Tcpip...
        9.)   MSAFD NetBIOS [\Device\NetBT_Tcpip...
        10.) MSAFD NetBIOS [\Device\NetBT_Tcpip...

If the names are anything different from above, the Winsock is corrupted from a 3rd party add on (such as a proxy program, adware or spyware) we either have corruption or a third-party add-on such as proxy software. Also, if there is a corruption or a hi-jack of the Winsock with a 3rd party program, the program will be named in the first two sections replacing the letters: MSAFD.
 
More than 10 sections or less than 10 sections also signal a problem. More than 10 sections are characteristic of 3rd party add-ons (such as adware, spyware and proxies), while less than 10 sections characterize that something is missing.
 
NOTE: Since TCP/IP is not the only protocol used today (just the mostly used one). it is possible to have your Winsock working correctly and have other information show up there is there is another protocol is installed. 
 
For example, if you install NWLink IPX/SPX, you will see 7 additional sections, for a total of 17. 

Below is an example heading of one of the
new sections:
         MSAFD nwlnkipx [IPX]

Also note that each of the new sections created by installing NWLink IPX/SPX start with MSAFD, so there are still just two sections that do not begin with those letters.