Windows Socket Error Running Program Using IPX/SPX

When you try to run a program that uses the IPX/SPX protocol, such as ArcServe Backup Agent for NetWare by Cheyenne, you may receive the following error message:

This error can occur if the Wsock32.dll file is missing, is damaged, or has been replaced by a third-party protocol stack's sockets interface.

Extract a new copy of the original Wsock32.dll file. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Rename the Wsock32.dll file in the Windows\System folder to Wsock32.3rd.
2. Use the Extract tool to extract a new copy of the Wsock32.dll file from your original Windows 95 disks or CD-ROM to the Windows\System folder. For information about using the Extract tool, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
   129605  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/129605/EN-US/ ) How to Extract Original Compressed Windows Files

A socket contains three pieces of information: an internetwork address, a protocol, and a port number. The address information must contain a network ID and a node ID. Because both TCP/IP and IPX/SPX have network and node information incorporated in their addressing schemes, either protocol can use the sockets interface. The port number combined with the protocol determines whether the socket uses TCP, UDP, or IPX, and which service will be used.

The component files that make up the sockets interface for Windows 95 are Winsock.dll and Wsock32.dll. The files that are included with Windows 95 support the sockets interface for both TCP/IP and IPX/SPX. The Cheyenne ArcServe Agent makes calls directly to Wsock32.dll to obtain an IPX socket for communication with a NetWare server to perform backup operations over the network.

Because some third-party vendors may require functionality from the sockets interface for their proprietary protocol stacks, they may replace the component files that make up the sockets interface with their own proprietary versions of these files. If the third-party vendor's sockets interface does not support sockets using IPX/SPX, any program that uses the sockets interface to communicate using IPX/SPX may generate an error message.

The third-party product discussed in this article is manufactured by a vendor independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding this product's performance or reliability.