Should I reset Winsock?

QI ran Malwarebytes Adwcleaner. Following a scan that came up clean, it displayed this message: ‘You may optionally want to run a Basic Repair which will reset Winsock and other settings to their default values’ (see screenshot 1 ). Given the vagueness of ‘other settings’, what are the implications? What would you advise? John Lindley

AIdeally, we’d advise Adwcleaner’s developers to take a class in avoiding jargon, because that message does a pathetic job at providing useful advice for the average user.

Still, we doubt they’d listen, so we’re happy to tell you that, while nothing bad is likely is to happen if you click the Run Basic Repair button, nor is it usually necessary.

Winsock is short for Windows Sockets. This is the part of Windows that tells your computer how to interact with networks and networked devices. Unless some piece of malware has broken your Winsock in some way, there’s no real reason to reset it, or anything related to it. So, if you’re experiencing problems with your internet connection, or other networked devices, then click Run Basic Repair; otherwise, don’t bother.

Incidentally, it is possible to control precisely what Adwcleaner does when you click Run Basic Repair.

First, click Settings followed by Application. Now, under Basic Repair Actions, use the switches to enable or disable, as desired (see screenshot 2 ). For more information on what each switch does, click the little questionmark icon alongside Basic Repair Actions: this will launch your web browser to display the Adwcleaner instruction manual.