Windows 95 users will require Winsock2 to be installed on their system
before using Port Explorer. Winsock 2 can be downloaded from Microsoft at
this URL:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows95/downloads/contents/wuadmintools/s_wunetworkingtools/w95sockets2/default.asp
Limitations: Windows 95 users will not be able to use the View Statistics feature as this information is not provided by the operating system. The "Kill Socket" feature is also unavailable under Windows 95 as this technique is not supported by the operating system.
Windows NT4
Windows NT4 users will require at
least NT4 Service Pack 4 (or later) installed.
More information can be obtained from Microsoft at this URL:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=FH;[LN];ntw40
Windows NT4/2K/XP/2003
Under Windows 95/98 Port Explorer isn't able to map
all sockets
to their parent process (usually only the ones that are loaded very early by the system). Such processes will normally display
with the process name of
"--NETSTAT--", indicating that Port Explorer wasn't able to map
the process, but it could still see the socket using standard netstat techniques. However, under Windows NT4, 2K, XP and 2003, Port Explorer is able to map ports to all
processes by using undocumented functions that are built into the
operating system. Sockets that would normally display as '--NETSTAT--'
but have been resolved by Port Explorer using this technique will have an asterisk beside their
name, for example:
*
c:\path\process.exe
rather than...
c:\path\process.exe
Windows XP/2003
In some rare circumstance, Windows XP doesn't clean up all
its sockets
correctly after an application has closed. This has the effect of Port Explorer
showing a socket with an asterix and no filename because the application is closed yet Windows XP is reporting that the
closed application owns the
socket(s). Usually after your internet connection has been disconnected the 'blank' socket(s) will be cleaned up by Windows XP. This isn't a Port Explorer problem, it's a Windows XP
issue. To
check this, whenever you see a blank socket go to your command prompt and type
"netstat -ano" (without quotes). You should see the sockets which
have the same PID as the blank sockets in Port Explorer. If you look in Windows
Task Manager (Ctrl+Alt+Delete | Task Manager) you will see no process that has the PID that netstat
and Port Explorer report.