Wacky WebRequest exceptions and the solution

I will start with the errors. I was trying to access a site using a simple WebRequest.Create(url) method and a System.Configuration.ConfigurationErrorsException was thrown, with the message Error creating the Web Proxy specified in the 'system.net/defaultProxy' configuration section. That was weird, since I was doing it all from a WPF application and I had never had to modify the configuration for it to work. The exception had an even crazier inner exception: System.Runtime.InteropServices.SEHException External component has thrown an exception. Google failed to provide a satisfactory answer to any of the errors, although there were quite a few people having the same problem.

I proceeded in creating a system.net/defaultProxy section in the app.config. I changed the True values of the proxy element to False:

  <system.net>
    <defaultProxy>
      <proxy
         usesystemdefault = "False"
         bypassonlocal = "False"
         />
    </defaultProxy>
  </system.net>

Voila! No more errors in Create... exceptions would be thrownm however, by the GetResponse() method later on. This time no configuration exception, only the weird SEHException with the oh so helpful ErrorCode -2147467259 (0x80004005) which means "Unspecified Error".

I tried different stuff like resetting IIS, trying to decompile .Net assemblies and see where the error comes from (all to no avail since the error comes from a native Windows component. In my desperation I issued a "netsh winsock reset" in the command line and then restarted the computer. Frankly, I don't know if the command did it or just the restart. The fact is, it just worked afterwards.

So, here is the first exception:

System.Configuration.ConfigurationErrorsException occurred
  Message=Error creating the Web Proxy specified in the 'system.net/defaultProxy' configuration section.
  Source=System
  BareMessage=Error creating the Web Proxy specified in the 'system.net/defaultProxy' configuration section.
  Line=0
  StackTrace:
       at System.Net.Configuration.DefaultProxySectionInternal.GetSection()
       at System.Net.WebRequest.get_InternalDefaultWebProxy()
       at System.Net.HttpWebRequest..ctor(Uri uri, ServicePoint servicePoint)
       at System.Net.HttpRequestCreator.Create(Uri Uri)
       at System.Net.WebRequest.Create(Uri requestUri, Boolean useUriBase)
       at System.Net.WebRequest.Create(String requestUriString)
  InnerException: System.Runtime.InteropServices.SEHException
       Message=External component has thrown an exception.
       Source=System
       ErrorCode=-2147467259 (0x80004005)
       StackTrace:
            at System.Net.UnsafeNclNativeMethods.OSSOCK.WSASocket(AddressFamily addressFamily, SocketType socketType, ProtocolType protocolType, IntPtr protocolInfo, UInt32 group, SocketConstructorFlags flags)
            at System.Net.Sockets.Socket.InitializeSockets()
            at System.Net.NetworkAddressChangePolled..ctor()
            at System.Net.AutoWebProxyScriptEngine.AutoDetector.Initialize()
            at System.Net.AutoWebProxyScriptEngine.AutoDetector.get_CurrentAutoDetector()
            at System.Net.AutoWebProxyScriptEngine..ctor(WebProxy proxy, Boolean useRegistry)
            at System.Net.WebProxy.UnsafeUpdateFromRegistry()
            at System.Net.WebProxy..ctor(Boolean enableAutoproxy)

and here is the second:

System.Runtime.InteropServices.SEHException occurred
  Message=External component has thrown an exception.
  Source=System
  ErrorCode=-2147467259
  StackTrace:
       at System.Net.UnsafeNclNativeMethods.OSSOCK.WSASocket(AddressFamily addressFamily, SocketType socketType, ProtocolType protocolType, IntPtr protocolInfo, UInt32 group, SocketConstructorFlags flags)
       at System.Net.Sockets.Socket.InitializeSockets()
       at System.Net.IPAddress.InternalParse(String ipString, Boolean tryParse)
       at System.Net.NetworkInformation.IpAddrString.ToIPAddressCollection()
       at System.Net.NetworkInformation.SystemIPGlobalProperties.GetFixedInfo()
       at System.Net.NetworkInformation.SystemIPGlobalProperties.get_FixedInfo()
       at System.Net.NetworkInformation.SystemIPGlobalProperties.get_HostName()
       at System.Net.NclUtilities.GuessWhetherHostIsLoopback(String host)
       at System.Net.ServicePoint.get_ConnectionLimit()
       at System.Net.ConnectionGroup..ctor(ServicePoint servicePoint, String connName)
       at System.Net.ServicePoint.FindConnectionGroup(String connName, Boolean dontCreate)
       at System.Net.ServicePoint.SubmitRequest(HttpWebRequest request, String connName)
       at System.Net.HttpWebRequest.SubmitRequest(ServicePoint servicePoint)
       at System.Net.HttpWebRequest.GetResponse()

.

The solution? Restart the computer. I wish I had a better, more informed answer, on why this happened, but I do not. I welcome any further explanation on the issue and I hope this helps people not waste a few hours like I did.