Technical Support FAQ

What free support options are available?
All supported products include free, unlimited e-mail support for installation, development, debugging and redistribution issues. There are also online resources such as the Knowledge Base, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) documents, technical references and public forums. It is recommended that all developers research their question or problem using the Knowledge Base prior to submitting a technical support request. Customers are also entitled to free updates for the version of the product they have purchased.
What paid support options are available?
Paid support is available at the time a product is purchased, or separately as an annual contract. Support contracts are only available for products that have not reached their end-of-life. Response time is guaranteed based on the chosen plan.

  • Priority Support
    Priority Support offers a guaranteed, priority response to technical support issues on the same business day. Corrections which require a source code change and/or documentation change to resolve a problem will be made available as a hotfix at no additional charge, and whenever there is a new product update or hotfix, you will be automatically notified by e-mail.

  • Premium Support
    Premium Support offers unlimited telephone and e-mail support, and a guaranteed four hour response time during business hours. This support option also includes all of the benefits of priority support, including hotfixes, source code analysis and assistance with example code. In addition, Premium Support also includes free upgrades if a new version of the product is released while your support agreement is active, ensuring that you're always working with the latest version

Support may be purchased after the free support period has elapsed, or may be purchased with the product at a discount. Please review our Product Support Options for more information.
How can I purchase or renew technical support?
Technical support can be purchased on-line using our secure order form. Once the order has been received, you will be issued a support contract number. This number should be used when submitting any technical support request. Support contracts can also be renewed online and eligible for a discount as long as the renewal is within thirty (30) days of the support contract's expiration date. Once a support contract has expired, a new contract must be purchased at the regular price. You can use the following links to order technical support:


If you are purchasing a new product, support contracts may be available with the product at a substantial discount. If you have any questions about purchasing or renewing a support contract, please contact us.
Is paid technical support refundable?
Paid technical support is non-refundable. When you purchase support you're paying for a priority response to your technical support question or problem. If necessary, paid support also entitles you to an updated build of the component and/or library in question, rather than waiting for the issue to be addressed in a future service pack update. If your question or problem is not critical, we do have free support options and licensed developers are entitled to free updates for the version of the product that they have purchased.
What is the procedure for submitting a support request?
Developers who have purchased the product within the past thirty days or have purchased a support incident or annual support contract are entitled to unlimited technical support by e-mail or fax. To submit a technical support request, use the Technical Support Request form on the website and provide as much information as possible. Make sure that you provide your product serial number if applicable.
Why do e-mail messages sent to support bounce back?
Technical support requests must be submitted through the online Technical Support Request form on the website. Sending an e-mail message directly to the support address will cause the message to be rejected by the mail server. If you have already submitted a technical support request, make certain the correct issue (IDS) number is included in the subject of the message.
What are major, minor and build version numbers?
Product versions are typically displayed as four numbers separated by periods, such as 8.0.8000.1234. The first number is the major version number, the second is the minor version number, the third is the build number and the fourth is a revision (hotfix) number. A change in the major version number indicates a completely new release of the product and is typically a chargeable upgrade from a previous version. If the major version number is unchanged, but the minor version, build or revision number changes, this indicates a service pack or hotfix update for the current version and these are made available at no charge.
What is a product service pack?
A service pack is a collection of one or more corrections to a product and is indicated by a change in the minor version and build number, but not the major version number. Service Packs are complete, tested product releases which include all programs, components, online documentation and example programs. Service pack updates are available for electronic download at no charge to all registered developers.
What is a product hotfix?
A hotfix is an intermediate correction to a product or specific component in a product and is indicated by a change in the revision number, but not the major or minor version number. Hotfixes may not be complete product updates and typically consist of the updated program or component, along with documentation about the correction. A hotfix may not be regression tested and may contain changes that are not documented in the current online help or technical reference documentation.

Hotfixes are designed to address critical problems that require immediate attention. A hotfix should only be installed when it is determined that it corrects a specific problem affecting the customer, or when specifically directed to do so by a technical support representative. In most cases, is it recommended that developers wait for the release of a service pack rather than install individual hotfixes.
What is the difference between an upgrade and a service pack?
A product upgrade is when a new version of a product is released with the major version number changing. A service pack is an update to the current version of a product, with the minor version and/or build number changing but not the major version number. For example, a new release going from version 2.0 to 3.0 would be considered an upgrade because the major version number has changed. However, going from version 3.0 to 3.1 would indicate an update because only the minor version number has changed.
What operating systems are currently supported?
Catalyst products developed for the Microsoft Windows platform follow Microsoft's product life cycle policy for their desktop and server operating systems. Support for an operating system will be provided during the mainstream and extended phases of the platform's life cycle and terminated when the operating system reaches the end-of-life. The following table lists the minimum required version and the end-of-life date for each supported operating system:

Operating System Minimum Version Supported End of Life
Windows 95 4.00.950B OSR2 No December 31, 2002
Windows NT 3.51 3.51.2012 No December 31, 2002
Windows 98 4.10.1998 No July 11, 2006
Windows NT 4.0 4.00.1381 SP6 No December 31, 2004
Windows Me 4.90.3000 No July 11, 2006
Windows 2000 5.0.2195 SP4 No July 13, 2010
Windows XP 5.1.2600 SP3 Yes April 8, 2014
Windows Server 2003 5.2.3790 SP2 Yes July 14, 2015
Windows Vista 6.0.6000 Yes April 11, 2017
Windows Server 2008 6.0.6001 Yes July 10, 2018
Windows 7 6.1.7600 Yes January 14, 2020
Windows Server 2012 6.2.9200 Yes October 1, 2023
Windows 8 6.2.9200 Yes January 10, 2023
Windows 8.1 6.3.9600 Yes January 10, 2023

Microsoft has discontinued support for Windows XP on April 8, 2014. They will no longer provide operating system updates or critical security hotfixes for the platform after that date. However, Catalyst will continue to provide technical support for the platform after it has reached its end-of-life.

Support for Windows Me and Windows 98 was discontinued on July 11, 2006. Support for Windows NT 4.0 Workstation was discontinued on June 30, 2004 and support for the Windows NT 4.0 Server platforms was discontinued on December 31, 2004. For more information about the Windows product life cycles, please visit the Microsoft Windows website.
Why are some operating systems no longer supported?
The Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT 3.51, Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 platforms are no longer supported by Microsoft, and do not support the technologies required by the current versions of our software. As a result, we can no longer support these platforms, particularly when the cause of the error is specific to the operating system. Once support has ended for a platform, developers may continue to use self-help resources made available by Catalyst. However, technical support, product updates and hotfixes will be unavailable unless the reported problem can be reproduced on a supported platform.
Will your products continue to function on unsupported platforms?
A product may continue to function on an unsupported platform; however, certain features may not work correctly or they may be disabled. Technical support for unsupported platforms will not be available, however you may continue to use self-help resources such as the Knowledge Base and support forums.

Please note that the minimum required platform for SocketTools 8.0 and later versions is Windows XP with Service Pack 3 (SP3) installed. The SocketTools libraries and components are not compatible with Windows 2000 and earlier versions of Windows.