diff --git a/lib/net.cpp b/lib/net.cpp
index beacfcb7b..3f72dec7f 100644
--- a/lib/net.cpp
+++ b/lib/net.cpp
@@ -15,6 +15,26 @@
 
 // https://wiki.openssl.org/index.php/SSL/TLS_Client
 
+static std::string socket_error(int err)
+{
+    static char msgbuf[256] = { '\0' };
+#ifdef _WIN32
+    FormatMessage(FORMAT_MESSAGE_FROM_SYSTEM | FORMAT_MESSAGE_IGNORE_INSERTS,
+                    NULL,
+                    err,
+                    MAKELANGID(LANG_NEUTRAL, SUBLANG_DEFAULT),
+                    msgbuf,
+                    sizeof(msgbuf),
+                    NULL);
+#else
+    snprintf(msgbuf, sizeof(msgbuf), "%s", strerror(err));
+#endif
+    if (msgbuf[0] == '\0') {
+        snprintf(msgbuf, sizeof(msgbuf), "(No Error Text) - %d", err);
+    }
+    return std::string(msgbuf);
+}
+
 class SocketObject: public Object {
 public:
     SocketObject() {}
@@ -133,9 +153,8 @@ class RawSocketObject: public SocketObject {
         std::vector<unsigned char> buffer(n);
         int r = ::recv(handle, reinterpret_cast<char *>(const_cast<unsigned char *>(buffer.data())), n, 0);
         if (r < 0) {
-            int err = errno;
-            perror("recv");
-            return Cell(std::vector<Cell> {Cell(number_from_uint32(CHOICE_RecvResult_error)), Cell(utf8string(strerror(err)))});
+            int err = socketerror;
+            return Cell(std::vector<Cell> {Cell(number_from_uint32(CHOICE_RecvResult_error)), Cell(utf8string(socket_error(err)))});
         }
         if (r == 0) {
             return Cell(std::vector<Cell> {Cell(number_from_uint32(CHOICE_RecvResult_eof))});
@@ -150,8 +169,7 @@ class RawSocketObject: public SocketObject {
         socklen_t sin_len = sizeof(sin);
         int r = ::recvfrom(handle, reinterpret_cast<char *>(const_cast<unsigned char *>(buffer.data())), n, 0, reinterpret_cast<sockaddr *>(&sin), &sin_len);
         if (r < 0) {
-            int err = errno;
-            perror("recvfrom");
+            int err = socketerror;
             return Cell(std::vector<Cell> {Cell(number_from_uint32(CHOICE_RecvFromResult_error)), Cell(utf8string(strerror(err)))});
         }
         if (r == 0) {
diff --git a/src/socketx.h b/src/socketx.h
index eece91497..f3ae556c2 100644
--- a/src/socketx.h
+++ b/src/socketx.h
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 #include <winsock.h>
 typedef int socklen_t;
 #pragma warning(disable: 4127) // incompatible with FD_SET()
+#define socketerror  WSAGetLastError()
 
 #else
 
@@ -15,5 +16,6 @@ typedef int socklen_t;
 typedef int SOCKET;
 const int INVALID_SOCKET = -1;
 inline void closesocket(int x) { close(x); }
+#define socketerror   errno
 
 #endif