diff --git a/include/wx/private/socket.h b/include/wx/private/socket.h
index 936eb13b5e..89a5bd0004 100644
--- a/include/wx/private/socket.h
+++ b/include/wx/private/socket.h
@@ -139,6 +139,9 @@ public:
     virtual void OnExit() = 0;
 
 
+    // create the socket implementation object matching this manager
+    virtual wxSocketImpl *CreateSocket(wxSocketBase& wxsocket) = 0;
+
     // these functions enable or disable monitoring of the given socket for the
     // specified events inside the currently running event loop (but notice
     // that both BSD and Winsock implementations actually use socket->m_server
@@ -167,16 +170,12 @@ private:
     Base class for all socket implementations providing functionality common to
     BSD and Winsock sockets.
 
-    Objects of this class are not created directly but only via its static
-    Create() method which is implemented in port-specific code.
+    Objects of this class are not created directly but only via the factory
+    function wxSocketManager::CreateSocket().
  */
 class wxSocketImpl
 {
 public:
-    // static factory function: creates the low-level socket associated with
-    // the given wxSocket (and inherits its attributes such as timeout)
-    static wxSocketImpl *Create(wxSocketBase& wxsocket);
-
     virtual ~wxSocketImpl();
 
     // set various socket properties: all of those can only be called before
diff --git a/include/wx/unix/private/sockunix.h b/include/wx/unix/private/sockunix.h
index 9ba332b842..a5832a9443 100644
--- a/include/wx/unix/private/sockunix.h
+++ b/include/wx/unix/private/sockunix.h
@@ -117,6 +117,11 @@ public:
     virtual bool OnInit() { return true; }
     virtual void OnExit() { }
 
+    virtual wxSocketImpl *CreateSocket(wxSocketBase& wxsocket)
+    {
+        return new wxSocketImplUnix(wxsocket);
+    }
+
 protected:
     // identifies either input or output direction
     //
diff --git a/src/common/socket.cpp b/src/common/socket.cpp
index 09324181ae..0bb79b219f 100644
--- a/src/common/socket.cpp
+++ b/src/common/socket.cpp
@@ -533,7 +533,14 @@ wxSocketImpl *wxSocketImpl::Accept(wxSocketBase& wxsocket)
     if ( fd == INVALID_SOCKET )
         return NULL;
 
-    wxSocketImpl * const sock = Create(wxsocket);
+    wxSocketManager * const manager = wxSocketManager::Get();
+    if ( !manager )
+        return NULL;
+
+    wxSocketImpl * const sock = manager->CreateSocket(wxsocket);
+    if ( !sock )
+        return NULL;
+
     sock->m_fd = fd;
     sock->m_peer = wxSockAddressImpl(from.addr, fromlen);
 
@@ -1739,7 +1746,8 @@ wxSocketServer::wxSocketServer(const wxSockAddress& addr,
 {
     wxLogTrace( wxTRACE_Socket, wxT("Opening wxSocketServer") );
 
-    m_impl = wxSocketImpl::Create(*this);
+    wxSocketManager * const manager = wxSocketManager::Get();
+    m_impl = manager ? manager->CreateSocket(*this) : NULL;
 
     if (!m_impl)
     {
@@ -1897,7 +1905,8 @@ bool wxSocketClient::DoConnect(const wxSockAddress& remote,
     m_establishing = false;
 
     // Create and set up the new one
-    m_impl = wxSocketImpl::Create(*this);
+    wxSocketManager * const manager = wxSocketManager::Get();
+    m_impl = manager ? manager->CreateSocket(*this) : NULL;
     if ( !m_impl )
         return false;
 
@@ -1979,7 +1988,8 @@ wxDatagramSocket::wxDatagramSocket( const wxSockAddress& addr,
                 : wxSocketBase( flags, wxSOCKET_DATAGRAM )
 {
     // Create the socket
-    m_impl = wxSocketImpl::Create(*this);
+    wxSocketManager * const manager = wxSocketManager::Get();
+    m_impl = manager ? manager->CreateSocket(*this) : NULL;
 
     if (!m_impl)
         return;
@@ -2064,4 +2074,9 @@ IMPLEMENT_DYNAMIC_CLASS(wxSocketModule, wxModule)
 wxFORCE_LINK_MODULE( socketiohandler )
 #endif
 
+// same for ManagerSetter in the MSW file
+#ifdef __WXMSW__
+    wxFORCE_LINK_MODULE( mswsocket )
+#endif
+
 #endif // wxUSE_SOCKETS
diff --git a/src/msw/sockmsw.cpp b/src/msw/sockmsw.cpp
index 96b354fa30..1561c69f8f 100644
--- a/src/msw/sockmsw.cpp
+++ b/src/msw/sockmsw.cpp
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@
 #include "wx/apptrait.h"
 #include "wx/thread.h"
 #include "wx/dynlib.h"
+#include "wx/link.h"
 
 #ifdef __WXWINCE__
 /*
@@ -437,16 +438,13 @@ static struct ManagerSetter
     }
 } gs_managerSetter;
 
+// see the relative linker macro in socket.cpp
+wxFORCE_LINK_THIS_MODULE( mswsocket );
+
 // ============================================================================
 // wxSocketImpl implementation
 // ============================================================================
 
-/* static */
-wxSocketImpl *wxSocketImpl::Create(wxSocketBase& wxsocket)
-{
-    return new wxSocketImplMSW(wxsocket);
-}
-
 void wxSocketImplMSW::DoClose()
 {
     wxSocketManager::Get()->Uninstall_Callback(this);
diff --git a/src/unix/sockunix.cpp b/src/unix/sockunix.cpp
index 51a158cab6..b2e298d83f 100644
--- a/src/unix/sockunix.cpp
+++ b/src/unix/sockunix.cpp
@@ -66,13 +66,6 @@
 // wxSocketImpl implementation
 // ============================================================================
 
-/* static */
-wxSocketImpl *wxSocketImpl::Create(wxSocketBase& wxsocket)
-{
-    return new wxSocketImplUnix(wxsocket);
-}
-
-
 wxSocketError wxSocketImplUnix::GetLastError() const
 {
     switch ( errno )