diff --git a/windows/window.c b/windows/window.c
index f9e09aa3..a17a9854 100644
--- a/windows/window.c
+++ b/windows/window.c
@@ -1026,10 +1026,10 @@ void cleanup_exit(int code)
 /*
  * Set up, or shut down, an AsyncSelect. Called from winnet.c.
  */
-char *do_select(SOCKET skt, bool startup)
+char *do_select(SOCKET skt, bool enable)
 {
     int msg, events;
-    if (startup) {
+    if (enable) {
         msg = WM_NETEVENT;
         events = (FD_CONNECT | FD_READ | FD_WRITE |
                   FD_OOB | FD_CLOSE | FD_ACCEPT);
diff --git a/windows/winplink.c b/windows/winplink.c
index dce5691f..39ca8fb5 100644
--- a/windows/winplink.c
+++ b/windows/winplink.c
@@ -190,10 +190,10 @@ static void version(void)
     exit(0);
 }
 
-char *do_select(SOCKET skt, bool startup)
+char *do_select(SOCKET skt, bool enable)
 {
     int events;
-    if (startup) {
+    if (enable) {
         events = (FD_CONNECT | FD_READ | FD_WRITE |
                   FD_OOB | FD_CLOSE | FD_ACCEPT);
     } else {
diff --git a/windows/winsftp.c b/windows/winsftp.c
index b120890c..91c3f2fd 100644
--- a/windows/winsftp.c
+++ b/windows/winsftp.c
@@ -467,19 +467,21 @@ char *dir_file_cat(const char *dir, const char *file)
  */
 static SOCKET sftp_ssh_socket = INVALID_SOCKET;
 static HANDLE netevent = INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE;
-char *do_select(SOCKET skt, bool startup)
+char *do_select(SOCKET skt, bool enable)
 {
     int events;
-    if (startup)
+    if (enable)
         sftp_ssh_socket = skt;
     else
         sftp_ssh_socket = INVALID_SOCKET;
 
+    if (netevent == INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE)
+        netevent = CreateEvent(NULL, false, false, NULL);
+
     if (p_WSAEventSelect) {
-        if (startup) {
+        if (enable) {
             events = (FD_CONNECT | FD_READ | FD_WRITE |
                       FD_OOB | FD_CLOSE | FD_ACCEPT);
-            netevent = CreateEvent(NULL, false, false, NULL);
         } else {
             events = 0;
         }
@@ -732,7 +734,9 @@ char *ssh_sftp_get_cmdline(const char *prompt, bool no_fds_ok)
     do {
         ret = do_eventsel_loop(ctx->event);
 
-        /* Error return can only occur if netevent==NULL, and it ain't. */
+        /* do_eventsel_loop can't return an error (unlike
+         * ssh_sftp_loop_iteration, which can return -1 if select goes
+         * wrong or if the socket doesn't exist). */
         assert(ret >= 0);
     } while (ret == 0);
 
diff --git a/windows/winstuff.h b/windows/winstuff.h
index 0b191d54..c189c37a 100644
--- a/windows/winstuff.h
+++ b/windows/winstuff.h
@@ -350,7 +350,7 @@ DECL_WINDOWS_FUNCTION(GLOBAL, int, select,
  * Provided by each client of winnet.c, and called by winnet.c to turn
  * on or off WSA*Select for a given socket.
  */
-char *do_select(SOCKET skt, bool startup);
+char *do_select(SOCKET skt, bool enable);
 
 /*
  * Network-subsystem-related functions provided in other Windows modules.