Well...there are solutions to these problems. I'd like to tell you that it will be painless, but alas, I cannot! First thing we need to figure out is WHAT you have, and HOW its setup. I'll start with the basics of mIRC settings. Then we'll cover some basic solutions for Dialup, Cable, DSL and Router setups! Sound like fun???
Then lets give it a bash!!! (figuratively that is)
Ok, First we'll start with mIRC and errors you might get doing a DCC send or recieve. (I'll find out about pirch stuff and post it on its own page later)
DCC PORTS:
First, we need to make sure your DCC ports are set correctly. mIRC loads with the DCC port setting set VERY wide. This will not do. Now the setting I will propose I have used on Dialup, Cable and with a Router and seem to work the best.
Go to View/Options/DCC/Options in mIRC. on the right side you will see DCC ports with windows for First and Last. Usually mirc sets these values to 1024 for First and 5000 for Last...this is too wide a range. DCC works much better in a narrower range. Set the First port to 4990 and the Last to 5000 and click ok. 10 ports is plenty! While you are in this window also check the TIMEOUT settings (see below under ERRORS)
FIREWALL:
This option for mIRC is for use when your computer sits behind a Proxy or a Firewall (this will be different from the firewall in a router which I will explain later) such as a WinGate, SoHo or PC setup as a PROXY server. I reccomend you leave this section blank! No Firewall Support, or Proxy support. (if you need this in order to get out to the internet, you will need to talk to your Network Administrator) If your on a Dialup, Cable, DSL or Router, leave them blank.
IGNORED FILE TYPES:
This is usually the most common problem in all clients. Many types of files are placed in Ignore so no one can get a virus or warscript sent to them in IRC. It takes a bit of configuring to get it right. I will put up a page with all the correct settings shortly. For the short term, just set it to Disabled.
DCC Send Locked in Options Dialog:
In the View/Options/Other/Lock menu you can disable certain mIRC features and LOCK them with a password. This way you can block the DCC funtion, limit the channels mIRC can join to a small set, and disable the /run and /dll commands. When the DCC is LOCKed you will see a message like "DCC Send locked in options dialog" will show in the STATUS window. Remove the check marks from those boxes.
Files Timeout too quickly:
Check your DCC time-out settings! Make sure that your time-out values in DCC/Options are set large enough!! "Get/Chat Dialog time out after" and "Send/Get Transfer time out after" are recommended to be set to at least 60 and 120, respectively.
Known Software Conflicts with mIRC DCC:
Some people experience DCC File Send problems with mIRC on a windows system with Norton Desktop installed. mIRC then suddenly shuts down completely (sometimes with an error message) as soon as you try to select a file to send. The problem is that Norton Desktop's feature called 'File Assist' conflicts with mIRC's DCC Send dialog. If you shut off File Assist entirely it will allow DCC transfers fine. Even just disabling the "3D look and feel" in the File Assist options menu helps already. Norton Firewall is covered under Firewall Configurations.
Another program known to give DCC Send problems is a software package called Long File Names by View software. It is something you might be running in the background and you might never think of it as the cause of your troubles. The problem is that when you use the DCC Send option in mIRC, the dialog that pops-up doesnt allow you to select files so you can't send anything. Selecting files is blocked by LFN and if you disable the LFN software all your DCC problems will be solved.
