IRC Chat Instructions

The following instructions will walk you through the process of setting up and using an IRC program. If you have a basic familiarity with windows and the internet, this should get you going. If not, you may want to find someone locally who can help you. If that is not an option, email FWR and help can be provided. The best way at that point is to talk you through it by phone, so if you can email your phone number, FWR can call you back and help you get started. If you'd rather not do that, we can email back and forth until we get it going. That will obviously take more time, but it will eventually work.

For those with basic win/net knowledge, please read this entire paragraph before selecting a link. There are several sites with irc programs. One is Stroud's at http://www.frontiernet.com/cwsapps/irc.html. You can click on the highlighted text to go there, download an irc program, and return to this page using your back button or "go" in the menu bar and select this page. I would suggest mIRC, which is at http://tucows.phx.cox.com/files/mirc41.zip. You can download it by clicking on the highlighted text, or from the Stroud page.

I will be giving instructions for mIRC, so other programs may differ, but the basic concepts will be similar. After downloading, unzip the file into a separate directory. This file includes 16 bit (mirc.exe) and 32 bit windows 95 (mirc32.exe) versions. Run the appropriate .exe file.

The following information may need to change immediately before the session if there is a problem. For that reason, always check the current details page to get the latest details.

When the program is running, on the menu bar, click on file, setup, irc servers and add irc-2.texas.net or use any EFNet server you wish (irc.neosoft.com is another). Undernet servers WILL NOT WORK! Enter a real name, email, nickname and alternate. Then click connect.

If you cannot connect, you'll get error messages telling you why, and you'll have to work them out. Email me if you want, or call 515-544-3708. If there is a major problem I may not be able to reply to all email or calls.

Once you're connected, you will be asked which channel you want to join, i.e. #obe.

If you can't get in it will be because it is "invite only" which may be the case by the time the session is scheduled. If this happens, click "ok" to get out of the channel window, and use the text window at the bottom of the main screen to message the channel operator (chanop). An example would be "/msg WayneW join" (without quotes). The chanop will then invite you, and you can type "/join #obe" to enter.

Once in a channel, you just type in text on the bottom of the channel window (where the cursor is flashing), and the text will appear in the main window for all to see!

It would be VERY helpful if you tried to get connected before the regular session so bugs can be worked out before hand. There is always the possibility that a problem may occur at the time of the session that will require my attention, so if you can, try to set up and connect earlier in the week. The #obe channel will probably not exist, so if you try to join, you'll just create one and you'll be the only one there. But who knows who might pop in! And if you have any trouble, it will give us time to work it out before the regular session.

Hope to "chat" soon!



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