Creating A Place On Your Computer To Put The New File Into

First create a place on your computer to store the mirc392.exe file you are going to download.

(Do this by going into File Manager, double-click on the little yellow folder that says, "C:\" next to it at the top of the directory listings on the left-hand-side of File Manager's screen.

Click The word "File" in the menu bar at the top of the screen. Then in the "File" menu click the option that says "Create Directory". This will bring up a window that says. "Create Directory C:\"

In the text box, you should type the name "mirc392" (without the quotation marks), this is the storage place on your computer that we will download the program mIRC into.

(If the "Create Directory" window says anything but, C:\ and it says something like "Create Directory C:\WINDOWS" then click the "Cancel" button, you did something wrong. Start from the top and try again.)

Once you have done the above steps correctly, Click the "OK" button to create the new directory.

Click "File" in the menu bar and then Click the word "Exit" to exit File Manager.

Downloading mIRC version 3.92 for Windows 3.1/3.11 for Workgroups

Connect to Inland Internet by clicking on your Web Browser Icon on the Embarque toolbar

(This icon is the second from the left on the toolbar.)

Enter your PASSWORD in the password dialog box. Then Click the "OK " button.

Once you have established your connection you will see Inland Internet's "Home Page."

(This will take approx. 2 minutes to see our Home Page. If you do not see our Home Page then type this address in the "Location:" text box at the top of your web browser's screen. The address is:

http://www.inland.net/index.html

(after you type this address in, push the 'Enter' key on your keyboard.)

Once our Home Page is displayed, click on the "Information" button at the top-right of your screen, or click on the underlined word "Information" at the bottom of the page. (They both take you to the same place.)

This takes you to the main page for Inland Internet's Technical Support Page.

( the address is http://www.inland.net/iii/help/ )

On the main tech page, click on the Tab that says, "Download Software".

This displays some easy to use icons for you to select from. On of the software categories for you to choose from is "Internet Relay Chat (IRC), click this button, or the underlined link below, to go to a list of IRC applications.

You should now be looking at a screen that is listing IRC applications. One of the IRC applications that is available is called mirc392.exe. Read the file description that is next to the name of this file. When you are ready to download, and you have created the directory c:\mirc392 (which you should have done at the beginning of these instructions), click on the underlined filename that says, mirc392.exe. (on the left hand side of your screen)

• Depending on which World Wide Web (WWW) browser you are using, you could see slightly different screens after you click on the underlined file name "mirc392.exe"

In most cases, the following things will happen:

• When you click on the file name to download a window will pop up that says "Unknown File Type"

(This will happen if you are still using the original web browser that we gave you with our Embarque software)

Click on the button that says, "Save to Disk", we are telling your browser that we want to download this file. (If the "Save to Disk" option does not come up, your browser may require you to hold down the 'SHIFT' key on your keyboard and while you are holding down the 'SHIFT' key you must click on the file name. (mirc392.exe in this case)

• Newer versions of Netscape will just bring up a Save As… Window and will have some of this information filled in for you. Use the steps below as general guidelines. Most of them are still relevant and required.

It is now asking you to tell it where you want to put the file. To put it in the directory that we created earlier, which is called "mirc392", make sure the "Drives" option in the bottom right of the window says "C:", (assuming that that is the drive were you created the directory in the steps above.)

In the box on the right that is under the label that says "Directories", double-click on the little yellow folder that has a C:\ to the right of it. This lists all of the directories on your C: hard drive. Scroll down, or use the down arrow on your keyboard to find the little yellow folder that has the word "mirc392" next to it. This is the directory you created earlier. Once you find it, double-click on the word 'mirc392' to open that folder.

The box on the right that is below the "Directories" label should now say, C:\ ,and under that should be a yellow folder that says 'mirc392'. The little yellow folder that has 'mirc392' next to it should now look like it is open. If it is not in this state, review the above steps to ensure you did them correctly.

In the top-left of this window is a label that says "File Name:" Under it is a text box that is asking you, "what you want to call the file you are going to download". (If the file name 'mirc392.exe' is not already inside of it) Type, mirc392.exe inside of the text box that is under the words "File Name:") If you have done the above steps correctly, you are now ready to begin the download. Do this by clicking the "OK" button on the right-hand side of the window.

The mirc392.exe file will now download to the "c:\mirc392" directory on your computer's hard drive. If you have a 14.4 modem it will take approximately 6 to 8 minutes to download this file. With faster modems it will obviously take less time to complete.

What Should Happen After I Tell My Web Browser To Download A File?

Hopefully your browser will bring up a status window. Most new web browsers will bring up a status window to display the progress of your download. If a window does not pop up, there are a few tips you can use to tell when your download is complete. (see below)

• Tips For Browsers That Do NOT Bring Up A Status Window When You Begin A Download

Use these tips below so that you can try to do the job that your computer should be doing for you. These will help you determine when your download is complete.

(If you DO have a status window, these tips do not necessarily apply to your web browser. Just use the status window instead of these tips):

Older versions of Netscape will display "Document Done." at the bottom-left corner of the browser's window when the download is complete.

Another way to check is to look at the little icon in the top right corner of Netscape's (and most other browser's) window. Most browser's will use this little picture in the top right corner to let you know when it is actually doing some work. The icon will look like it is moving or some kind of animation will take place to let you know that something is happening. You will notice that when you begin the download, the movement of the icon begins. (remember, this only applies to some older web browsers, not necessarily newer ones). When the download is complete, the icon will stop moving and appear to be stable. This "rough" check is one way to tell if your browser is still working. The designers of the web browsers finally realized that this method is not very user friendly or informative so the newer browsers display a download status window to give you a better idea of the current state of things.

After the Download

When the download is finished, a copy of the file mirc392.exe is on your computer's hard drive. You must now disconnect from Inland Internet to install the new program that you just downloaded. Click the word "File" in your web browser's menu bar, and then click the word "Exit".

Now that the web browser is closed, you should be able to see the Embarque toolbar again. On the Embarque toolbar, click the word "File", and then the word "Exit" to disconnect from Inland Internet. If you see any message windows pop up, just keep clicking "OK" until the Embarque toolbar is closed.

Installing mIRC on your computer

Now that you are disconnected, go back to File Manager, (the place you created the mirc392 directory.) Inside File Manager, use the down arrow on your keyboard to go to the folder you made earlier (mirc392). Click on the folder that says, mirc392 next to it. Inside 'mirc392' should be the file you just downloaded (mirc392.exe). It should be displayed on the right-hand-side of your screen.

Because we just created this brand new directory called 'mirc392', it should have been empty before we put this new file inside of it. Make sure that the only file inside of the c:\mirc392 directory is the one that we just downloaded. It is called, mirc392.exe. If it is the only file in the directory you can continue on.

Use your mouse to "DOUBLE-CLICK" on the file named "mirc392.exe" this will run the file. When you double-click this file name, it "dumps" all of the other files that is has inside of it into the same directory you are in. Your screen may flash a bit while the file opens up, just give it a second to do its work.

Click on the little yellow folder that is just above the folder that says "mirc392" on the left-hand-side of your screen. It does not matter what the folder is called. Just click on it once. Now click back on the folder that says "mirc392". File Manager will now update the screen and display a list of the files that were inside of the file you downloaded.

Okay, Now What Do I Do With All of This Stuff?

As the Technical Support Page described earlier, this file that you just opened up contains programs for Windows 3.1/3.11 for Workgroups and for Windows 95. Since this document is for Windows 3.1/3.11 for Workgroups users, we will use the relevant file called mirc.exe (the file mirc32.exe is for Windows 95 users only!)

Now that we have successfully "unzipped" the mirc392.exe file to get the files that we actually care about, we can delete the file called mirc392.exe from your hard drive. It is just taking up space. Click on the folder (directory) that says "mirc392" on the left-hand-side of your screen in File Manager. This displays the contents of the mirc392 directory.

We want to KEEP every file that is inside of the mirc392 directory, except the file that is called "mirc392.exe".

Click on the file named, "mirc392.exe" on the right-hand side of File Manager's screen (MAKE SURE IT IS THIS EXACT FILE CALLED MIRC392.EXE and no other. There are several files inside of this directory that have the letters "mirc" in them, the ONLY file you want to delete is the one that is called mirc392.exe).

(MAKE SURE THAT "mirc392.exe" IS THE FILE THAT IS HIGHLIGHTED ON THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE OF YOUR SCREEN, if it is not, then you are probably deleting something that you really don't want to get rid of. DO NOT confuse the mirc392 DIRECTORY that is on the left-hand side of the screen with the file we want to delete called mirc392.exe that is on the right-hand side of your screen!)

Okay enough of my paranoid warning, if you have double-checked the above, go ahead and push the 'Delete' key on your keyboard.

When all of the warning windows pop up, read them and make sure that your computer is doing what you intend it to. If it is, just keep clicking "Yes to All" until the file named "mirc392.exe" has been deleted.

• For those Windows 3.1 Users Who Are Really Efficient

You can use the steps above to delete the file that is called mirc32.exe. This file is for Windows 95 and your system will NEVER use it. If you leave it inside of your mirc392 directory it will just take up space. It is up to you. (Just make sure you delete the file mirc32.exe and NOT the file called mirc.exe (the file your system WILL use!)

When your housekeeping is done, Exit File Manager.

Let's Set This Thing Up So That You Can Use It!

The "difficult" part is over. All that is left to do is to tell your Embarque toolbar about the new program.

Start up the Embarque toolbar. (If your computer usually starts Embarque for you automatically you should look inside of your "StartUp" program group inside of Program Manager. Inside of this "box", "window", "group", or whatever you want to call it, is the Embarque icon. Double-click it to start the Embarque toolbar.)

Once the toolbar is running, click on the word "Settings" in the toolbar's menu. This brings up the Embarque toolbar Settings window.

At the bottom of the Settings window there is a big button that says, "Change Client Directories.", click on this button.

The window that pops up is displaying all of the programs that your Embarque toolbar can run. This is how the toolbar knows which program to run when you click on one of its buttons. (Pretty cool right? Well, maybe not.)

On the left-hand side of the window it is listing all of the types of Internet programs that you can run. Towards the bottom you will see IRC as one of your options. To the right of the word IRC there is a button that says, "Browse…". Click on this button so that we can tell the toolbar to run the brand new IRC program we just downloaded every time you click on the IRC button on the Embarque toolbar.

Just like you told your web browser where to put the file you downloaded, use this "Browse" window to tell the toolbar which program to run when you push the IRC button.

Double-Click on the C:\ folder that is under the "Directories" label. This displays all of your directories on your C: hard drive.

Scroll through the list to find the folder that says, "mirc392" next to it. When you find it, double-click on it to open it up.

On the left-hand side of your screen, under File Name:, the names of the programs that are inside of your mirc392 directory are being displayed.

The correct program to choose is called mirc.exe

Click on this file name on the left-hand side of your screen to highlight it.

When mirc.exe is highlighted, click the "OK" button to choose it.

This will take you back to the previous screen. You will notice (if you did everything correctly) that next to the word IRC, it now says, c:\mirc392\mirc.exe

This is the correct program that you want to run when you click the IRC button on your Embarque toolbar.

Click the "Save" button at the bottom-left of the window to save the changes you have made.

The Embarque Settings window will come up again. Click its "Save" button too.

The Finishing Touch

Since we have just done all of this work, I would highly recommend exiting Windows completely and turning your computer off for about a minute. Then, turn your computer back on to reset everything and to have a nice clean start.

Start the Emabrque Program (toolbar) if it does not automatically start for you.

The third icon from the right has a picture of a mouth on it. This is your IRC button. Click it once to begin.

Enter your PASSWORD, (CORRECTLY) to connect to Inland Internet like you normally do.

Give your computer a minute to connect and then you will either see the mIRC window open up or you will see a little mIRC icon at the bottom of your screen. If you can see inside the mIRC window, this is good. If you see the icon, double-click it to open up the mIRC window.

• Configuring mIRC. (You do not need to do this every time you use IRC.)

This is the first time that you have run this new program so you need to configure it with your personal settings.

Click on the word "File" in the mIRC menu bar and then click on the word "Setup".

At the bottom of the setup window it is asking for your Real Name. Type in your Real Name here.

Below that, it asks you for your E-mail address. Type it in. (example: yourlogin@inland.net) Replace the word "yourlogin" with your user id, login name, whatever you want call it.)

Below that, it is asking for your Nick Name. This is the name that other people will refer to you as. When you are talking to others, this is the name that they will see. Pick something that you prefer and type it inside of the Nick Name box. (Try to keep it to 8 or less letters with no spaces or odd characters. Avoid really common names like "test" or "me" or "john", these names are usually in use and will not work, or you will be unable to connect to the IRC server. You will get a message like, "Bad Nickname" or "Nick Name (nick) already in use". Be creative and have fun. If worst comes to worst at least add some numbers to a common name so that you have a chance of connecting, such as john298 instead of just, john)

You can leave the Alternate box blank.

Click the "OK" button at the bottom to save your changes.

Now click on the mIRC "File" menu again. This time select "Options" from the menu.

This brings up a bunch of tabs. Select the tab that says, "Servers" on it.

At the top of the "Servers" tab, check the box that says, "Enable Ident server" next to it. This will put an x in the box.

Click the "OK" button at the bottom to save your changes.

You Are Done! Time To Connect!

You are ready to connect. Click on the word "File" in the mIRC menu bar, and then click on the word "Connect."

This will attempt to connect you to the default server that mIRC chooses. Your window will say something like "Attempting to connect to (whatever the servers name is)"

If you get connected, a bunch of text will scroll by on your screen to let you know. You should get some kind of confirmation at the top of your status window that says something like "Status - <Your Nick Name> ON <whatever the servers name is>. Click on the word "File" in the menu bar, and then the word "Disconnect" when you are ready to disconnect from the IRC server.

You may not get connected. You may get messages like, "Disconnected, no more connections." This means, "There are too many people connected right now, try again later."

You can keep trying, or try a different server. It is important to realize that Inland Internet. DOES NOT control the IRC servers. They are all independent computers on the Internet that have been setup to manage all of these digital conversations (usually for free).

IRC gets VERY busy during peek hours. It may be very difficult to connect at times. Keep trying, you will eventually get connected when someone disconnects. Because most IRC servers are free, they tend to get REALLY crowded, REALLY fast. Keep in mind, when an IRC server is full it is DIFFERENT than if Inland Internet is full. We have NO control over the thousands of people around the world that can connect to an IRC server. Full IRC servers have nothing to do with the number of our customers that are currently connected to us. We can only recommend that you keep trying to connect to an IRC server. You are competing for a connection with the rest of the world.

It is beyond the scope of this document to teach you how to use the mIRC program or IRC in general. Please use the online help that is included in the mIRC program (click on the word "Help" in the menu bar.)

It is your responsibility to become familiar with the program and how to use IRC. You must do what everyone else does. Play with it for a while, read the help files, and learn by trail and error.

Thank you for your support and I hope you enjoy IRC.