"Unable to Connect" Error Message Using MIRC and ICS in Windows XP

If you use Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) to connect two ICS client computers that use the Internet Relay Chat client (mIRC), you may receive the following error message:

This issue may occur if you use the DCC protocol to send and receive, and if mIRC is using the IP address of the network adapter that connects to the Internet. In this case, the computer cannot establish a secure connection to itself.

Note that this issue may also occur with other IRC programs such as Pirch98.

To work around this issue, turn off ICS on the host computer. To do this:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Internet Options.
2. On the Connections tab, click Sharing.
3. Click to clear the Enable Internet Connection Sharing check box, and then click OK.

For additional information about how to turn off Internet Connection Sharing, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

The third-party products that are discussed in this article are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.