Unable to Connect Error Message Using MIRC and ICS In Windows Millennium Edition and Windows 98

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

This issue can occur if you use the DCC protocol to send and receive, and the mIRC is using the IP address of the the network adapter that connects to the Internet. The computer is unable to establish a secure connection to itself.

NOTE: This issue will also occur with other IRC applications, such as Pirch98.

To work around this issue, disable ICS on the host computer. To do this, follow these steps:

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 disable 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.