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Downloading files with mIRC Barrierman took the time to help me explain mIRC to you - on this page in specific how to download files with mIRC. IRC offers you a wide range of possibilities on chatting and downloading files. One warning up front: copying/downloading copyrighted material (ie. movies, mp3's and applications, etc) is most likely not legal in your country! Although IRC look complicated, it really isn't, specially after reading this article! Any questions left after reading this page, then take a look at these pages: mIRC Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) or How to download files with mIRC! Ofcourse; don't forget the forum either! Note: read the disclaimer! Note: This text is partially based on text found on the mIRC website (with Tjerk's permission) and has been adapted by Barrierman (VCDnMPG website) and your webmaster to clarify the use of mIRC. Sometimes we focus on the use #VCDnMPG on the network EFNET.

The first steps

When I'm online in a channel at EFnet, then HOW can download for example a movie?

Good question, we'll try to explain this using the mIRC application.

mIRC is a little tool that gives you IRC access. Download and Install mIRC (or another IRC application like Trillian) before you continue.

In the screenshot(s) below you will see my IRC-client (mIRC). The screenshots might look different than yours. This can have several reasons; the colors settings and/or the availabiltiy of scripts (Scripts are created with a kind of programming language that is available within mIRC).

mIRC: Connected to VCDnMPG

As you can see, the application has menu's and buttons. The buttons represent some of the more commonly used function with these menu's.

Below the buttons you will see a taskbar, showing buttons. Each button represents an open window. Clicking one of them brings the related window to the front. The taskbar can be either on top, the left, right or bottom of the mIRC window.

On the right hand side you will see a list of (nick)names of the people that are currently active in this channel. Normal users have no suffix, users with a '+' suffix have enhanced rights, and users with a '@' suffix are operators. Operators basically "own" the channel and can do anything they please. For example kick users, bann users or give users additional rights.

In the field at the bottom of this window you can enter text (ie. "speaking" or "chatting"). This field also allows you to enter special commands. Command always start with a "/".

Fileservers: So where are the files?

Being in a channel, all kind of mesages will pass by in the window you're looking at. Bij entering the message "!list" we make things even worse! It will list all available fileserver that advertise them selves. Usually 3 advertising variants are avialble;

1. <+[VnM]-{BlackJack}> (File Servers Online) Triggers:(!Jacks ShiOt & !More ShiOt) Snagged:(102.50Gb in 361 files) Record CPS:(68.7Kb/s by propain11) Online:(0/4) Sends:(2/2) Queues:(10/10) Accessed:(1987 times) Note:(K-PAX, Texas Rangers and Ocean Eleven now up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) «~{Polaris IRC 2001}~»

This advertentisement is being generated by a DCC-server (fileserver), with a trigger called "!Jacks ShiOt & !More ShiOt" (you can find it just after the word "Triggers:").

2. <+bucnoi> «« File Server »» Trigger«/ctcp bucnoi is back!!!»| Used CPS«22385 cps»| Snagged«2.02Gb in 6 files»| Min CPS«20»| Record«33.1Kb/s by ClamChowda423»| Online«0/4»| Sends«1/1»| Queues«5/5»| Been In«462 times»| Note«old nick bucnoi..(have dump access with nick bucnoi)....dump access???»| «

Advertentisement 2, is being generated by a CTCP-server (fileserver), with a trigger called"/ctcp bucnoi is back!!!", which is basically also a fileserver and works in a similar fashion as advertisement 1. The only difference is that when calling variant 1, all chatters in this channel will see you doing so. Variant 2 doesn't show to others.

3. <+[VnM]-bryce> (FTP Online) Address:(bryce.mine.nu) Port:(21) Login:(board) Password:(trustees) Speed:(ADSL) Allowing:(3 users) Note:(Read the Disclaimer...) «~{Polaris SE}~»

This third and last advertisement variant indicates a FTP-site, meaning that you cannot access it from within mIRC and you will need to use a FTP-aaplication like FlashXP or LeechFTP.

Advertisements???

Let's take a closer look at these advertisements. Keep in min that type 1 and type 2 are basically identical!

We'll focus on the types 1 and 2 now. We take type 1 as an example. Note: I used colors to indicate which "block" is which:

<+[VnM]-{BlackJack}> (File Servers Online) Triggers:(!Jacks ShiOt & !More ShiOt) Snagged:(102.50Gb in 361 files) Record CPS:(68.7Kb/s by propain11) Online:(0/4) Sends:(2/2) Queues:(10/10) Accessed:(1987 times) Note:(K-PAX, Texas Rangers and Ocean Eleven now up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) «~{Polaris IRC 2001}~»

Like we said before, type 1 triggers can be seen by other users in this channel, type 2 triggers are only visible to you.

So when and how do I use a trgger?

A trigger initiated a kind of privat chat session with the fileserver, so we can start looking for files and/or initiate downloads.

So what happens when I enter a trigger?

Tip: select the trigger with your mouse, go to the text entry field and press CTRL+V.

Suppose we enter the trigger "!Jacks ShiOt & !More ShiOt" in the tekst input field and press enter. What will happen is that within a few seconds a popup will appear asking you to initiate a "mIRC DCC Chat" (Note: This is ONLY an example! Use "!list" to find a valid trigger!):

mIRC: DCC chat after entering a trigger

Click "Accept", and mIRC will open an additional window, which looks something like this:

Note: If this isn't working properly, the goto the menu "File" - "Options" - "DCC" - "Options" where you can change the required ports. Default the IP-ports are set to : 1024-5000 however personally I use ports 1024 and 1025 which will save you a lot of portmapping. Also: don't forget port 113 for the identd-server when mapping ports!

So now you're in the fileserver. In this particular case, the fileserver shows you the “Disclaimer”, not all fileservers do.
Use the key “C” + ENTER to continue readin the disclaimer or the key “S” + ENTER to stop reading the disclaimer.

So now the old DOS-command’s are needed!

Use DIR (+ENTER) to see the file and directory list of the server. Changing directories is done using the "CD" command, where "CD .." brings you back one level (closer to the root) and "CD <dir>" brings you to a sub directory. Bijna zoals je dat van DOS gewent was. Try the "DIR" command for the fun of it (again; the screenshot below is only an example, yours might look differently depending on the content of the fileserver);

For additional info on availabel commands, type "HELP".

Note: In the example you will see only directories. Use "CD <dirname>" to enter such a directory. Normal files would have a number after the name indicating the size of the file.

Tip: select the trigger with your mouse, go to the text entry field and press CTRL+V.

A sample session:

On purpose I used RED text, for the commands I entered. The GREEN text indicates items that reflect some kind of importance to this text.

Firts we used DIR to see what's on the server. After that we choose a directory we would like to see and used CD to enter the directory "WILLARD.WORKPRINT-VIDEOCD". AFter enterign this directory we again used DIR to see what files are there. With the command GET we ask the server to send us the file called "[vcd]wilard.workprint.videocd.full.mpg".

The server then did put us in a queue, the text "Queuing .... placed in slot ... " kind a gave that away. Usually you can only put a maximum of 2 files in the queue. You can now continue searching in this fileserver or even leave the server. One it's your turn in the queue, the server will automatically send you the file.

WARNING: You will have to keep mIRC running and you will have to remain in this channel! If either of these demands are not met, then you will not ever receive the requested file!

Using the command "SENDS" you can see which downloads are current in progress, in this example we see that "mikemike" is downloading and that it will take at approximately 1 hour and 49 minutes. This doesn't tell us anything yet.

Use the command "QUEUES" to see the queue. Here you can see what your position is and who else is in the queue. In this example; it might take a few days before we get our turn!

Leave the fileserver using the command "EXIT".

Tip: if you're not sure if you're dealing with files or directories, then consider this: a filename has a number next to it, indicating it's size, a directory doesn't!

Tip: You can open multiple channels by typing: "/join #<channelname>".