#coro_street and America Online

by Ruth Mullen aka hershey and Aric Campling aka RuyDuck, revised Jan 12, 1999

Are you an AOL user who is interested in going beyond the very limited  "chat rooms" within AOL and finding other Coronation Street fans from all over the world? Well for you to join in Internet Relay Chat (IRC), first you must download and setup a separate IRC client program. For Windows AOL users, mIRC is one such program. The directions below will walk you through the process to do so.

1. Select Help from your menu bar, then About America Online. If youdo not see "for windows 95 and windows 98 revision," your AOL software is using a 16-bit winsock. Be sure to download and install the 16-bit version of mIRC (the one with the letter "s" in the file name).

2. If you download and install mIRC successfully but have trouble connecting to IRC (the message Unable to Resolve Local Host appears when you try to connect to a server), then download and install the 16-bit version of mIRC.

3. Download mIRC. mIRC is available in 16-bit and 32-bit formats. Remember it this way when you are ready to download: the mirc file ending in -s.exe is sixteen-bit and the file ending in -t.exe is thirty-two bit! How do you know which format is right for you? Read step 2 above. If you have any doubts about which version to use, then use the 16-bit mIRC.

Download the latest version of mIRC from the IRCHelp mIRC help page at http://www.irchelp.org/mirc which also has links to the mIRC home page mirror sites. The mIRC home page is loaded with great information about mIRC - including the latest news on mIRC, new versions, bug fixes, fun mIRC tricks, how to use mIRC's tools, the mIRC FAQ, and basically, everything about mIRC :)) - as well as general information about IRC, including an introduction for new users, addresses of new servers, suggestions of channels to try,and much more!

If you prefer to obtain mIRC via ftp, see the list of download sites at http://www.mirc.co.uk/get.html

4. Install mIRC simply by double-clicking on the .exe file you downloaded. mIRC's built-in installation program will automatically extract and install mIRC for you - you don't need todo a thing!

5. Now you need to configure mIRC. Log onto AOL as usual. After you are connected, minimize AOL and doubleclick on your new mIRC icon (created in the previous step) to start mIRC. (IMPORTANT:  Remember, however, that AOL asks you at specific time intervals if you wish to remain online. If AOL is minimized, you may miss thequeries and AOL may disconnect you! Common intervals are 45, 90, and 120 minutes.) Open the mIRC setup window (FILE, then SETUP).
       Here, you need to enter some information.
       First, choose the IRC Servers tab and enter the following:
          + Real Name: Your AOL screen name
          + E-Mail: Your email address
          + Nick Name: Enter a one- to nine-character nickname by which you will be known on IRC. The first character can't be a number!
          + Alternate: If someone is already using the nick you have  chosen, mIRC will use this alternate instead.

Next, select the Local Info tab. Make sure there is a checkmark in the Local Host box (located under "On connect, always get:" and another checkmark in the Server box (located under "Method:").

Now select the Identd tab. Put a checkmark in the Enable Identd Server box. Your userID should already be filled in, but if it is not, enter the first part of your email address (the part before the @). System should say "UNIX" and port should say "113"; don't change these settings.

6. Selecting an IRC server. Now go back to the IRC Servers tab. Select a TGnet IRC server by highlighting it, and click OK. This will store all of the settings you have just entered. You won't need to enter this information again. If there are none listed, choose the "add a server" option and type in the name of the TGnet server irc.irctgnet.com , type 6667 where it asks you for the port number. Then hit the Connect button.

7. Now you're ready to log on IRC. Go to the File menu at the top of your mIRC window, and select Connect, or click on the lightning-bolt icon on your toolbar.

8. Type:
/join #coro_street

That's all there is to it. Congratulations, and welcome to #coro_street! :) Don't forget that mIRC is shareware. Try it for 30 days - if you  like it, then register your copy. The small registration fee allows the author to further develop this IRC client, and also supports the web pages and mIRC FAQ.