**Please note before downloading: mIRC is a trial program. Meaning after a certain amount of days, it will ask you to purchase the full version. The registration is around 20$ and lasts forever. Not too bad.
You can get around this by downloading an older version of mIRC HERE (http://www.oldversion.com/windows/mirc/). It will still be trial, but you won't have to register to keep using it, you will only get an annoying message every time you start it.
What is IRC?
Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is a system that facilitates transfer of messages in the form of text. The chat process works on a client/server model of networking. IRC clients are computer programs that a user can install on their system. These clients are able to communicate with chat servers to transfer messages to other clients. It is mainly designed for group communication in discussion forums, called channels, but also allows one-to-one communication via private message as well as chat and data transfer, including file sharing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Relay_Chat (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Relay_Chat)
What is mIRC?
mIRC is an Internet Relay Chat (IRC) client for Microsoft Windows, created in 1995 and developed by Khaled Mardam-Bey. Although it is a fully functional chat utility, its integrated scripting language makes it extensible and versatile.
mIRC has been described as "one of the most popular IRC clients available for Windows." It has been downloaded over 38 million times from CNET's Download.com service. In 2003, Nielsen/NetRatings ranked mIRC among the top ten most popular Internet applications.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIRC (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIRC)
Downloading and installing mIRC
mIRC can be downloaded by visiting http://www.mirc.com/ (http://www.mirc.com/)
Once you have downloaded and installed mIRC go ahead and run it.
The first thing you need to do is to create a profile.
(https://littlewhiteys.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.vc-mp.eu%2Fimages%2FlMNf0j.jpg&hash=fa52776a3270195fe937694ffa5e22d4cc13031f)
In the "Connect" catagory, enter a nickname and alternate name. Note that "Name" and "Email" are optional.
Next you need to tell mIRC which network to connect to.
(https://littlewhiteys.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.vc-mp.eu%2Fimages%2FthcgJH6a.jpg&hash=7ef766c587e226ddc28d5dc8fa3938228ae3a99d)
Copy & Paste: irc.liberty-unleashed.co.uk
In the "Server" category, click "Add" to bring up the "Add Server" box. Fill out the fields as shown. "Group" and "Password" are internationally left blank as the network does not use them.
Click "Add" to add the network to the list, find and highlight "LUNet" if it isn't already and click "Select". Then click "OK" in the original box.
Go ahead and connect by going to "File" then "Connect"
Right on, you've established connection!
Next is a good time to register your new life on IRC.
Type in your password and email: /ns register <password> <email>
Please use a valid email address to make retrieving an account easier.
To login simply type /ns identify <password>
To join a channel, type /join #<channel> or /j #<channel>
In this case we are joining the server echo at #littlewhitey.vc-mp. Note that only the VC-MP server donators can send their messages here.
To chat about the server, join #littlewhitey.vcdm. This channel is open for everyone.
To see a full list of all the channels on LUNet, type /list
It's always a good idea to get to know a network's rules and policies to avoid getting banned.
LUNet's can be found by typing /rules or by visiting http://liberty-unleashed.co.uk/irc/rules/ (http://liberty-unleashed.co.uk/irc/rules/)