Step 1 - Get the Application

First you need to the application - mIRC - which is also referred to as an IRC Client. It allows you to chat on IRC servers and networks. Go to the web site www.mirc.com. Click on the link on the left of the mIRC.com site that says "Download mIRC". You'll be presented with a list of URLs displayed as the names of places. Click on whichever one is closest to your home town. Ideally it matters not which one you choose - it's all the same program. Choosing the one closest to you, however, is much more likely to get a faster download speed.

Example: As I live in Britain I clicked on one of the two displayed as "mIRC 6.17 in the UK". However if you lived in North Carolina of the US then you click on the "mIRC 6.17 in North Carolina" link. If you're in any doubt then just click one at random from the category that describes where you are (if in the US then choose one from the US and Canada category).

Download to some area on your computer, it doesn't matter where just as long as you can remember where it is. I find it best to download to my desktop - when done with it I can move it elsewhere but at least until then I can easily and quickly get to it. The downloaded program would be called "mirc617.exe". When you have downloaded the program you can then run it (double-click). You'll be presented with dialogs for installing mIRC. Follow on-screen instructions and keep to the defaults - if it says to install into C:\Program Files\mIRC then let it. Basically; just click Next where you can.

When you have installed mIRC you can then access it by opening the Start menu from your taskbar, choosing All Programs, and then mIRC. If you cannot find it then simply open the Start menu, choose run, enter "c:/program files/mirc/mirc.exe" (including the quote marks) and then choose OK. If that doesn't work then open the Search facility from the Start menu, choose to find 'all files and folders' and then enter "mirc.exe" (excluding quotes) then hit the Search button. You should check your Desktop before all this to see if a shortcut is there. If not then it may be best to make one by right-clicking the program mIRC.exe when you find it and selecting "send to desktop (create shortcut)".

Step 2 - Start it up!

Now it's time for using mIRC and getting connected. I'll use images to aid you.

Open the mIRC application (mirc.exe). You'll be presented with the screen below.

Click on the Continue button. Ignore the Trial bit - after 30 days you can still keep using it for free.

This dialog box may then appear. It is called the Connection Box.

If the dialog box does not appear then click the lightning icon in the toolbar. This icon is encircled in red in the below image and pointed to by a red arrow. Note: circle and arrow will not be on your screen. :-P

In the Connection Box enter any name, any e-mail (does not have to be valid) and a Nickname which will be used when chatting. For example I use "DarkWolf" as my nick so when I am on chatting people see my nick as DarkWolf. The alternative nickname is not required and allows you to choose a nick you'd like to use if the main nick you specified happens to be already taken.

Next click on "Servers" in the list on the left hand side of the Connection Box under the title "Category". If it is not displayed then click on the + beside "Connect" and it should appear. When you click on servers the following should be displayed.

Under IRC Networks ensure "All" is selected. Under IRC Server click the Add button.

You can leave Description, Group and Password all blank. Just enter the server address you wish to connect to followed by the port number. For example if you wanted to access the Werewolf.com IRC you'd enter "irc.werewolf.com" where it says IRC Server and enter "6667" where it says Port(s). You must enter a name also and it's best to enter something relative to the IRC you're connecting to. For example if you're going on the Werewolf.com IRC then you should name it something like Werewolf.com.

When done click on Add. You'll be taken back to the Servers option you saw earlier. Where it says IRC Server click on the arrow to open the drop-down menu and then at the bottom you'll find your newly added server name. In the example given this Server would be "Werewolf.com". Click it to select it.

You can now click on Connect To Server button. The dialog will close and mIRC will connect you to your IRC server. All your information would be saved at this point so clicking on the connection icon (the lightning one) again in the future would connect you to this server immediately. If you do want to edit the information and choose a different IRC server then choose the icon directly to the right of the connection icon - it resembles a hammer and folder.

Step 3 - Get on a channel and CHAT!

When you're on and connected you'll see a space at the bottom of the screen where you can type stuff in. This is where you can use commands or chat on "channels". However, you're not likely to be on a channel yet. You can enter a channel by using the command /join followed by the channel name. All channel names begin with a hash (#). For example, on the Werewolf.com IRC the main channel for chatting is called #general so you'd enter /join #general. A new window will open called the same as the channel specified. That is the channel window - where you chat! In a channel you can talk by entering anything and clicking on send or press the enter key. Be wary: anything preceded with a solidus (forward-slash symbol: /) is treated as a command so don't start your message with it.

That's it. You're on and chatting. When you're done chatting you can just use the command /quit, click the close X in the very top-right corner or by clicking the connect icon which would now be a disconnect icon and looks like a broken lightning symbol.

For more information see the mIRC.com site or the Help menu in the mIRC application.