mIRC
User Information
When mIRC is first installed you'll have to enter in some information about yourself before you can connect to a server. If you haven't already done this, I'll show you how here.
1. Open up mIRC
2. Open up the mIRC Options dialog by pressing the Alt key + 'O' key simultaneously
3. In the left pane click on the Connect category
4. In the following right pane options fill in the following information:
- Full Name
- Email Address
- Nickname
- Alternative
It's important to note everything filled out in this dialog box is fake information. The only thought process you should be doing here is in the Nickname/Alternative boxes as they are the username you'll be using when you connect to a server. Please don't put your real username and email address in these boxes!

Identd
The ident daemon is only used when you first connect to a server. Most servers will allow you to connect whether or not they receive an ident response from you. However, some servers will disconnect you if they do not receive a reply from an ident request. To avoid problems it's best to enable this option.
1. Open up mIRC
2. Open up the mIRC Options dialog by pressing the Alt key + 'O' key simultaneously
3. In the left pane click on the '+' next to the Connect category to expand the Connect category
4. In the left pane click on the Identd category
5. Check the Enable only when connecting box

Auto-get file
Auto-get file lets you leave your PC while downloading from mIRC. By default, when someone sends you a file you'll be prompted to either accept or deny the file transfer. If you aren't at your PC at the time you're prompted to either accept or deny the file transfer then the file transfer will timeout and you wont receive your file. To solve this you'll need to enable the auto-get file option in mIRC. The auto-get file option will automatically accept incoming file transfers, so you wont need to be at your PC to accept the file transfer.
1. Open up mIRC
2. Open up the mIRC Options dialog by pressing the Alt key + 'O' key simultaneously
3. In the left pane click on the DCC category
4. In the top section labeled On Send Request choose the Auto-get file option
Resume
mIRC supports file resuming. If a file exits on your PC you have 4 options which are:
* Ask - mIRC will pop up a dialog and ask you what you want to do to proceed. mIRC will give you one of the 3 following options.
* Resume - mIRC will automatically continue downloading the file where it left off. If a file is canceled or if a file timeouts and you try to re-download the file mIRC will automatically resume the file transfer. This saves bandwidth since you no longer will have to download the beginning of the file all over again. If the file exits and is already complete mIRC will stop the download.
* Overwrite - mIRC will automatically remove the file and start downloading from scratch. If the file is canceled or if the file timeouts, you'll have to re-download the entire file.
* Cancel - mIRC will automatically cancel your download. If the file exists on your PC mIRC will cancel the download as to not overwrite the file.
The best option for downloading would be to use the Resume option since it'll end up saving you bandwidth and will let you download without any interference.
1. Open up mIRC
2. Open up the mIRC Options dialog by pressing the Alt key + 'O' key simultaneously
3. In the left pane click on the DCC category
4. In the top section labeled On Send Request choose the Resume option in the If file exists scroll box

Trusted Users
mIRC allows you to only auto-get files from trusted users. Trusted users are users who you manually add to a list comprised of users you think are safe to download from. If this option is enabled you'll no longer be able to auto-get files from anybody, which would be a hassle if you're using mIRC as a download client. Also, it's important to keep in mind when enabling auto-get and disabling trusted users that anybody will be able to send you files at random. It's thus important to always keep an eye on your download folder to make sure you don't execute any files that you yourself didn't download.
1. Open up mIRC
2. Open up the mIRC Options dialog by pressing the Alt key + 'O' key simultaneously
3. In the left pane click on the DCC category
4. In the top section labeled On Send Request choose the Trusted button
5. Uncheck the option labeled Limit auto-get to trusted users
6. Uncheck the option labeled Show get dialog for non-trusted users

Download Folders (Optional)
By default mIRC will place your downloaded files in the folder "<mIRC>/Downloads". For example, if your mIRC is installed in "C:/mIRC" your default download location will be "C:/mIRC/Downloads". To change the default download folder:
1. Open up mIRC
2. Open up the mIRC Options dialog by pressing the Alt key + 'O' key simultaneously
3. In the left pane click on the '+' next to the DCC category to expand the DCC category
4. In the left pane, under the DCC category, click on the Folders option
5. In the section labeled DCC Get folders click on the default type and choose edit
6. In the section labeled Into this Folder click on the button and browse to your desired download folder
7. When done hit the OK button
8. If there are any more options under the section labeled DCC Get folders you can delete them

Ignore
By default mIRC has ignore turned on. With ignore turned on you wont be able to download any file types specified in the ignore options. This will stop some downloads from starting and you therefore wont receive the file.
1. Open up mIRC
2. Open up the mIRC Options dialog by pressing the Alt key + 'O' key simultaneously
3. In the left pane click on the '+' next to the DCC category to expand the DCC category
4. In the left pane, under the DCC category, click on the Ignore option
5. In the section labeled Method choose Disabled from the scroll box
6. Under the section labeled File type make sure to uncheck Turn ignore back on in * mins

Warnings
By default mIRC is setup to warn you when a DCC file transfer is about to take place. If you plan on using mIRC for downloads it's imperative to disable this warning. Downloads will not occur unless you answer to the warning dialog so it could cause major headaches if left enabled.
1. Open up mIRC
2. Open up the mIRC Options dialog by pressing the Alt key + 'O' key simultaneously
3. In the left pane click on the '+' next to the DCC category to expand the DCC category
4. In the left pane, under the DCC category, click on the Options option
5. Uncheck the Show Warning box

Firewall
Application based firewall
Application based firewalls allow you to either allow or deny internet access to an application. Examples of application based firewalls: Norton Internet Security, Sygate, Zone Alarm, etc. If you have an application based firewall all you need to do is allow full internet access to mIRC and you'll be set to go.
Rule based firewall
Rule based firewalls allow you to define advanced rules to limit the amount of connectivity an application is allowed. You can limit connectivity based on protocol, ports, etc. Examples of application based firewalls: Comodo Firewall Pro, Outpost Pro, etc. If you have a rule based firewall you'll need to allow the following ports for mIRC:
Connectivity:
In order to connect to a server, you'll need to enable the following ports in your firewall:
* TCP inbound, remote port 113
- Allows you to authenticate with the IRC server through the Identd daemon
* TCP outbound, remote ports 6660 - 6670
- Allows you to connect to the server. Note some servers may require different ports, but by default most servers are in the 6660 - 6670 range
Downloading:
In order for mIRC to download files you'll need to enable the following ports in your firewall:
* TCP Outbound, remote ports 1024 - 65535
- The port in which the file transfer takes place on is up to the sender so you'll never know which port it is. You'll need to enable all ports except for the first 1024. Most trojans use the first 1024 ports so it's always good to block those off in all programs unless a port is required in that range.
Router
If you have a router you will have to forward the IdentD port in your router which is by default TCP Inbound 113. Since all routers have a different way on how to forward ports it's best to visit Portforward.com and follow the guide they have on that site to learn how to forward the IdentD port.