The problem has reached that point where a rival IRC client beckons. My mIRC uptime varies wildly between 30 minutes and 30 hours on W2K or higher.

Once a 'software abort' occurs, the program loops between reconnecting and failing. The fact that I can:

1. Close mIRC, restart it, and connect
2. Open a second instance of mIRC while the problem is occurring, and connect
3. Use another IRC client at the same time without trouble
4. Use any other network application at the same time without trouble

point to a simple, copper-bottomed fact that it's a bug in mIRC code.

There's absolutely no point looking at MTU values or any other machine-specific issues. Everyone here may as well stand on one leg and blow raspberries in an attempt to make the problem go away—it'll have the same effect as any other suggestion (none whatsoever).

I'll check back in a couple of weeks to see if anything's been done, but I doubt it. Looking at the date of the first post here, and given that I've put up with this thing for months and months now, it's clearly an old and unsolvable problem.

Disappointed frown