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Strange situation: I recently upgraded my internet speed from a sub-1 meg connection to 10 meg. Nothing else changed - same ISP, same Mirc install, the whole nine yards. But ever since, I'm unable to stay connected to any IRC server. (Well, any of four, anyway - StarChat, ChatSpike, SorceryNet, and QuakeNet.) I connect to the servers as I always do, but after a minute or two, I'm disconnected with a "[10053] Software caused connection abort" error. Rebooted my PC, router, tried different ports, ensured Windows firewall was disabled, all with no difference. And to be clear, I'm a long-time Mirc user and it worked flawlessly prior to the speed upgrade. Currently running Mirc 7.43 on Win7 64-bit.

I know there's at least one other 10053-related post in the forum, but the messages in it go back literally years and offer little in the way of help. I'm hoping that the speed-related specifics of my particular problem will make it a little easier to address.

Thanks!

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Hoopy frood
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If the issue was not present before, and if everything is the same as it was apart from your internet connection, it may be that your internet provider is checking for IRC connections on your new line and is disconnecting them.

You could contact them to ask if they are doing this - note that level 1 support may not be aware of such a policy, so you may need to press the issue. If it turns out that this is the case, please let us know.

Alternatively, if you try connecting through a VPN, do you see the same issue?

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What I've actually discovered is that I have no problems staying connected with another IRC client. The problem seems clearly to be something specific to Mirc - could it be "identifying" itself differently and triggering something?

Something else I've just learned, actually, is that as long as I'm "talking" constantly, the connection stays live. Letting it idle now to see if it dumps, based on past behaviour it should ping out in 121 seconds. Went into the options and unhid the ping/pong event, and it looks like Mirc manages two pings on an otherwise idle connection before it dies. Could that be it? And if so, why is this suddenly an issue now? This is literally the second question I've ever asked in this forum - the first was in 2009.

I've never used a VPN, so I have no idea what to tell you about that.

EDIT: I recently tried downgrading to 7.29, and also doing a portable install of 7.43 and running it directly from the .exe. No success in either case. Installing/running 6.35 in a separate directory also has the same issue.


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Hoopy frood
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If the issue only started after you upgraded your internet connection, and nothing else changed on your computer, and you are using the same exact mIRC installation as before, the most likely reason is that your internet provider is checking for IRC connections on your new line and is disconnecting them.

mIRC is the most widely used IRC client, so internet providers will almost always check for connections that look like "mIRC". All IRC clients identify themselves in some way, whether it is with the VERSION reply, or other variations in the way they use the protocol.

mIRC sends pings specifically to detect whether your connection has failed. If mIRC sends a ping and you see 10053, this means that your connection had already failed and mIRC detected it.

The only way to rule out your internet provider as the cause is to follow the advice that I provided in my previous email. You will need to 1) contact your internet provider, and 2) try connecting through a VPN. A VPN allows you to make secure connections that your internet provider cannot interfere with.

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It appears you may be onto something. I've contacted my ISP to inquire, but connecting through a VPN appears to work. Why would they do something like this? And more to the point, how can I get around it without using a VPN? I love Mirc but paying for/running a VPN just so I can use it instead of another (admittedly inferior) IRC client isn't going to happen.

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I suggested using a VPN because it is an easy way of testing whether your internet provider is the cause of the issue, not as a solution. Since you are able to connect through the VPN without any issues, it appears that your internet provider is the cause, so you will now need to discuss the issue with them. The reason some internet providers do this is that mIRC is the most widely used IRC client and as such it is the one most often used by some people to set up botnets. Another way to resolve the issue might be to connect to your IRC networks using SSL, however that will not work if your internet provider is just checking for IRC-related ports.

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Ugh.

This is what I received from my ISP:

"Potentially there may be an issue if you are using IRC for downloading or running a file server with our traffic management policies. Alternatively your new LTE has private IPs and NAT enabled that may be causing some issues. Unfortunately at this time we are unable to disable NAT with the LTE service. As there are so many variables involved that can affect the service our customers receive, such as (but not limited to) type of service, level of service package, condition of the computer, use of routers, time of day, number of other users online at the same time, and the type of Internet activity the customer is trying to pursue, we are unfortunately unable to troubleshoot these issues by email."

There's more, but it's just blah blah. For the most part, I don't know what any of that means, but it sounds like they're not going to be of much help in rectifying this. I tried connecting to SSL, but that was a dead end too.

I'll give my ISP a call, but I'm not hopeful for much.

EDIT: Looks like I was mistaken - Hexchat is doing the same thing. It doesn't appear to be happening quite as frequently/regularly, and it's kind of odd that I didn't notice until just now, but it's definitely happening. Not a Mirc-exclusive problem after all, I guess.

Last edited by Malygris; 07/10/15 05:23 AM.
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Hoopy frood
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The best option here is to call them and find out at real-time the problem and if they can fix this, if they can't just change the ISP provider it's not logical the companies to disable the IRC protocol, i saw this first time, someone pays money for it and they cant help him omg i cant believe why you upgrade the Internet speed at this company just find an other.


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Yeah, just find another. Don't mind the contract you probably signed or the limited number of providers available.

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Just got off the phone with my ISP's tech support and while she couldn't say for certain, she said it appears that IRC has been declared "dangerous" and that connections are being blocked. And there's really nothing to be done about it.

Moving to a different ISP isn't an option, because there are no other ISPs around here - I live in a very rural region. I can run a VPN, which I have no interest in doing, or... I can do without. Unless someone has another idea? I'm open to just about anything at this point.

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As the problem is not related to the mIRC and the only solution is to change the provider or use an VPN, from the mIRC side of course does not has any solution about your problem because its your internet provider problem.


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I am having the same problem. My mIRC worked fine until last week when a truck showed up and I was informed I was getting a "free upgrade" to a higher speed service. The speed is great but I am having all the same problems you are. It is so weird because like you said, if I start talking right away I can stay connected but if not I am disconnected in 15 to 30 seconds from any channel I was on. When I go to close the mIRC it tells me I am still connected to the server. I have tried to get an answer from my ISP which is PLDT or possibly Smart (same company but two different names). It gets really odd because sometimes I can log on and it works great. Right now I'm down but this morning it was fine, same server and all (Undernet) It would not work at all yesterday but the day before it did. For 4 days prior, not at all. I hope we find out what is going on, it has to be something done when we changed service speeds but why some days and not others? I can't believe it is blocked because I live in the most popular chatroom country on earth. If they block the mIRC then they have lost a lot of customers but I haven't found anyone complaining about it specifically. I can't change ISP's as I only have two options and the other sucks for other reasons.


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