I am trying to get IRC up and running on my Windows 7 machine. I have installed HexChat (2.9.6, 64-bit) as a 'normal' install.
Here are the screen shots showing step 1, step 2, and the screen that shows while it is trying unsuccessfully to connect:
How can I fix this? Why won't it connect?
Best Answer
It could be that a firewall (your, your router's, your ISP's...) is blocking all IRC connections. (The server shown is currently online.)
Try connecting using the alternate (non-standard) ports – 6665, 6666, 8000, 8001, or 8002. The Hexchat syntax is
irc.freenode.net/6665
in the server configuration window, or/server irc.freenode.net 6665
in command line.Even better, try a SSL-encrypted connection – the standard port is 6697, and freenode also accepts connections on 7000 & 7070. Syntax is the same but with
+port
; e.g.irc.freenode.net/+6697
(as in the topmost entry of your current server list) or/server irc.freenode.net +6697
.