ICQProxy Help

As of now ICQProxy only supports ICQ99b, ICQ2000 is not supported in this version. You can download ICQ99b from ftp://tucows.belgium.eu.net/Tucows/files4/icq99b.exe A new version of ICQProxy will be available soon.

Please read the FAQ at the bottom of this page before using ICQProxy

Chapter 1: Getting Started

Installing ICQProxy is quick and easy. Just follow the simple steps given below.

Quick Start

Follow this procedure to install the product onto your computer.

To install ICQProxy:

Download ICQ from ftp://tucows.belgium.eu.net/Tucows/files4/icq99b.exe and install it
Run ICQProxy by double clicking on it
Click on the About Button. Read the terms and conditions carefully, and continue if you agree.
Click on the Configure button. Enter your firewall/proxy settings in the configuration dialog box and click on Test button. If the test succeeds your proxy/firewall settings are correct and ICQProxy should work fine. If the test fails, ICQProxy has not been able to reach the internet. Try changing your settings and trying again. ICQProxy will NOT work properly unless this test succeeds.
Now click on the Start button to start ICQProxy. The status window will constantly show you the status of ICQProxy. The first line will say "Configuration successfully updated" informing you that the configuration is set. The second line tells you that ICQProxy is running and is waiting for ICQ to connect to it. The third line says "Retrieving ICQProxy server's IP Address". This means ICQProxy is trying to obtain the list of Active ICQProxy servers from the internet. If this succeeds the next line will say IP Address successfully retrieved. ICQProxy will not work properly unless it can retrieve the server's IP addresses. At this point your window should look like:
The following applies if you have just installed ICQ. If you already have ICQ installed go to 7. Now start ICQ. In the setup you must select I am using a permanent connection (LAN), I am behind a firewall or proxy and click on the Firewall Settings button. In this window select I am using a SOCKS4 server, and set the SOCKS4 host to 127.0.0.1 and the port to 4000. Also select "Use a mapped port on a proxy" and enter 127.0.0.1 as the host and 4000 as the port again. Your windows should look like:
The following applies if you have ICQ installed already and you need to modify preferences, if not got to 8. Go to the ICQ Preferences and click on the connection tab. In the window you must select I am using a permanent connection (LAN), I am behind a firewall or proxy and click on the Firewall Settings button. In this window select I am using a SOCKS4 server, and set the SOCKS4 host to 127.0.0.1 and the port to 4000. Also select "Use a mapped port on a proxy" and enter 127.0.0.1 as the host and 4000 as the port again. Your windows should look like:
Now click on Next (for new installation) or on Check My FIREWALL/Proxy (for existing installations). ICQ will no communicate with ICQProxy. The best indication. If ICQ can successfully communicate with ICQProxy, ICQProxy will display "Sending a Ping to the server". If the ICQProxy server is up and it can communicate with it it will say "Received a Pong" ICQ should now work and you should be able to go online. Enjoy!
As all communication is through the server, only messaging is supported. When you try to send your first message, it will fail and you will see the following dialog box:

Simply select the Automatically try to send thru server and click on the Send Thru Server button. All future messages will automatically go through the server.

Chapter 2: ICQProxy Dialog Boxes

The Main Window

The main ICQProxy window is a very simple interface which lets you know what ICQProxy is doing at all times. Given below is a description of the various messages that appear in the status window:

"IP Address successfully retrieved", means your proxy server settings are correct and it can access the internet
"Connection from ICQ Received, starting communication" that means the configuration is successful and ICQ is now talking to ICQProxy
When it says "Sending a ping" that means it has received a packet from ICQ and is trying to send it to the server. This will happen every 2 minutes
When it says "Received a pong" that means it has successfully contacted the server and ICQ should work fine

There are 5 buttons which are quite self descriptive. Note that you must start ICQProxy by clicking on the start button to make it work.

The Configuration Window

The configuration window allows you to specify your proxy settings. If you have your proxy setup in Internet Explorer, ICQProxy should automatically be able to retrieve the settings. If that doesn't work try entering the settings manually. Here is a brief description of all the fields in this dialog:

Edit Boxes

Server Name/IP: Enter the IP address of your HTTP proxy server here
Port: Enter the port number of the HTTP proxy server here
Username: If your proxy requires user authentication, enter your username here
Password: If your proxy requires user authentication, enter your password here

Check Boxes

No Proxy, only a Firewall: Select this setting if you only have a Firewall on your network, no proxy server
Attempt Auto Detect: Select this setting if you want ICQProxy to try to auto-detect your settings
Proxy requires authentication: Select this if you need to provide a username & password to get through your proxy

Using ICQ

You should be ready to use ICQ now. Note there is a know issue with registering a new UIN. Please read the FAQ.

FAQ

Here are some questions I have been frequently asked during Beta-Testing of this product:

Q. ICQProxy can ping the servers but I cannot register a new UIN

This is a known issue. Try using a UIN that already exists. If you don't already have one, register one from a computer already connected to the internet and add that user to the ICQ you are running on the machine behind a firewall. This issue will be resolved soon.

Q. I can't get online, ICQProxy cannot contact the server's

The ICQProxy server is running on some very unstable machines, so once in a while it goes down. Just try again after a while. Another possible reason is that some firewalls (rarely) block unknown IP's. If you experience this problem over several days, this is probably the cause. As soon as I have a permanent server, this issue will be resolved.

To keep this project alive we need to get a dedicated server, therefore any donations would be gratefully acknowledged. If you like ICQProxy and use it often, mail beta@icqproxy.com How much you send is up to you but remember every penny adds up so don't hesitate sending $1 Thanks :)

Q. I keep getting disconnected, why does this happen

A. This was a bug in the previous version. If you experience this, please let me know at mailto:beta@icqproxy.comThe only way around this is to let ICQ try to reconnect automatically, that is don't go offline or online manually. If you intervene, then ICQ might not connect for the next 10 minutes. If however it does not reconnect for a while, go offline and don't touch ICQ for the next 4-5 minutes. If you do ICQ will keep timing out and you will not be able to get back on. After waiting 4-5 minutes go online and it should work fine!

If you go offline every time you try to send a message, click on the "auto-send later" button. ICQ should come back online in a second or two and send the message.

Q. Immediately after starting ICQProxyClient.exe I get this error: The ordinal XYZ could not be located in the dynamic link library mfc42.dll

A. This is because you don't have the latest versions of the MFC DLL's. You can update them by installing VCM from http://icqproxy.com/vcm.exe

Q. Is it Free?

Yes ICQProxy is free for individual use, but you must buy licenses for corporate use. To keep this project alive we need to get a dedicated server, therefore any donations would be gratefully acknowledged. If you like ICQProxy and use it often, mail beta@icqproxy.com How much you send is up to you but remember every penny adds up so don't hesitate sending $1 Thanks :)