February 04, 2008 by sharky
« Part 5 of a 7-part series on Advanced Searching for Copyrighted Content »
Part 5. Searching IRC / IRC Tools.
About This Tip: IRC has a high learning curve, and these tips & tricks are not aimed towards those who are inexperienced in IRC. It is assumed you are already affluent in IRC, with a good grasp of its functions and features that include joining networks, servers, channels, sending/receiving files and using commands in the IRC window. If you are new to Internet Relay Chat, we recommend that you check out www.irchelp.org and learn some of the basics before proceeding. However; some of these programs (scripts) take all the hard work out of IRC and many contain great GUIs for easy navigation and file transferring. Be our guest to jump right in - our setups are simple to follow.
The Basics (to searching)
Now that we’ve sloughed off the Newbies to our neighbors, let’s begin. We’ve used mIRC v6.31 (latest version) exclusively for all our examples. Need a crack for it? Search cracknews.com.
Allowable files in mIRC
mIRC v6.31 has a good list of files on the “ignore only” list, but you’ll likely need to add files to the “accept only” list such as *.tar, *.rar, *.avi, *.mpg and other filetypes you wish to be able to download. This is crucial for downloading, and it is likely we don’t need to explain this to you, but we will anyways:
Launch mIRC, go to TOOLS > OPTIONS. Click on the “DCC” link in the left menu to expand it, and select Ignore. Change the METHOD: dropdown box to “accept only” and enter in the types of files that you want to start accepting. Follow this format: [ *.tar ]
File types you may need include: *.bin, *.iso, *.idx, *.sub, *.tar, *.rar, *.avi, *.mpg, *.cue, *.flac, and more.
We aren’t going to discuss the various websites that offer searching of specific channels. They are self-explanitory and require no further input; see our list here of available sites that offer searching - it’s as far ar we’re going to delve into it. We figure that there will be enough “like-minded” networks and channels thrust at you just from searching the XDCC Search sites (listed below) based on your queries. Combine that with the use of some of the scripts below and you’ll be more than amply armored for in-depth searching.
IRC Search sites (for XDCC file sends).
Read our article about ‘IRC Search websites‘ - here’s a recap of the ones that offer “real-time” spidering of XDCC bots:
- — http://ircdig.com
- — www.xdccreport.com
- — http://xdccing.com
- — www.packetfind.com
- — www.searchxdcc.com
- — http://ezxdcc.com
- — www.packetnews.com
- — http://xdcc.it
- — www.ircamp.com
Don’t forget to incorporate our search tips on NFO websites to be sure you’re downloading the proper releases.
*Recommended* IRC Scripts
XDCC Browser
XDCC Catcher
XDCC Klipper
The XDCC protocol is the by far the best method for receiving files over IRC, so we’ve documented XDCC scripts exclusively. These IRC scripts assist in automating certain tasks such as downloading, searching, browsing files and other helpful XDCC bot-related addons for IRC. Note that we’ve tested each script for validity/functionality (Feb. 2008), thus all should be considered “working”. All scripts were tested through mIRC (version 6.31).
XDCC Catcher (Pro) 
XDCC Catcher Pro is simply an amazing script for finding anything on IRC. It is comparable to being able to view (and download) every single file that is shown on packetnews.com, instead of doing individual searching. ‘Catcher’ is its own IRC client, thus an external IRC program is not required. Further extensive info on this script can be found at the XDCC Catcher website at www.xdcccatcher.com.
We highly recommend the PRO version of XDCC Catcher. In our opinion, the script is useless as its “Basic” variety. You can either cough up the £10 for the PRO version from their website, or you find it on cracknews.com for free - do a “site search” for xdcc catcher as shown below - you’ll be looking to download the v2.3.0 version:
Installation of XDCC Catcher Pro (the ‘cracked’ version).
1. Download the ‘crack’ as stipulated above.
2. Visit the XDCC Catcher website and download the “Basic” version. Run ’setup.exe’ to install it.
3. After installation, browse to your “C:\Program Files\XDCC Catcher” directory. Next, Unrar “XDCC.Catcher.Pro.v2.3.0.Retail.Incl.Patch.and.Keymaker-ZWT.rar” to a temp folder, and then open “crack.rar”.
4. Copy contents from crack.rar (catcher.exe and Keygen.exe) to your “C:\Program Files\XDCC Catcher” directory, overwriting the ‘catcher.exe‘ file with the new one (select “YES” to replace).
5. Next, run Keygen.exe, enter a name (or leave it the same) and click generate.
6. Leave the keygen running and launch XDCC Catcher from your Start Menu > XDCC Catcher > XDCC Catcher Basic 2.0. Enter both fields in the popup window (see below).
Click OK, now fill out a username/real name/email address in XDCC Catcher - when it launches it will ask you if you’d like to upgrade to the latest version - DON’T DO THIS. Be vigilant because it crops up every single time you start mIRC.
You’ll now be prompted if you’d like to connect to networks in your list, select YES:
You can now click “get all channels” (fast) or manually enter a website path to a page that has XDCC/channel lists (typically an *.XML file). For this example, just click “get all channels”:
After XDCC Catcher has finished indexing packetnews.com, it will report that it has finished with an “all done!” notice. Click “add all links to XDCC Catcher” as shown below:
You’ll now notice the list of networks in the network list start to update in the left panel. NOTE: For our tests, XDCC Catcher wouldn’t connect to them right away (i.e. everything remained RED). To solve this, we had to close and restart both programs (XDCC Catcher AND SERVed LiTE). After restarting XDCC Catcher, we were presented with a new “autoconnect” window, in which you must click YES to. After that, the networks began to connect, as shown in the second screenshot below:
That’s it! Start downloading! Some of the key features are mapped out above. Note that the ’search’ launches your browser window (i.e. www.packetnews.com). Also note that XDCC Catcher supports importing of server databases (in *.XML format) through the SERVed LiTE program.
XDCC Browser v4.40
XDCC Browser is an excellent addition to the IRC script family. Searching is implemented by using the most current XDCC databases of 3 popular XDCC indexing sites: packetnews.com, searchxdcc.com and xdccing.com.
NOTES: XDCC Browser requires the latest version of mIRC (v6.31).
Installation and running of XDCC Browser.
Since this one is freeware, there’s no need to fiddle around with a ‘crack’ file.
1. Download the package from here.
2. You’ll need to extract the zip file (current file is “xdccb440_2138.zip”) into the root of your mIRC folder - i.e. “C:\Program Files\mirc”. See below:
3. Launch mIRC (you do not have to connect to a network). To start the script, enter this line into the mIRC command prompt:
/load -rs XDCCb.mrc
You may be prompted whether or not you wish to allow certain files from being downloaded into mIRC. Select YES.
4. You’ll be able to begin searching right away without connecting to any channels. Here’s some of the features (click to enlarge):
NOTE: If you run into any problems downloading (check your log files, or read the messages sent to you) this could be because some XDCC bots require the /ctcp get command and some require /msg. Check in the XDCC Browser Options - you can change the default from one to the other. Many bots are switching from /ctcp to /msg.
XDCC Klipper v4.5 
Tired of sitting there in your favorite IRC channel watching over all the scrolling XDCC server messages, and trying to read them all? Sick of having to wait for each XDCC bot to post their available files while you grow roots in your chair? Do you detest having to scroll up and down the open channel just to read what files are being offered by the bots? Hate having to type that command line (/ctcp xdcc send #2) over and over again to each XDCC bot?
Well, then XDCC Klipper is for you!
This script doesn’t incorporate any direct searching techniques, but it is a marvelous tool when used in your open IRC channels. XDCC Klipper lists all the files being hosted by the XDCC bots in your open channels, and displays them all in a separate window. You can request packs directly from the Klipper window, instead of having to type or paste command lines. Results can be sorted in every which way. Wonderful addon for mIRC!
Installation and running of XDCC Klipper.
1. Download it from here.
2. Extract “XDCC_4.5.ZIP” into your “C:\Program Files\mIRC” directory.
3. Launch mIRC, and in the command prompt, type:
/load -rs xdccklipper.mrc
Our Notes about paths: If you chose to extract the contents of the zip file directly into your \mIRC folder, the above /load path will work. If you decided to extract the folder from the ZIP file and just place the folder in your \mIRC directory (i.e. “C:\Program Files\mIRC\xdcc_4.5\” ), then the above path will not work. You’ll need to enter THIS command in the mIRC window instead:
/load -rs C:\Progra~1\mirc\xdcc_4.5\xdccklipper.mrc
This tip works for ALL scripts. Simply replace the “\xdcc_4.5\*.mrc” with the correct path of your NEW folder within \mIRC, and enter the name of the new script.
4. Now, connect to your favorite IRC channels. You can also use a different script to launch desired channels, or use a web-based XDCC search site to fire up channels, as well.
XDCC Klipper should be viewable as an icon under the mIRC menu icons:
Assuming that you’ve already connected to an IRC channel or two, XDCC Klipper should now begin to update the list of files hosted by the XDCC bots in the open channels. Note that this takes a little time to complete, so be patient. Here’s the Klipper window and some of it’s functions:
A very similar script to Klipper (but simpler, with less features) is called dccAssist v1.80. This is great for NoObs! Just extract the two files from the ZIP to your “C:\Program Files\mIRC” directory, and launch mIRC. At the prompt, enter this line:
/!load -rs1 dccAssist.mrc
Now, join a channel (or many) and wait for it to update the list of XDCC bots and files. It has a simple right-click menu with just a few necessary features:
IRC is a great tool for searching out the illicit. Due to its old-school style and difficult mastery, it has remained a favorite among serious filesharers throughout the piracy “scene”. IRC is very safe, as well (at least when it concerns your privacy). There are no *.torrents that you’re sharing with potential MPAA / RIAA goofs, no shared files/folders like with P2P programs (Limewire), no “cease and desist/takedown” letters to downloaders, and no lawsuits ever come out of using IRC. What other method of file sharing leads to such a blatant disregard for laws and a devil-may-care attitude? Well, there is another - Usenet and the newsgroups - which brings us to our next Search Tip #6.
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