ICQ connection error

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Recently users started to get an error (“Error: Unknown reason”) while attempting to connect to ICQ. This is being tracked in bug 582. This will occur using Instantbird 0.2 or 0.3a1pre nightly builds, if you are not seeing this error then the rest of this post can be disregarded.

Luckily there is an easy work around for now:

  1. Open the account manager (“Tools” > “Accounts”)
  2. Select your ICQ account and click “Properties”
  3. On the “Advanced Options” tab
    • change the “Server” to “login.icq.com”
    • deselect “Use SSL”
    • deselect “Use clientLogin”

Other third party instant messaging clients using one of the “old” login servers were also affected.

5 thoughts on “ICQ connection error”

  1. Thank you for advice. It was working well, but today it does not work again. Do you have some new information? Thanks a lot.

  2. @Lukas Vesely: Could you please verify that you have unchecked ‘Use clientLogin’? I exchanged emails yesterday with someone who was confused by the wording here; I’ve just edited the post to clarify it.

  4. Thank you! No more privacy! :) Is it possible to make option like Miranda’s “Validate SSL Certificates”?

  5. SSL certificates are validated by default when they are used. Using SSL without validating the certificate doesn’t offer any additionnal security (except maybe in extremely limited cases).