This guide explains how to install and configure ICQ 2000b for Retro AIM Server.
ICQ 2000b is the only version of ICQ currently supported by RAS.
Installation guides are available for the following operating systems:
Download ICQ 2000b from archive.org.
Run the ICQ installer.
Once installation is complete, you'll be greeted by an ICQ registration window. Do not complete the registration wizard. Close the window and move on to the post-installation steps.
<p align="center">
<img width="400" alt="screenshot of ICQ registration window" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/b5684b93-02b0-4314-adfa-16ea9826cf69">
</p>
You can run ICQ 2000b under Linux via WINE.
Download ICQ 2000b from archive.org.
Run and install WINE.
Start the ICQ installer under WINE from a terminal:
wine icq2000b.exe
Once installation is complete, you'll be greeted by an ICQ registration window. Do not complete the registration wizard. Close the window and move on to the post-installation steps.
<p align="center">
<img width="400" alt="screenshot of ICQ registration window" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/d9820dc6-c29b-4ff6-9dfe-5a6bcd9effc5">
</p>
Windows ICQ 2000b can run on modern macOS (including the Apple Silicon platform) without a VM using WineskinServer, a wrapper for WINE.
Install WineskinServer via homebrew:
brew install --cask --no-quarantine gcenx/wine/wineskin
Launch Wineskin Winery. Install the latest engine and create a new blank
wrapper for installing ICQ.
Generating the wrapper might take 1-2 minutes, and the application might not
respond during this time. Once complete, click View wrapper in Finder.
<img width="325" alt="screenshot of wineskin server" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/8d2ed477-f41c-4f00-90c2-d24c468b4aae">
Launch the wrapper from the Finder window. Select Install Software.
<img width="325" alt="screenshot of wineskin server" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/a2c0882c-230f-4034-9670-6f309ec1f628">
Select Choose Setup Executable and open the ICQ installer executable.
<img width="325" alt="screenshot of wineskin server" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/cf6aa78b-6bc0-4cfe-b750-bf2c763acdfb">
Complete the ICQ installation wizard.
Once installation is complete, you'll be greeted by an ICQ registration window. Do not complete the registration wizard. Close the window and move on to the post-installation steps.
<p align="center">
<img width="400" alt="screenshot of ICQ registration window" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/b5684b93-02b0-4314-adfa-16ea9826cf69">
</p>
In this step, we'll replace ICQ's default server hostname with your Retro AIM Server's hostname in the Windows Registry.
Do not attempt to set the ICQ hostname via the registration Window. If you do this, a bug will surface that prevents the client from "remembering" settings such as saved passwords and OSCAR hostname.
Open Registry Editor
R.regedit and click OK.wine regedit in a terminal.WineskinServer (macOS)
Run the following command, substituting icq2000b.app with the file name of your wrapper:
~/Applications/Wineskin/icq2000b.app/Contents/Wineskin.app/Contents/Resources/regedit
Open Default ICQ Settings
Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Mirabilis\ICQ\DefaultPrefs.
<img width="500" alt="screenshot of regedit" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/02b20e3a-769c-4c69-bbf5-395684d8f30f">
Configure OSCAR Host
Default Server Host registry entry.Value data to the hostname from OSCAR_ADVERTISED_LISTENERS_PLAIN found in Retro AIM Server
configuration config/settings.env. For example, if OSCAR_ADVERTISED_LISTENERS_PLAIN=LOCAL://127.0.0.1:5190, use
127.0.0.1. <img width="325" alt="screenshot editing Default Server Host in regedit" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/ebcf66fa-1841-41f7-986a-90b24dd0a94d">
Only change this value if your server does not listen on the default OSCAR ports.
- Double-click the `Default Server Port` registry entry.
- Tick the `Decimal` radio button.
- Set `Value data` to the port number from `OSCAR_ADVERTISED_LISTENERS_PLAIN` found in Retro AIM Server configuration
`config/settings.env`. For example, if `OSCAR_ADVERTISED_LISTENERS_PLAIN=LOCAL://127.0.0.1:5190`, use `5190`.
- Click OK.
<img width="325" alt="screenshot editing Default Server Port in regedit" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/11a3efff-40f1-4f1d-b88a-9c78fddb9c3d">
Client configuration is complete. Close the Registry Editor.
Start ICQ and complete the first-time registration wizard. Start by selecting Existing User.
Do not try to create a new user in the registration wizard. To create a new user in Retro AIM Server, follow account creation steps in the server quickstart guides.
<img width="400" alt="screenshot of ICQ registration wizard" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/48c666a8-04c8-4b48-a86a-fc52e8a9af41">
Enter ICQ user credentials. If you're running RAS with the default settings, you can enter any UIN and password. Click next on the remaining screens until the wizard is finished.
You should now be able to connect to Retro AIM Server using ICQ 2000b.