Skip to main content

ICQ startup problem (no connection)- SOLUTION!!

Posted August 2002 by Steve Sinchak

It seems lots of people are having problems with ICQ and WinXP not finding a network/internet connection upon XP startup (especially those on DSL modems like myself, or those with LAN/T1's, etc.)

The Problem is that when XP loads, ICQ pops up and says "no connection detected". This occurs despite the fact that 'Net Detect Agent' and 'automatically connect to internet when no connection present' are checked. The previous solution was to move Net Detect Agent *out* of the Startup folder, put a shortcut on the Desktop, and use that when you wanted to connect.

Here's how to do it (am using WinXP Pro):

  1. Go to the Group Policy Editor (Run->"gpedit.msc")

  2. Under 'User Configuration', click "Administartive Templates"

  3. Click 'System'-> 'Logon'

  4. In the window on the right, double-click on "Run these programs at user logon"

  5. Make sure 'Enabled' is checked, then click 'Show'

  6. You'll now want to add ICQ's Net Agent Detect to the list (which is probably empty unless you've already been in here). To do this, first locate on your HD the exact location of 'NDetect.exe'.
    Example: C:\Internet\ICQ\NDetect.exe
    Click 'Add', then type the filename & path of the above file

  7. Click 'OK', 'OK', and 'OK' again to exit.

The next few steps are important:

  1. Now make sure that there are NO traces of ICQ or Net Detect Agent in your Programs->Startup folder. If there are, delete them from Startup.

  2. Start up ICQ, and go to 'Connections'(Main->Preferences->Connections->General tab). Under 'Launch' make sure 'Launch ICQ at startup' is NOT checked.

  3. Click 'OK'. Disconnect from Internet if connected.
    REBOOT.

If everything goes properly, you should now see the Net Detect Agent appear in the system tray as WinXP starts up the desktop. When you connect to the Net, it magically disappears.. to be replaced with the ICQ 'flower' which will shortly find a connection and voila! Problem solved!

Related Posts


If you own a Google Chromecast streaming device, you can easily share a browser tab in Chrome browser or even your entire desktop.  This can be very useful when presenting from your laptop or if you just want to watch something on a big screen that is only on your PC.  The only requirement is you must be on the same network as your Chromecast...

Read More

If you are a fan of minimalist desktop experiences, hiding the desktop icons are an easy way to clean up the Windows interface.  Instead of saving everything to your desktop, use the default profile folders such as downloads and documents.  Actually hiding all the icons on your desktop is a very simple customization hidden in the right-click context menu.  Just right-click on the desktop, select View...

Read More

Google security researchers have published details about a major security flaw found in the SSL protocol that is used to encrypt data transferred between your browser and a web server. SSL is typically used in situations where logon credentials are validated...

Read More

Enabling two-factor authentication is a great way to add an additional level of protection to your Microsoft account.  Even if your password is stolen, your account is still protected because two-factor authetication requires an additional level of verification to log in. Microsoft calls their version of two-factor authentication "two-step verification" and it works by providing you with a random code...

Read More