Way to remove Ads in ICQ2001 Alpha?

NakaNaka

Diamond Member
Aug 29, 2000
6,304
1
0
I'm running ICQ2001 Alpha and I cannot stand the ads. If there is no way to remove them I will just go back to ICQ 99b.

So does anyone know how to remove the ads in 2001??

 

NakaNaka

Diamond Member
Aug 29, 2000
6,304
1
0
I was using 99b but it caused me some problems in XP ....

When menus popped up they would pop behind the ICQ box, was very annoying.
 

ZeroBurn

Platinum Member
Jul 29, 2000
2,892
0
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after checking the ICQ End User License Agreement, I believe that as long as ICQ is freeware and still in beta, it is ok to edit the code on your computer, as long as you don't sell it. Here's the section that deals with decompiling the code:

You agree not to (1) extract information from the ICQ Services and Information as defined below, reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, alter, duplicate, make copies, create derivative works from, distribute or provide others with the ICQ software, the ICQ communications protocol or any information available on, derived or extracted from the ICQ Services and Information as defined below, or any part thereof; (2) connect, use, attempt to connect or use in any way the ICQ Services and Information, as defined below, for any commercial purpose and any other purpose that is not for your private personal use in good faith and as explicitly offered on the ICQ Web site. Additionally, you may not use this Software on more than one computer.


I interpret that as long as you don't extract any information from the code, you're good. But the mods should determine if this is acceptable, and if not, lock it down. And if you do do this, and it does violate the EULA, then you're a bad bad man. Just for the record, I use AIM, and rarely only use ICQ, if i do it's 99b.

If you're still with me, and you feel it's acceptable, on with the show:

Make sure ICQ is not Running.

1. Download Reshack

2. Look for Auto Update in your registry and set it to "No".
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Mirabilis\ICQ\DefaultPrefs

3. Delete from your ICQ dir: icqateima32.dll, icqateimg32.dll, icqateres.dll

4. Use Reshack to open ICQCore.dll

5. Open each each numbered folder, dialog boxes should be: 2503, 2507, 2512, 2513, 2514, 2543, 2560, 2566

6. Click the banner box (dark grey) and it will highlight the control for that box, change the last 2 numbers in that control to 0, 0
Example:
CONTROL "", 1070, "{9F9012BA-E55B-11D3-ADE7-0090270D8F00}", 0x50000000,
1, 158, 260, 38

Change to:
CONTROL "", 1070, "{9F9012BA-E55B-11D3-ADE7-0090270D8F00}", 0x50000000,
1, 158, 0, 0

7. Edit the main dialog box size coordinates (at the top of the script) to Ad Box Y Coordinate +1.
Example:
Take the 158 from above, and add +1, so it becomes 159. Thus it becomes:

original: 2503 DIALOGEX 0, 0, 262, 196
new: 2503 DIALOGEX 0, 0, 262, 159

Last four digits are X, Y positions, followed by X, Y sizes

8. Compile the script

9. Repete for all dialogs with banner ads then save the file. Don't forget to have a backup...

10. Close ICQ

11. Go to the /partner/ dir in ICQ. Look for "partner.xml file" (don't forget to make sure you unhide the "known file types extensions" in your folder options). Back up the file, create a new txt file with the same name "partner.xml" and make it blank, than read only as an attribute.

12. Start ICQ, grab yourself a cookie. You deserved it.
 

KrAzYoNe777

Junior Member
Oct 16, 2001
18
0
0
YEAH!!! What he said.... i was looking it up really.... but it crashed to hell on my 133Mhz Pentium... its SLOW.... ;) Think I'll stick with 2000b with the ad refresh neutered. :D
 

Praetor

Diamond Member
Oct 14, 1999
4,498
4
81
There are a few threads over in the Software forum discussing this particular issue. I've posted what links I've found in some of those threads.

The above summary does a good job of getting most of 'em, though there are a bunch more of the stupid buggers hiding throughout the various .dlls. It's a fun bughunt. :)