Why do I get error Bad Username

If you have been directed to this page when trying to connect to DareNET, then chances are you're also receiving the following error message: USER: Bad username. You're NOT banned! This is in reference to the User ID (sometimes known as username or ident) that is between ! and @ in your hostmask (i.e. nick!user@host).

All User ID's must comply with a few specific rules, which are shown below:

Change your User ID to comply with the above rules, and try reconnecting!
 * 1) Only one '-', '_' or '.' is allowed. Two are allowed, if not consecutive, but not as the first or last character.
 * 2) No other special characters are allowed.
 * 3) Must contain at least one letter.
 * 4) If using upper and lower case letters, the first letter must be upper case, and may contain one other upper case letter anywhere.
 * 5) A third upper case letter may be used if all three appear at the beginning (only separated by '-', '_' or '.')

mIRC users
To change your User ID, follow these steps:


 * Go to Options (hit Alt+O) > Email Address (your User ID is the part before the @)
 * Go to Options (hit Alt+O) > Select Connect > Select Ident (enter your User ID)
 * Press OK. You should now be good to go!