iChat died

[gamestriker]

So after installing Security Update 007-1, I tried to open iChat like I usually do every morning, but something weird happened; within the span of about 5 seconds, iChat opened, connected, then closed again. No crash message, no weird errors, nothing abnormal.

I tried a logout/login, restart, and repairing disk permissions, but none of these have worked. Has anyone else had this problem and does anyone have a solution for it?

I appreciate the help.

 

[mkrishnan]

1) Spotlight a file called: iChatAgent.crash.log and see what it says about why iChat crashed.

2) Spotlight a file called com.apple.iChatAgent.plist -- open the containing directory, drag this file to your desktop, and then launch iChat. If alles ist gutte, then trash the file.

 

[Josh396]

I've been having the same problem with another problem added on, I'm not able to join any audio or video chats either. I have a new 20 inch G5 iMac and had no problems joining them before the update was installed. I thought the problem was being on the network here at school and that was somehow preventing it but my cousin has had similar problems but he had it working at college before it started acting up.

Any help would be great. I was just getting ready to call Apple support and I still will but any help would be great.

 

[DJY]

I have noticed problems with iChat as well.
Easiest thing I have done is added Activity Monitor to my dock.
When I open iChat - I also open Activity Monitor... and always see the iChatAgent is not responding.

I do a Force Quit - which will disconnect iChat - then just reconnect it - and all works fine.

 

[mkrishnan]

I have noticed problems with iChat as well.
Easiest thing I have done is added Activity Monitor to my dock.
When I open iChat - I also open Activity Monitor... and always see the iChatAgent is not responding.

I think that deleting the plist I mentioned above should be a long term fix to this, unless you have another specific program that doesn't play nice with the iChatAgent.

 

[DJY]

1) Spotlight a file called: iChatAgent.crash.log and see what it says about why iChat crashed.

No file found by Spotlight

2) Spotlight a file called com.apple.iChatAgent.plist -- open the containing directory, drag this file to your desktop, and then launch iChat. If alles ist gutte, then trash the file.

Voila! Mate thanks! I wasn't sure whether to do this when I read your post the first time. I moved iChatAgent.plis file to my desktop and then opened iChat and kept the Activity Monitor open... it connected... I then quit iChat - and re opened it and it seems that iChatAgent now doesn't have the same "Not Responding" problem!

that plist file is now in my Trash. Have quit and opened iChat a couple of times and it looks like it must have been a problem with the plist file.
thanks!

 

[mkrishnan]

that plist file is now in my Trash. Have quit and opened iChat a couple of times and it looks like it must have been a problem with the plist file.

Glad it worked.

The .plist file is a sort of preferences file for the iChatAgent -- I believe, in an XML derivative format. OS X has a history of problems with these files occasionally becoming corrupted. When you delete them, for almost any well-behaved OS X program, what happens is that the preferences are lost and it creates a new one when it starts over. In this case, the application doesn't have any preferences, so it's harmless to delete it. But the drag to the desktop part is in there just in case it seriously messes up your system.

 

[DJY]

Seems that my iChatAgent not responding problem is back...
Opened the Activity Monitor last night out of curiousity... and noticed it was there in red again.
Same again tonight!???!

sigh

Maybe 10.4.3 will fix whatever the problem is.

 

[ITASOR]

I think everyone's iChat Agent is always on not responding, however iChat for myself and others works perfect (well, not with video still sometimes).

 

[admanimal]

I think everyone's iChat Agent is always on not responding, however iChat for myself and others works perfect (well, not with video still sometimes).

Yeah, my iChat Agent is always not responding, but my iChat works fine.

 

[_bnkr612]

iChat sucks. Go Adium X.

 

[grumps2u]

iChat Agent

Throwing out the iChat Agent .plist makes my picture disappear from beside my user name. When I add a picture here and close iChat a .plist is created and iChat Agent not responding message is back in Activity Monitor but iCaht continues to work fine.

Richard

 

[mkrishnan]

Throwing out the iChat Agent .plist makes my picture disappear from beside my user name. When I add a picture here and close iChat a .plist is created and iChat Agent not responding message is back in Activity Monitor but iCaht continues to work fine.

Richard

Are you deleting the plist file while iChat is running or while it is not running? With regard to any advice to delete plist files, you should almost always find yourself doing the latter.