Q: cant log in to iMessage

Hi,

Quit Messages

Open the Activity Monitor in Applications/Utilities

Find the imagent item.  (it will be in lower case and have not icon)

Highlight and use the Quit Option top left.

Confirm Force Quit.  (You may see it restart)

Restart Messages.

9:07 PM      Sunday; August 25, 2013

  iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mountain Lion 10.8.4)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
 Couple of iPhones and an iPad

"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

Hi Ralph. I have the same problem. Have used Messages for months and months and suddenly today "the registering device does not have appropriate credentials". I tried your solution and no luck. I also downloaded from the App Store to make sure my apple ID and password are OK and they do work fine.  Also Messages works fine on my phone. Is my "registering device" my Mac? Is there a way I can refresh my credentials?

--Richard

HI,

At the OS X 10.8.2 update Apple started using the Mac's Serial number as part of the Authorisation process.

This means that the Mac has to have a Serial Number flashed to the memory on the Mother/logic board.

In some cases where the logic board has been replaced for a Refurbishment or Repair it seems the number gets forgotten.

It can only be "Flashed" to the memory by an Apple Store or  Apple Authorised Service Provider.

It seems that if you never logged out from before OS X 10.8.2 your Mac could still connect (I only have one references to this behaviour and I am sure subsequent updates require a restart).

There are several similar messages from Messages about the Registration process.

These involve other files that need checking on your Mac.

7:59 pm      Sunday; September 15, 2013

  iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mountain Lion 10.8.4)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
 Couple of iPhones and an iPad

"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

Thanks Ralph. It turns out that a restart of my Mac fixed the issue for me. (Log out/in didn't).

--Richard

Thanks for letting me know.

7:31 pm      Monday; September 16, 2013

  iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mountain Lion 10.8.4)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
 Couple of iPhones and an iPad

"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

I started having this problem out of the blue and restaring imagent worked like a charm. thanks!

Again, thanks for the info.

7:19 pm      Wednesday; September 18, 2013

  iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mountain Lion 10.8.4)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
 Couple of iPhones and an iPad

"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

Ralph,

Huge thanks are to be extended as your suggestion on the fix worked like a charm for me.

Best,

His Nibs

You're Welcome.

7:15 pm      Friday; September 20, 2013

  iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mountain Lion 10.8.4)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
 Couple of iPhones and an iPad

"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

Finally... an intelligent answer.  Thanks Ralph.  I've seen other responses that included STEP 12 - Reinstall Mac OS X.  really?  *** people.  haha.  Thanks for being smart.  I knew it couldn't be that hard.

Regards,

Rhino

Hi,

You must have read one of Linc Davis' posts.

His list used to be shorter  and has gotten longer as more certain "Fixes" have made themselves known.

As you have found it does not contain everything.

However there are some issues that present in very similar ways.

The standard things of trying the app in another Mac user account are always sensible.

It is number 2 in this Trouble Shooting iSight  Document that was last updated in January 2012.

That same document also lists the SMC/PMU reset.

Most of us posting on these Forums has such lists that we work to whether we publish the whole list at once or not.

Up until Mac OS X 10.7 you could reinstall iChat from the Install Disks which saved the complete Reinsatll you have to use now.

Thanks for the comments.

Glad to hear that this thread was helpful to you.

8:17 pm      Saturday; November 30, 2013

  iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mavericks 10.9)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
 Couple of iPhones and an iPad

Did not work.  This is like trying to catch a grasshopper.  I highlighted, hit quit, then force quit, immanent was gone momentarily, I opened messenger and it seemed to work momentarily, then the problem reoccurred.

Hi,

Try it this way.

Ensure the iMessages app is disabled in the Messages App and in the Preferences > General Section the items that reads "When I Quit, set the Status to Off line" is ticked.  This last part only effects Accounts in Messages that have Buddy Lists (not the iMessages one which needs turning off separately.

Quit the App so this takes effect.

Then in FaceTime (it also uses IMAgent) set that to be Off in it's Preferences, Quit the app.

Then in ~/Library/Preferences find and move to the Trash the com.apple.imagent.plist

To access the ~/Library use a the Finder > Go Menu whilst holding down the ALT/Option key and selecting the Library, then navigate to Preferences.

Then Quit the imagent app in the Activity Monitor.

The item should not, in this case, reappear at the top of the list as the two apps that us it should be turned Off.

Then Restart the Mac.

8:42 pm      Saturday; February 28, 2015

It worked! Thanks for your help!