iChat just stopped working in Lion after loosing internet connection

Hi,

The Buddy List can be "Hidden"

When iChat is closed (Quit) and the Buddy list window has had the red button pressed it will remember that the next time.

First of All check that the account is Active

Two places you can do this

1) iChat Menu > Accounts (Logged in accounts should have ticks next to them)

2) iChat Menu > Preferences > Accounts > Account info tab In here the Use this Account box should be Ticked

From there any Logged in account should show in the Window Menu as well.

In the Window Menu should be a Keystroke listing for Bring the Buddy List back in to view

(if in the General Section in iChat 6 you have not Linked the Buddy Lists into one window there should be as many keystrokes listed as you have Logged in Accounts)

You can also Click and Hold the iChat Icon in the DOCK and then select the account you want to see

(This only brings the Buddy list Buddy back for this time only and it will Remember the setting at the launch time fro the next launch)

I have never seen this Orphaned message before but most likely this is a way of describing a Screen Name where the proper Status cannot be ascertained properly.

NOTE.

In Lion there is also a new setting in System Preferences > General pane that is fairly low down that is about starting any App and remembering which windows were Open.

9:56 PM Wednesday; August 3, 2011

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb( 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

i am having part of the same issue. i show i am "Available" on iChat on my end, but i do not show up on other people's ichat.

so yesterday i installed iMessages to see if that would fix the problem. it removed iChat so now i have iMessages and the issue remains. btw, i am also using lion.

any ideas? i am guessing it's a preference that's not right but i am not sure which to take out.

andy

Hi,

You will need to Access ~/Library/Preferences (Normally in th FInder's GFo Menu whilst holding down the ALT key to access the Library)

If the Login is Google, Jabber or Facebook then delete the com.apple.ichat.Jabber.plist (yes, Messages still uses this)

IF an AIM Login (AIM, @mac.com or @me.com fromMobileMe or iCloud) then delete the com.apple.ichat.AIM.plist one.

There is one for the Yahoo Accounts as well.

8:12 PM Tuesday; March 6, 2012

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Lion 10.7.3)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

thanks ralph but that didn't work. i restarted iMessages and still not showing up.

i sign in with AIM so i deleted that plist. i guess i could delete the jabber and one as well but that shouldn't really do much.

any other thoughts?

btw, i really appreciate your responding. thank you very much.

andy

Hi,

Can you Post the "Orphaned" message you see ?

8:39 PM Tuesday; March 6, 2012

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Lion 10.7.3)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

well, "joseph" from apple did some magic and i am showing online. here's the steps he took:

he had me change some stuff in iMessages, which didn't do the trick. then we did this:

1. shut down the computer

2. turn on the computer BUT immediately press the following keys simultaneously: P/R/Option/Command (reset memory). i did it before any screen came up. the computer will re-shut down for a couple seconds and then start up again. once it starts again, you can let go of the 4 keys.

3. once booted up, open iChat (or iMessages in my case)

4. go Invisible

5. go Available

and whatever that did, it fixed the problem. at least for now.

andy

HI,

So PRAM reset.

This used to be a "Hold all 4 keys until the third Start Up Bong"

I even have boiler plate for it.

I would also try a PRAM reset.

Shut down the computer.

Restart it holding down Apple/CMD ( or ⌘)+ALT( ⌥)+P+R Keys until you have heard three Start Up Bongs.

I taske it this was a wired Keyboard ?

I would not have thought to use it here (at this symptom point as it were)

Glad to hear you are working.

10:43 PM Tuesday; March 6, 2012

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Lion 10.7.3)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

pretty funny. i guess it's not so uncommon to do the PRAM thing. i have never done it.

but the keyboard is actually wireless, fyi.

and again, thanks for all your interest.

andy

Humm.

I had tried it once on my wireless keyboard on my iMac but I did not get it to work (Must have mistimed it)

Thanks for the Info.

10:56 PM Tuesday; March 6, 2012

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Lion 10.7.3)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

This worked well for me -- thanks much, Ralph!

HI,

Actually it's Andy's Own Answer having spoken to a Apple guy (Sounds Like AppleCare as "Joseph" had him Do some things ).

8:17 PM Saturday; March 24, 2012

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Lion 10.7.3)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

Well Folks I've figured out my issue. After stopping "imagent" with activity monitor, trashing the prefs, installing message, uninstalling message, doing permission repairs, rebooting, resetting the PRAM, ALL TO NO AVAIL.... I was still invisible to all my friends, although I could see them in ichat.

Last night I signed into AIM on my ipad---just as a test to see if people could see me when signed in on it. Well, guess what? The iPad AIM was set to "invisible" as soon as I changed it, everyone could see me. I signed back into messages on my computer and voila, all is back to normal.

I'm not sure why being set to invisible on my ipad would make a difference, especially when I was not using it there. Don't know if this will help anyone or not, but hopefully....

Hi,

If this was a web browser login then the default login period if you do not specifically Log out is two weeks.

Then it is about Priority about which Login takes precedence.

10:34 PM Tuesday; March 27, 2012

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Lion 10.7.3)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

Yes, I understand this. However, I have not used chat on my ipad. I downloaded it a long time ago and might have used it a couple times. Not in the last month. And, it's weird because the ichat app on the ipad (not using browser for either ipad or mac. Use the ichat app. ) was closed, as in, not active.

Thanks for the reminder about default log-in.

Hi DonnaP,

In the iChat Preferences (And Messages) in the general section is an itme about Loguiing Off Line on Quitting iChat.

Mostly this is about Off Line IMs (iChat will start up if not launched and your get one - presuming you have allowed them).

However it will preserve the last login Status and Status message.

I don't have an iPad and other than the Messages app in iOS 5 I am not sure what you are using (iChat is Mac Only), however it is likely it has a similar setting (or a similar action even you you can't change it)

10:50 PM Tuesday; March 27, 2012

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Lion 10.7.3)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously