Anthony Ragusea
Level 1 (9 points)
Mac OS X

Q: iChat after Lion--Messaging Agent keeps wanting password

So since I upgraded, on my MacBook and iMac, whenever I startup iChat it presents me with a password request, saying "Messaging Agent wants password".  It looks like Keychain is wanting access, but isn't giving me any options as far as "Always Remember"  or whatever, so it isn't remembering the password.  It asks me every time I quit and restart the app.  Granted it's not a huge problem, but it is annoying and I'm not finding anyone else to have this problem, so it may just be me.  I can't think of a way to fix this, can anyone else?  Thanks. 

iMac Intel 2.66 Core Duo, Mac OS X (10.7)

Posted on Aug 7, 2011 6:41 PM

by paige.findley,Solvedanswer
paige.findley paige.findley
Level 1 (10 points)
A:

good news: found the following solution

 

Navigate to ‘/Users//Library/Preferences’ and delete all com.apple.iChat* files. You must then log out for the fix to work and re-setup iChat the next time you log in. I’m pleased to report this solution does work and I can now open and close iChat without having to reenter my passwords each time it starts up.

the above solution is from http://www.selikoff.net/2011/07/20/apple-os-x-lion-review/

thanks to Scott Selikoff

Posted on Aug 8, 2011 8:06 AM

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Anthony Ragusea

Q: iChat after Lion--Messaging Agent keeps wanting password

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  • by paige.findley,

    paige.findley paige.findley Aug 8, 2011 8:00 AM in response to Anthony Ragusea
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Aug 8, 2011 8:00 AM in response to Anthony Ragusea

    Same here: unfortunately, i've no solution to suggest.

    Next update maybe?

  • by paige.findley,Solvedanswer

    paige.findley paige.findley Aug 8, 2011 8:06 AM in response to Anthony Ragusea
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Aug 8, 2011 8:06 AM in response to Anthony Ragusea

    good news: found the following solution

     

    Navigate to ‘/Users//Library/Preferences’ and delete all com.apple.iChat* files. You must then log out for the fix to work and re-setup iChat the next time you log in. I’m pleased to report this solution does work and I can now open and close iChat without having to reenter my passwords each time it starts up.

    the above solution is from http://www.selikoff.net/2011/07/20/apple-os-x-lion-review/

    thanks to Scott Selikoff

  • by Anthony Ragusea,

    Anthony Ragusea Anthony Ragusea Aug 11, 2011 8:37 AM in response to paige.findley
    Level 1 (9 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 11, 2011 8:37 AM in response to paige.findley

    Scott, I thought you had hit the nail on the head, because your fix did initially work for me, but the NEXT time I restarted my computer, the exact same problem returned on both my laptop and desktop.  Did that happen to you too? 

     

    Tony

  • by paige.findley,

    paige.findley paige.findley Aug 12, 2011 9:52 AM in response to Anthony Ragusea
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Aug 12, 2011 9:52 AM in response to Anthony Ragusea

    Anthony, paige here. Scott's article was a c/p of mine. All the same...

     

    I haven't had the problem reoccur, however, the fact that you did makes me wonder if it could have something to do with MobileMe push settings. Do you happen to have a MM account?

     

    If so, perhaps MM is pushing the corrupted iChat preferences/keychain settings from one system to the other that you previously fixed according to the aformentioned instructions?

     

    Just a shot in the dark. I run into this sort of thing on ocassions.

  • by Anthony Ragusea,

    Anthony Ragusea Anthony Ragusea Aug 12, 2011 2:53 PM in response to paige.findley
    Level 1 (9 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 12, 2011 2:53 PM in response to paige.findley

    Unfortunately, no, I don't have MM.  I agree, seems like something's pushing a file corruption, but beats me what it is.  I'll post it to Apple's feedback site.

  • by Nico Rohrbach,

    Nico Rohrbach Nico Rohrbach Aug 22, 2011 11:12 PM in response to paige.findley
    Level 2 (170 points)
    Aug 22, 2011 11:12 PM in response to paige.findley

    Same for me here.

     

    Deleted all the iChat preferences and all keys (in the Keychain) related to my iChat Accounts. For a short while everything was fine until iChat again started asking for passwords.

     

    I'm now on 10.7.1 which didn't fix this bug.

  • by Ralph Johns (UK),

    Ralph Johns (UK) Ralph Johns (UK) Aug 23, 2011 1:29 PM in response to Nico Rohrbach
    Level 9 (73,348 points)
    Applications
    Aug 23, 2011 1:29 PM in response to Nico Rohrbach

    Hi,

     

    I would check the Ownership of th Keychain  and the Permission you have for it (It should be Read an Write)

     

    Example pic (File Not Keychain)

    Picture 8

     

    I would also check that you have Permission to Write to the com.apple.ichat*.plist items

     


    9:27 PM      Tuesday; August 23, 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

  • by Nico Rohrbach,

    Nico Rohrbach Nico Rohrbach Aug 24, 2011 12:21 AM in response to Ralph Johns (UK)
    Level 2 (170 points)
    Aug 24, 2011 12:21 AM in response to Ralph Johns (UK)

    I have the correct permissions and I have run Keychain First Aid. But I don't believe the problem is with the keychain anyway. I have many keys in there and no other app had ever a problem with it.

  • by Ralph Johns (UK),

    Ralph Johns (UK) Ralph Johns (UK) Aug 24, 2011 12:38 PM in response to Nico Rohrbach
    Level 9 (73,348 points)
    Applications
    Aug 24, 2011 12:38 PM in response to Nico Rohrbach

    Hi,

     

    If you open the info panel for the key(s) for iChat Accounts/Screen Names is the Access tab info blocking iChat from using it ?

    AIM: ralphjohnsr

     

     


    8:38 PM      Wednesday; August 24, 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

  • by Anthony Ragusea,

    Anthony Ragusea Anthony Ragusea Aug 24, 2011 6:35 PM in response to Ralph Johns (UK)
    Level 1 (9 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 24, 2011 6:35 PM in response to Ralph Johns (UK)

    This was a clever idea, but again didn't work for me.  I changed the settings for the "AIM" account, but no difference. 

  • by Ralph Johns (UK),

    Ralph Johns (UK) Ralph Johns (UK) Aug 25, 2011 12:27 PM in response to Anthony Ragusea
    Level 9 (73,348 points)
    Applications
    Aug 25, 2011 12:27 PM in response to Anthony Ragusea

    Hi,

     

    Have you checked the .plists you deleted have been recreated ?

     

    If they have been I would check Ownership and read And Write permission to those.

    If they have not been recreated I would check that you have  Read and Write Permissions on both the Home Folder and the Library with in it

     


    8:27 PM      Thursday; August 25, 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

  • by Anthony Ragusea,

    Anthony Ragusea Anthony Ragusea Aug 25, 2011 6:45 PM in response to Ralph Johns (UK)
    Level 1 (9 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 25, 2011 6:45 PM in response to Ralph Johns (UK)

    I for one did delete the plists, but checking them confirmed the correct permissions.  It's a problem that restarts every time I restart the computer, and I just can't figure out where it's coming from.  One of many bugs of Lion, seems to me, now just hoping for a miraculous fix from a software update. 

  • by Ralph Johns (UK),

    Ralph Johns (UK) Ralph Johns (UK) Aug 26, 2011 1:11 PM in response to Anthony Ragusea
    Level 9 (73,348 points)
    Applications
    Aug 26, 2011 1:11 PM in response to Anthony Ragusea

    Hi,

     

    Go to the System Preferences > General Pane

    Deselect the item that tells apps to remember open windows on Relaunch.

     

    Also restart the computer and do not select the similar option there.

     

     


    9:11 PM      Friday; August 26, 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

  • by Ralph Johns (UK),

    Ralph Johns (UK) Ralph Johns (UK) Aug 26, 2011 2:00 PM in response to Anthony Ragusea
    Level 9 (73,348 points)
    Applications
    Aug 26, 2011 2:00 PM in response to Anthony Ragusea

    Hi,

     

    I have some information from an iChat 6 Buddy of mine.

     

    His action is not to Enter any Passwords when this Pops up but to use the Cancel button.

    If he then clicks to log in again and it works without asking for the Passwords.

     

    On another note he rarley resorts to deleting any .plist to fix any issue he may have.

    Howveer he has noted that in Lion in his /Users/(Shortname)/Library/Preferences  (Home Folder/Library/...) he has several tens of .plists for iChat.  (Many repeating the names)

    He has Property List Editor (Part of the additional apps the Developer Tools install adds to you computer) which should open the .plists.

    At this point some are identified as Aliases by Property List Editor - but there is no marking on the icon that they are Aliases.

     

    He also notes that the com.apple.ichat.Yahoo.plist seems to have been created even though he has not set up an Yahoo Account  (And I can't remember if iChat 3 set up a Jabber one when that was added).

     

    At this point I am not sure what this may tell us (Other than my Buddy uses his computers differently to me) but the info may spread some light on the subject.

     

     


    10:00 PM      Friday; August 26, 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

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