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ichat screen all white when screen sharing

My boss and I use this nearly everyday...

Today all he can see is WHITE

Anything to do with Mountain Lion?

What do we do?

iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Jul 26, 2012 8:10 AM

Reply
111 replies

Jul 27, 2012 4:33 AM in response to Theotis

Hi,


I have tried Messages to iChat 5 and iChat 4 in Screen Sharing and it did work (I did have to persevere with several attempts before it seemed to "remember" that it worked before.


I would check the Video Menu at both ends to make sure the Share Screen Or Screen Sharing Enabled items are "on" ticked)


I have not heard of or experienced a "white Screen" like this.





User uploaded file
12:33 PM Friday; July 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 10.7.2)
 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

Jul 31, 2012 12:36 AM in response to Ralph-Johns-UK

Actually, it just happened between me and a client. We use iChat screensharing all the time, but tonight all I could see was a white screen when I tried to view hers. She saw mine for a few minutes, then nothgins. I just ran the update today for Safari and the iWork suite. I don't know if she did. Could it be something there?


We're both running the latest version of Lion; haven't upgraded to Mountain Lion yet.

Jul 31, 2012 12:26 PM in response to Shannon Weiss

Hi,


Lion to Mountain Lion

User uploaded file
Uploaded with Skitch!



I cannot replicate this at the moment.


I would try iChat (Or Messages) Menu > Preferences > Video section and trying the Bandwidth Limit at 500kbps

This is fast enough for a 4 way Video chat with you as Host and much more then the Min 128kbps for Screen Sharing - however it may stop issue with speed variances from your iSP or when there are vast differences between you and your Buddy.



User uploaded file
8:26 PM Tuesday; July 31, 2012

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


 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Lion 10.7.2)
 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

Jul 31, 2012 2:58 PM in response to Ralph-Johns-UK

Thanks for the response and suggestion, Ralph. I'll try it next time we connect, but honestly, I don't think this is the problem. We've used iChat for years.


Both of us have high speed broadband connections. We both restarted in case it was a question of system resources. In fact, we had a chat Sunday night with no problems at all. I see exactly what dandelo sees. Completely white screen with the window depicting my own screen intact. No menu bar. No icons, No dock. No nothing.


Could it have anything to do with yesterday's Software Update? I don't remember seeing anything that would affect iChat. I did upgrade Safari, as I mentioned (much to my dismay).


Anyway, thanks again, Ralph.

Jul 31, 2012 3:15 PM in response to Shannon Weiss

Hi,


Strangely I am not seeing an update being offered.


Having been with iChat since version 2 (the so called iChatAV) I have seen some very odd things at times particularly at Upgrade time when new versions are about.


I don't use Safari every day but mine is at Version 6 The App Store is still saying no update. (Actually I can't see Safari as an App that is listed).


Speed on connections change all the time

People get upgrades because they pay for them. Others get them as the service gets updated anyway.


I am not aware yet that the Mountain Lion Screen Sharing takes any less or more speed that the iChat versions did (Around 128kbps min)


I would open th Connection Doctor during a Video chat (From the Video menu) and then convert it to a Screen Share and see what speeds and Frame rates are shown

Screen Sharing is regarded as a Audio Chat+, the Plus bit being the VNC connection that does the desktop feed.







User uploaded file
11:14 PM Tuesday; July 31, 2012

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


 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Lion 10.7.2)
 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

Aug 2, 2012 12:44 PM in response to Theotis

I have exactly the same problem on my iMac.


I'm using iChat everyday and sometime I'm sharing my screen. Last weekend it was still working well but 2 days ago when I shared my screen with my brother he just got a white screen. I first thought that there was a problem in the connection.

Yesterday we tried few times and it was the same. I can share his screen, this works but when I share mine he has nothing.

I then tried with a friend to see if it was the same and it was.


I took my Macbook Pro and tried. It works very well. Same WLAN at my home.


Like I have 2 different accounts on iChat, one for each computer, I tried today to share my iMac screen with my Macbook. It doesn't work, on the Macbook I have a white screen. But if I share my Macbook screen with the iMac it works well.


I've spent all the day to try different setting but nothing is changing. I don't remember having updated the iMac.


I forgot to say that the iMac and the Macbook have both Lion.


What can be wrong?

Aug 2, 2012 1:33 PM in response to Theotis

Like Davyx, both i and my client are still using Lion, so it's not a Mountain Lion thing. I've been using iChat since its frist release; AOL before that. Still, I'm completely stumped.


The update I mentioned happend on July 30 for me and included Safari 6 as well as iPhoto, iMovie, and the iWork suite. There was a Remote Desktop Update as well. Could that be the culprit? It's logical that it would have something to do with it. If that's it, how do I get back to the one before it? This is really a creditical issue for those of us who depend on iChat for remote support.

Aug 2, 2012 1:40 PM in response to Theotis

You're right Shannon, my Safari updated too. Last week when it was working I still had the previous version of Safari.

But what I don't understand is why it's working well on my Macbook which has the same updates than my iMac.


I found another person on MacRumors forum who has exactly the same problem that us. So I gues there are more people in the same case than us.

Aug 2, 2012 2:28 PM in response to Shannon Weiss

HI,


Ahh Lion Update.


I no longer have a Lion Boot to test this with.


Apple Remote Desktop does have an "Engine"

The basis of this forms the Screen Sharing part of iChat (As in it uses the same Engine).


Screen Sharing in iChat is an Audio Chat+

That is to say iChat regards it as an Audio Chat with "extras". The "extras" being a VNC connection on a random port to send the Desktop as a sort of Video stream (very simplified version)


If you cannot Video or Audio Only chat then you can't Screen Share.

It has also been the case that if the router can't open the Random port the connection would fail.


If there was a Link about info about the download that might point to a port change in Remote Desktop that might need to be looked at.




User uploaded file
10:28 PM Thursday; August 2, 2012

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


 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Lion 10.7.2)
 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

Aug 2, 2012 2:29 PM in response to aaronmajors

Hi,


Has the Lion Person done this Apple Remote Desktop Update ?



User uploaded file
10:29 PM Thursday; August 2, 2012

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


 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Lion 10.7.2)
 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

ichat screen all white when screen sharing

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