Q: Could not sign in to iMessage.

Hi,

If the Hosts file is a plain version then the next step is to see if ther Serial number is present.

This presumes you have tried quitting IMAgent with Activity Monitor, have delete the plists for the iMessage side, checked Date and Time settings and added a Public DNS server.

The serial Number should appear in System Information > Hardware.

It can be missing if  certain boards have been replaced during Repair or refurbishment.

Apple qualified technicians as supposed to flash the number back was they finish. (Apple Store and Apple Authorised Service Providers)

8:58 PM      Wednesday; November 21, 2012

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

  iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mountain Lion 10.8.2)
 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,

Terminal is one of the Utility apps that Apple supply with the Mac in Applications/Utilities (That is open the Applications folder then the Utilities one).

Whilst the User Interface of the OS is referred to as high level (all flash and icons and hardly any visible code like things) the other end (code only) is referred to as Low Level.

Terminal is somewhere in between but closer to Low Level.

If you are used to windows and doing things in the Command Line then this is what Terminal does.

It is not something you can play with to learn how it works.

It is very easy to break the OS this way.

Some of the instructions used can appear very code like.

They can be very specific about the Spaces and the case the instructions are written in.

9:12 PM      Wednesday; November 21, 2012

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

  iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mountain Lion 10.8.2)
 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,

my /etc/hosts file looks good - the permissions are correct and there are no empty spaces.

But iMessage is asking every second for my Password. Sometimes I'm able to send messages - but most of the time it is not possible.

I already

- removed all iMessage Keys in the keychain

- removed all iMessage specific plist files in ~/Library/

- set up the iMessage Account for many times (only with the mail address, with all mail addresses, only with the phone number...)

I have no idea what to do next! Any idea? I need your help!

Thanks!!

Cheers,

Alex

HI,

So you have the Messages app set up with the iMessage account except you say it is always asking for the Password ?

The item in the Keychain.

Double click it to open the info panel

Go to the Access Control  tab.

Is this allowing the IMAgent, Messages and IMCore to access this item ?

(It can be set to allow all app access or Specific items and there should be a list with as least those three)

8:47 PM      Thursday; November 22, 2012

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

  iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mountain Lion 10.8.2)
 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

mb. wrote:

 

Finder -> Go (in the menu bar) -> Go to folder... -> type "/etc" -> Go

here, find the hosts file, now, this file is locked, I used sudo vim from Terminal to edit it, if you don't know vim, try nano, it might be easier to understand.

So, open up Terminal and type: sudo nano /etc/hosts

type in your password and press enter

 

delete everything EXCEPT these lines:

##

# Host Database

#

# localhost is used to configure the loopback interface

# when the system is booting.  Do not change this entry.

##

127.0.0.1          localhost

255.255.255.255          broadcasthost

::1             localhost

fe80::1%lo0          localhost

 

now press CTRL+O to save, enter to confirm the path e CTRL+X to exit the program, now try Messages..

mb, thanks for the info. I'd made extensive additions to my /hosts file for ad blocking purposes. Never imagined this would interfere with any legit uses, especially by Apple. Would be good to know what server Messages/Facetime is using to register so maybe we can ensure of no redirect there. In any case, thanks for this very useful info. You saved me a call to Applecare (I wonder if they'd have figured it out without a reinstall of Mountain Lion?)

Hi TheoSox10,

Have a look at this new release (21st November)

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS4476

It does not say what exactly it does regarding Messages  but it seems it is aimed specifically at solving some issues.

Strangely I have no problems and my computer is not picking up that update in Software Update or a direct App Store launch and looking at the Updates page.

8:26 PM      Saturday; November 24, 2012

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

  iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mountain Lion 10.8.2)
 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

thank you so much! Messages was working for a while, then suddenly just stopped.  I did everyting from the PRAM reset, boot-up permissions repair, re-installing ML, and this is the only thing that worked.

Not sure if this will help the developers or other people, but the host files that I deleted were all from adobe, though I can't remember if messages stopped working after I updated Photoshop or Acrobat or something.

This solution worked for me.

1. In Terminal; sudo mv /etc/hosts /etc/hosts_old

2. Run iMessage and login.

3. In Terminal; sudo mv /etc/hosts_old /etc/hosts

None of these worked for me. The 10.8.2 supplemental update is "not supported on my computer." My hosts file had no cruft in it. Taking it away while I started Messages and tried to sign in didn't help anyway. I hadn't tried FaceTime but I just did and, sure enough, it gives the same error: "The server encountered an error processing registration. Please try again later."

Hi,

Did that include checking the Serial Number is present ?

7:53 PM      Sunday; December 23, 2012

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

  iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mountain Lion 10.8.2)
 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

Yes. Please see my other thread.

I did.

I am subscribed to anything I have posted in and read the Alert emails in order.

Aftrer the first two were you I was hoping someone was not joining every thread they could find.

9:27 PM      Sunday; December 23, 2012

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

  iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mountain Lion 10.8.2)
 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'm having the same issue with iMessage.  I don't think its my hosts file as I have nothing but the default file.  I did notice that before upgrading to 10.8 that my serial number was missing.  It still is missing.  Do you know what I need to do to solve the missing serial number problem?

HI,

If the Serial Number is missing it needs to be "Flashed" back to the board.

As far as I am aware only the Apple Store or Apple Authorised Service Provider would be the only suitable places to get it done.

8:29 PM      Friday; December 28, 2012

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

  iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mountain Lion 10.8.2)
 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,

same problem after updating to 10.8.2. FaceTime and iMessage get the "could not sign in... network connection..."

Tried everything above.

Then found no Serial Number.

Don't know what happened.

Please help?

Thans,

Yaron