iMessage on Macbook is not working

Hi,

I would 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.

10:16 PM Monday; September 2, 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,

IN Applications/Utilities open the Keychain Access app.

find the Auth-Token for the iMessages account and delete it.

Restart Messages.

7:25 PM Tuesday; September 3, 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,

From your original list the Flash reset would have done nothing as Messages does not use Flash.

A Basic reset/Restart is often enough but obviously is not in this case.

Trying a different Apple ID is a useful test, particularly when used with signing Out and in again with the original Apple ID.

I would also try a Different Mac User Account (Set one up in System Preferences > Users and Groups if you don't have one).

By a Non Fresh reinstall I take it you mean you used the Restore option and reinstalled the OS and Apple Apps without touching your personal stuff or Apps you have added.

Also make the Finder the front app.

In the Go Menu Hold down th ALT key and then select the Library that appears.

Open the Preferences

Find the com.apple.imservice.imessages.plist and com.apple.imessages.bag.plist and drag both to the Trash

Restart Messages.

8:11 PM Tuesday; September 3, 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,

Let me get this straight.

In your original Mac User Account your deleted the said .plists

But then you tested in a New Mac User Account.

This account worked.

Does the Original ?

It will recreate the plists when you start up the App in the original Mac User Account.

(The .plists are not used between different Mac User Accounts)

8:39 PM Tuesday; September 3, 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,

In that case in the Original Mac User Account go to the Preferences Again and this time delete com.apple.IMAgent.plist

This particular .plist deals with a support app called IMAgent and this has a lot to do with Logging the account you have in to the various servers.

9:26 PM Tuesday; September 3, 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,

Can you confirm that Messages launches ?

The iMessages account is shown to be Logged in (Enabled) ?

It is the View of the iMessages themselves that is the problem ?

In the View Menu of Messages go to the Messages Option and change the Style option to anything but Balloons.

Does this change anything ?

I am not really expecting this to help because when the Balloons Plug-in does not work it is the same across all Mac Users that can login and then use Messages.

Whilst there are other apps that can influence the way Messages works such as the Contacts (Address Book) nothing has direct impact that would make it stop.

In the Messages Menu > Preferences > Messages (I know, Messages everywhere)

In this one what is your Font Choice ?

In the Font Book check that this Font is Active (it will say Disabled if it is Off)

7:31 PM Wednesday; September 4, 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,

Thanks for the pics.

I can understand your frustration as we are running out of options.

Messages is built in the iChat engine (although you don't list any Buddy List Accounts apart from the default Bonjour) and then has iMessages added to it.

Launching Messages will create the standard set of iChat* .plists even if you don't have any AIM, Jabber, Google or Yahoo Accounts.

Some of the plists deal with things such as the Saved Status Messages (At the top of Buddy lists),

The Recent Lists in File Menu > Recent Items.

i.e. deleting them even when you have accounts that they deal with does not always pay.

I have re-looked at my com.apple.ichat.plist and can see nothing in it that refers to the iMessages account.

On this basis I am reluctant to suggest deleting it.

I take it that in the Keychain the Auth-token item has been regenerated ?

The "missing text" has been solved by the PRAM reset.

It has very occasionally been fixed with the IMAgent .plist being removed.

Lets try a slightly bigger hammer.

Can you Quit Messages if Open

Also set FaceTime to Off in it's Preferences (it also uses IMAgent)

Open the Activity Monitor in Applications/Utilities

Search the list of open apps and other items for imagent

It will be in lower case and has no icon.

It starts up when the computer starts up so it should have a low PID number.

Highlight it and then use the Quit option top left.

Confirm Force Quit.

You may see it restart.

Restart Messages.

8:48 PM Wednesday; September 4, 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,

I am not completely out of ideas but I have been doing things peice-meal to be less "destructive".

You can just move Users. The apps are there.

You create a new set of .plists for all the apps as you open them.

They are stored in the relevant Home Folder/Library/Preferences for that Users.

Ergo: if it works fine in one User then the App itself is not the issue.

You could move the com.apple.imessage.bag.plist and the com.apple.imservice.imessage.plist from one Mac User Account to another. (You have to drop them in the Public Folder as it is not a simple Drag and Drop action).

However there are drawbacks to this.

Each .plist is Owned by that Mac User Account. That particular Mac User Account also has Permission to Read and Write to the file so you have to change Ownership.

Example

Go to the ~/Library/Preferences

Highlight the com.apple.ichat.plist

Now do a Get Info (CMD + i keys together)

At the bottom you will see the Owner listed (the Shortname with (Me) in brackets)

This should have Read and Write Permissions.

If you Move .plists the Owner (shortname is "wrong") which in turn means you cannot Read or Write to it.

I doubt this is the current problem.

However there does seem to be some interaction between the .plists in the curent Mac User account that is an issue.

Ok.

Lets use a bazooka approach.

Close Messages if Open.

Set FaceTime to Off.

In the KeyChain Access remove the Auth-Token for iMessages.

IN the ~/Library/Preferences delete the following.

com.apple.ichat.plist (This will mean resetting all your Prefs in Messages that are not set to default)

the two com.apple.iMessage.bag.plist and com.apple.imservice.imessages.plist

And the com.apple.IMAgent.plist

At this point Restart the whole Computer.

On restart launch Messages.

At this point Messages > Preferences will be reset to Defaults.

In the Alerts section any AppleScript setting will be Off.

The Sounds linked to each Action will be the default one.

No Individual sound setting will be in place.

In the Messages section the option to Save Chat on Closing will be Off.

The Font, The Text Colour and the Background (Balloon ) colour will be the default.

In the General Section the Option to be Off Line of Quit will not be ticked.

Some menu items such as the Balloons Style choice will be back to default and Smilies will be On.

9:26 PM Wednesday; September 4, 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