when I connect to i chat video the message 'cannot connect to AIM temporarily unavailable',appears. The apple mac is about 6 years old and up until now I have always been able to use the i chat video. Please can anyone help?

Hi,

What ID are you using in the app you are using ?

@mac.com and @me.com names will no longer work since the 30th June on any version of iChat.

OS X: Using me.com or mac.com IDs with AIM in iChat requires OS X v10.7.2 or later

It seems that they will work in iChat 6 IF the OS has been updated to OS X 10.7.2 (iChat changes it's version number then as well).

Possible tweaks to try:-

In the App > Preferences > Accounts > Server Settings for you "AIM" login set it to use SSL if not already

Also try the server name as api.oscar.aol.com (This is the server name used in iChat 6 and above)

10:42 pm Thursday; July 10, 2014

Hi,

Adding 1+ 1 here.

for the Points

More info that might help.

When you buy a Mac it will come with the current version of the OS (Until recently named after big cats)

How far a Mac can be updated in terms of a New OS can depend on whether it is a Power PC (PPC) computer with G4 or G5 Chips (Processors) on Intels.

There is obviously some cross over with some models being Intel and other being G5s for a while.

Leopard (OS X 10.5.x) will work on both types of computer, but is the last one a G4 or 5 can run.

The version after that called Snow Leopard will only work on Intels

Your version of iChat can be seen by going to the Menu for the app name and About iChat in the Drop down.

My Messages app version of that menu

On AIM valid Names from Apple.

Apple have changed the email ID they issue along with the Service that they have run at the time.

The Earlier @mac.com names came from the .Mac service.

You could have a Trial Account and the name would stop as an email and access to the web site you got but would still work for iChat/AIM.

Obviously Paid for accounts worked and so did Lapsed accounts.

Then Apple changed to MobileMe and issued @me.com names.

These also worked in AIM.

In some cases people linked for email purposes their paid for @mac.com names and the new MobileMe @me.com names.

However this gave them two AIM valid IDs

Also during MobileMe Apple kept the @mac.com registration page for "iChat Names" issuing @mac.com names that only worked as AIM valid IDs

Since then Apple have changed to iCloud.

This meant you had to link an existing ID to iCloud.

In the beginning they issued @me.com IDs (it seemed that they "moved" @me.com ID from the MobileMe Server to the iCloud Server for those with @me.com names already).

Later they issued @icloud.com names.

As I mentioned iCloud linked IDs will not work in iChat 5 or earlier.

As some people could have three Valid AIM Screen Names based on their Apple their appears to be some consolidation going on with all version not being able to use @mac.com or @me.com when talking about iChat.

In some cases you will need to register for an AIM name instead as an updated Apple ID (iCloud linked) will not work.

8:12 pm Friday; July 11, 2014