Q: Messages not working (automatically quits on opening)

Do a backup.

Quit the application.

Go to Finder and select your user/home folder. With that Finder window as the front window, either select Finder/View/Show View options or go command - J.  When the View options opens, check ’Show Library Folder’. That should make your user library folder visible in your user/home folder.  Select Library. Then go to Preferences/com.apple.iChat.plist. Move the .plist to your desktop.

Restart the computer, open the application and test. If it works okay, delete the plist from the desktop.

If the application is the same, return the .plist to where you got it from, overwriting the newer one.

Thanks to leonie for some information contained in this.

If that doesn't work:

Console post see first post by Linc Davis

Kernel Panic Log

If the log won’t post, try posting it here and provide a link in a reply       Pastebin

Hi,

Check the Contacts app.

Use the Card Menu > Show the My Card and check this is your details.

If it does not appear to be the Contacts App (Formerly the Address Book) then open the Font Book app and check that the AppleGothic font (it is all one word) is present, Enabled, Validates (File Menu) and not Duplicated  (The Font is near the bottom of the list when using Font Book).

9:56 pm      Saturday; May 2, 2015

Hi,

Using multiple Font apps can be an issue but not always.

You still need to check the Font involved.

8:11 pm      Sunday; May 3, 2015

Hi,

How long ago did you update to OS X 10.8.2 or later (it lists 10.8.5 above)

If this was from OS  X 10.8.1 or lower then is the Serial Number present ?

Use the Apple Icon Menu > About this Mac.

In the new panel click twice on the line that tell you the current OS level.  It will change to the Build number (another way apple counts the versions) and the second click should reveal the Serial Number.

If the Number is not present then the app cannot create the Auth key that is kept in the Keychain and then cannot login.

If it is missing you have to visit and Apple Store and have them put it back.

It can get missed if the mother/Logic board had been replaced during repair or refurbishment.

7:50 pm      Monday; May 11, 2015

hi,

On the 2nd I suggested two things.

I can't see a response for checking the Contacts App and the My Card.

9:13 pm      Monday; May 11, 2015

Hi,

This bit is the key

Application Specific Information:

*** Terminating app due to uncaught exception 'NSInvalidArgumentException', reason: 'NSConcreteMutableAttributedString addAttribute:value:range:: nil value'

terminate called throwing an exception

abort() called

It is looking for some info but the result is nil when it should not be.

Missing or incorrect My card info from the Contacts app is favourite with the missing or inactive Font (AppleGothic) being a close second in Messages (as compared to iChat).

From my website on iChat there is this section http://www.ralphjohns.co.uk/page13.html#fonts

To Quote

...NSInvalidArgumentException: NSConcreteMutableAttributedString addAttribute:value:range:: nil value

So we will have to look at other Fonts that Messages uses.

Open Font Book again and check you have Helvetica Neue as the Active, Validated version of the Helvetica type fonts.

This trends to the the System Font that HAS to be there for many apps to actually function.  (AppleGothic is involved in the iMessages Registration and Login process).

Also check Lucida Grande.  This is used to display the names of Groups in the Buddy list and is needed even if you don't display Buddy Lists.

I may receive some form of compensation, financial or otherwise, from my recommendation or link.

8:09 pm      Tuesday; May 12, 2015

Humm,

The list of Fonts I have in the System/Library/Fonts folder is a lot more extensive than that.

I had to more the DOCK to get the whole lot in one window.

Some of them are for Chinese and other languages (AppleGothic is used for it's Korean characters)

Using Suitcase  might be ignoring Fonts that are not in the System folder but are used by various Apps (AppleGothic is in this group).

Technically they should be so called "System Fonts" but they are not in the "Correct" place.

The Contacts app does not tend to loose a Card.

What it does do in some cases is change the My Card to another card's details and not yours.  (I.e. your card should still be in there and the when you find it and have it selected the Card Menu allow you to change it with "Make this My Card"

8:46 pm      Thursday; May 14, 2015