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iChat does not start, quits unexpectedly

B

baziliscus

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 28, 2010
13
0
Hi-
When I try to launch iChat, the icon bounces once, then I am informed that "The application iChat quit unexpectedly." Clicking the "Relaunch" button twice gives me the option to "Reset and relaunch," but that does not help either.
iChat runs fine within another user account on the same machine.
I am running Mac OS X 10.5.8 on a 15" MacBook Pro 2.33 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo.
Any ideas on how to fix this?
b
 
Repair your drives permissions via the Disk Utility.

Applications -> Utilities -> Disk Utility
 
Here are the "Problem Details:"

Process: iChat [1882]
Path: /Applications/iChat.app/Contents/MacOS/iChat
Identifier: com.apple.iChat
Version: 4.0.9 (622)
Build Info: iChat-6220000~1
Code Type: X86 (Native)
Parent Process: launchd [88]

Interval Since Last Report: 2392 sec
Crashes Since Last Report: 6
Per-App Interval Since Last Report: 18 sec
Per-App Crashes Since Last Report: 6

Date/Time: 2010-07-28 16:07:57.625 -0400
OS Version: Mac OS X 10.5.8 (9L31a)
Report Version: 6
Anonymous UUID: 453AD3B3-8CC0-4C9A-9FA6-4FDDDBEB082E

Exception Type: EXC_BAD_INSTRUCTION (SIGILL)
Exception Codes: 0x0000000000000001, 0x0000000000000000
Crashed Thread: 0

Application Specific Information:
objc[1882]: FREED(id): message setStringValue: sent to freed object=0x15e06c60

Thread 0 Crashed:
0 libobjc.A.dylib 0x9050bbfa _objc_error + 116
1 libobjc.A.dylib 0x9050bc30 __objc_error + 52
2 libobjc.A.dylib 0x9050a637 _freedHandler + 58
3 com.apple.iChat 0x0013def7 0x1000 + 1298167
4 com.apple.iChat 0x0013e508 0x1000 + 1299720
5 com.apple.iChat 0x0013ca01 0x1000 + 1292801
6 com.apple.Foundation 0x974329ac __NSThreadPerformPerform + 476
7 com.apple.CoreFoundation 0x948573c5 CFRunLoopRunSpecific + 3141
8 com.apple.CoreFoundation 0x94857aa8 CFRunLoopRunInMode + 88
9 com.apple.HIToolbox 0x90ae62ac RunCurrentEventLoopInMode + 283
10 com.apple.HIToolbox 0x90ae60c5 ReceiveNextEventCommon + 374
11 com.apple.HIToolbox 0x90ae5f39 BlockUntilNextEventMatchingListInMode + 106
12 com.apple.AppKit 0x950086d5 _DPSNextEvent + 657
13 com.apple.AppKit 0x95007f88 -[NSApplication nextEventMatchingMask:untilDate:inMode:dequeue:] + 128
14 com.apple.AppKit 0x95000f9f -[NSApplication run] + 795
15 com.apple.AppKit 0x94fce1d8 NSApplicationMain + 574
16 com.apple.iChat 0x0000341e 0x1000 + 9246

Thread 1:
0 libSystem.B.dylib 0x92708266 mach_msg_trap + 10
1 libSystem.B.dylib 0x9270fa5c mach_msg + 72
2 com.apple.CoreFoundation 0x94856e7e CFRunLoopRunSpecific + 1790
3 com.apple.CoreFoundation 0x94857aa8 CFRunLoopRunInMode + 88
4 com.apple.IMUtils 0x904c1db7 -[IMRemoteObjectBroadcaster _workerThread] + 246
5 com.apple.Foundation 0x97431dfd -[NSThread main] + 45
6 com.apple.Foundation 0x974319a4 __NSThread__main__ + 308
7 libSystem.B.dylib 0x92739155 _pthread_start + 321
8 libSystem.B.dylib 0x92739012 thread_start + 34

Thread 2:
0 libSystem.B.dylib 0x92708266 mach_msg_trap + 10
1 libSystem.B.dylib 0x9270fa5c mach_msg + 72
2 com.apple.CoreFoundation 0x94856e7e CFRunLoopRunSpecific + 1790
3 com.apple.CoreFoundation 0x94857aa8 CFRunLoopRunInMode + 88
4 com.apple.CFNetwork 0x96e18264 CFURLCacheWorkerThread(void*) + 388
5 libSystem.B.dylib 0x92739155 _pthread_start + 321
6 libSystem.B.dylib 0x92739012 thread_start + 34

Thread 0 crashed with X86 Thread State (32-bit):
eax: 0x15e063e0 ebx: 0x9050bb97 ecx: 0x15e063e0 edx: 0x15e06420
edi: 0x15e1d050 esi: 0x905e41a8 ebp: 0xbfffeab8 esp: 0xbfffea70
ss: 0x0000001f efl: 0x00010286 eip: 0x9050bbfa cs: 0x00000017
ds: 0x0000001f es: 0x0000001f fs: 0x00000000 gs: 0x00000037
cr2: 0x00182827

Binary Images:
0x1000 - 0x23cfef com.apple.iChat 4.0.9 (622) <deb92a6fd826a5eb82f1d8991748ef59> /Applications/iChat.app/Contents/MacOS/iChat


[etc. etc. etc.]
 
Go into the Library/Preferences folder in your home directory and trash the com.apple.ichat.plist file. Try that.
 
Repairing permissions does not fix it.

Permissions repair ran for about 20 minutes, seemed to do a lot of permission repairing, and ended with "Permissions repair complete". There were a few lines like this:
Warning: SUID file "usr/bin/quota" has been modified and will not be repaired.
but most of them were more like this:
Group differs on "Applications/QuickTime Player.app/Contents/Frameworks/DotMacKit.framework/Versions/Current", should be 80, group is 0.

iChat still behaves the same way as before.
 
Deleting ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.iChat.plist does not help.

iChat still crashes when launched. It does create a new ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.iChat.plist file, which is probably what it should do.
 
Could it be a corrupt KeyChain? Go into the KeyChain app in your Utilities folder and select the First Aid option. That will tell you.
 
Keychain Access.app does not report any proplems.

Here's what it said:

Verification started
Checking keychain configuration for blablablabla (user ID=000000000)
Home directory is /Users/blablablabla
Checked login keychain
Checked default keychain
Checked contents of ~/Library/Keychains/login.keychain
No problems found
Verification completed
 
Did you do a full reboot after repairing permissions? Other than that, I have no idea.

Also, you can edit posts, so don't post right after a current post of your own.
 
JavierP's argument sounds very convincing to me.
Also, I reinstalled iChat from the Leopard DVD, and nothing changed.
What kind of
preferences/cache/whatever crap
Click to expand...
could there be that mess up my iChat? Over the years, I installed a bunch of little stuff, from Google for example, but I don't even really know what there is. Is there a way to find out what iChat interacts with?

I searched for ".ichat" in my ~/Library folder and found these:
com.apple.iChat.plist
com.apple.iChat.AIM.plist
com.apple.iChat (that's a folder)
com.apple.iChatAgent.plist
com.apple.iChat.SubNet.plist
I removed all of them, restarted the machine, and tried to launch iChat, but it behaved as before, i.e. quit unexpectedly.
All the above files and folder were recreated, with the exception of com.apple.iChatAgent.plist.
 
baziliscus said:
JavierP's argument sounds very convincing to me.
Also, I reinstalled iChat from the Leopard DVD, and nothing changed.
What kind of could there be that mess up my iChat? Over the years, I installed a bunch of little stuff, from Google for example, but I don't even really know what there is. Is there a way to find out what iChat interacts with?

I searched for ".ichat" in my ~/Library folder and found these:
com.apple.iChat.plist
com.apple.iChat.AIM.plist
com.apple.iChat (that's a folder)
com.apple.iChatAgent.plist
com.apple.iChat.SubNet.plist
I removed all of them, restarted the machine, and tried to launch iChat, but it behaved as before, i.e. quit unexpectedly.
All the above files and folder were recreated, with the exception of com.apple.iChatAgent.plist.
Click to expand...

I would close all apps, wipe clean ~/Library/Caches entirely and reboot
 
JavierP said:
Since it works fine with a new user, it's a preferences/cache/whatever crap ichat uses from his home Library folder. Not a problem with the app per se
Click to expand...

Very good point. I was hoping a re-install of the app would possibly remove the cache for it. Guess not.

baziliscus said:
Is this safe? Isn't there anything I might need in there?
Click to expand...

It's safe, just cached settings and such that would be lost if I remember correctly. Just make sure it's specific to your user that can't boot iChat.
 
OK, I backed up my laptop with Time Machine, then removed ~/Library/Caches/* and restarted the machine.
iChat still behaves the same :(

The .../Caches folder is quickly repopulated, it seems: already there are folders named
Adobe
com.apple.AddressBook
com.apple.iChat
com.apple.QuickLookDaemon
com.apple.Safari
Metadata
The com.apple.iChat folder has two subfolders: Pictures, containing PictureNameMap.plist, and URLCache, containing Cache.db.
 

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Wow, iChat is acting like almost all my exes.

I think the last resort is just making a new user and starting over on that user account (make that account your main one and delete the old one). Unless anyone else has any options?
 
Progress!

I copied ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.iChat and ~/Library/Preferences/*iChat* from my admin account (where iChat worked) to the corresponding places in my working account (where iChat used to crash). iChat now starts up as it should.
Hooray!

I've already hit the next problem though:
When I try to set up a new account in iChat, at "Account Type," "Jabber account" and "Google Talk account" are disabled (grayed out). Why?
 

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Maybe it's just because I don't use iChat, but I didn't even know you could use google or jabber on it.
 
baziliscus said:
I've already hit the next problem though:
When I try to set up a new account in iChat, at "Account Type," "Jabber account" and "Google Talk account" are disabled (grayed out). Why?
Click to expand...

The cause of that may be that the work user cannot modify the files that you copied over, owned by admin. I would remove the caches and prefs at the same time and see what happens
 
I would have thought that if I copy files from my admin account's home directory to my working account's home directory, the copies should belong to the working account, not admin -- but I didn't check.

Anyway, I followed this recommendation here:
http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20071029193913847
and temporarily made my working account an admin. The Google Talk option was no longer disabled after that, so I could set up the iChat account, then revoke the working account's admin privileges.

iChat seems to work just like it should now, so:
Thanks very much Elysian, Queso, and JavierP for your help!

I actually wanted to set this up because I read here:
http://lowendmac.com/zisman/08az/leopard-screen-sharing.html
that I could use it to help my mother with her Mac, which is on the other side of the ocean. Meanwhile, a coworker recommended that I instead use a software named TeamViewer, which looks very promising as well. So now I have two solutions that I think should work.
Y'all have a good day!



{Update, just in case you're interested in my conclusions: Both iChat screen sharing and TeamViewer work great, and both are awesome tools to help mom with her computer.}
 
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