Ever since i downloaded skype to chat with a friend with a pc my ichat won't open

Question

ever since I downloaded skype to video chat with a friend with a pc my ichat won't open - suggestions?

Answer 1

Hi,
So the DOCK looks like this ?  (Or at least the Lion version of that)
The Menu Bar Icon looks like this ?
Ok if the App is open and you click once on the icon  (Speech Bubble with Camera) in the DOCK all that will happen is that any iChat Window will come to the front.
This of course does need there to be an Open iChat Window.
Can you access the iChat Menu itself and Preferences from there ?
In the accounts section does it list any Accounts apart from the Bonjour one ?
In the Account info tab (If there is more tan one tab) does it say Use this Account and is the check box ticked ?
If before quitting iChat you close all the Windows including the Buddy List and then Quit iChat it will remember the Window state when you start it up again.
In fact the Window menu will tell you which Accounts are Logged in and these (if more than one) should match the "Use this Account" ones in the iChat Preferences.
Using the red button only "Hides" the Buddy List it does not log it out or Quit the app.
Does the Window menu list any Account  like this pic does ?
(Example from iChat 4 with the Chax Add on (more Menu items) icons)
Does the Menu Bar icon (Second pic above) show you any Buddies in the drop down you see ?
This is my drop down menu for iChat 4 when iChat is Off
As you can see it says it is Off Line.
Selecting "Available" does nor launch the app for me either as it does not know which of the 6 Screen Names I usually Login is the one I want to be "Available"
I can understand the Menu (Drop Down) may have changed in iChat 6.
Nothing you have added in the last two posts indicates to me that Skype is in any way responsible  (Not that I would normally wnaty to defend it)
Neither does it point  to anything but a normal functions of iChat if you close it down in a certain way.
Also check the System Preferences > General Pane in Lion (it is called Appearance in earlier versions)
This has a new setting that can set for all App the ability to remember which windows were open the next time the app is launched.  (i.e if a graphics app had a pallet open this would be remembered. However if all windows are closed but the app is still running when Quit this "windowless State" would be the one remembered)
(What is does do for iChat is return the "Remember  Open Chats on Quit" from iChat 4 that got lost in iChat 5)
7:38 PM      Wednesday; August 17, 2011
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