HELP!!! I can't find my ichat application!!!

Question

So, When i first got my mac it came with iChat but now when i finally dicided to make one i can't find it!!!! Help me!!!!
I just want to know if I can redownload it and where
If not then how can I get it back???!!!!!??? I've tried looking on other ichat help pages but I can't find a way that works!!!!!

Answer 1

HI,
I can be more precise if I know which version of the OS you have.
A long post covering several options.
The basic " I have lost iChat from my Applicatiosn Folder and want to have it again" is covered by this post.
You don't have to have an ID or Screen Name to use in iChat at this time.  (you will need one to use the app)
The OS also tends to have names for the major upgrades.
OS X 10.4 is known as Leopard.
OS X 10.3 is known as Tiger.
Following on from Leopard was Snow Leopard or OS X 10.5
These versions came on DVDs to install or in some cases reinstall the OS on to the Hard Drive (or another backup hard drive).
Here is a pic of part of my Desktop with a DVD inserted and the window for it opened to reveal the Optional Installs.mpkg
The top three items around the green text indicate it cannot be installed on this Hard Drive/Computer.
The red arrows indicate the Disk on the Desktop and the window.
The Blue is the item you are looking for.  it is a special item called Package and double clicking it will open the Installer app.
If you use the Apple icon menu and then the About this Mac item in there you will see the currect OS level you have installed.
(I screen Shared to my MacBook Pro that is running Snow Leopard (OS X10.6.x) to take this shot)
If this space OS X 10.7 (or a sub-number after that) then it is running Lion.
This does not use a Disk to Reinstall but the Recovery process.
Same for later versions (Mountain Lion/OS X 10.8.x and now Mavericks/OS X 10.9)
Using the Recovery Process will give the latest update version of that OS.
That is to say Mountain Lion for instance gets as far as OS X 10.8.6 before Mavericks came out.
With the disk method above you get stuck at the disk level and may have Updated since then.
Like the pic with OS X 10.6.8 (Snow Leopard). You disk may only be at OS X 10.6 base level
Both the OS and the iChat versions have been updated since then.
The Optional Installs package will give you iChat at version 5.0 in this case.
However as it will have been updated along with the OS it will not work with the OS at 10.6.8 unless you run the COMBO version of the Update to update iChat to "Match" the OS level.
At OS 10.6.8 then iChat 5 has got to version 5.0.3
8:04 pm      Friday; November 22, 2013
  iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mavericks 10.9)
 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
Message was edited by: Ralph Johns (UK)