Problem connecting to AIM

I am having problems connecting to AIM on my school's network. Whenever i log in, it connects and says I'm available, but none of my buddies show up and nobody can see me as available. I can occasionally fix the problem by enabling and unenabling the account and eventually my buddies will show up.
I've tried changing the port to 443 and that doesn't fix the problem. Other people on the same network (even in the same room) with Macs using ichat have no problems connecting.
Any suggestions?

Hi dchanso,
iChat says it is logged In ?
The Buddies appear Greyed Out ?
If that is the case go to the iChat > Preferences > Accounts
Select the account in question in the list on the left.
Select the Security tab on the right
Check that you are Allowing All at present.
Check the Block list does not list all your Buddies.
If it is Ok there open a new Mac user account (or a test account if you have one) Create one if not.
Set up iChat with your current screen name.
Does iChat work here ?
If it does return to the Original Mac User account.
Go to your Howe folder/Library/preferences
Delete com.apple.ichat.AIM.plist and restart iChat.
10:20 PM Saturday; November 11, 2006

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Problems connecting to aim

I cannot connect to aim via ichat. I keep on getting an error that I have tried too many times within the past few minutes and should wait 10 minutes before trying to connect to aim again, however I haven't logged on all day. Its been like this for a few weeks now. Any help would be appreciated. I am currently using a powerbook and a netgear wireless router. My router is DMZed.

okhan80
First off, try changing the log-in port:
1 Log out of AIM (in iChat menu), then
2 iChat > preferences > accounts > server settings
3 Change 5190 to 443
4 Log back into AIM
Let us know if this clears up your particular problem.
Dave

Connection to AIM / Hostname is not valid

Hi - since a couple of days I have a strange problems: connecting to AIM does work only in 3 out of 10 tries. Without changing a setting, the connection sometimes works but most times it says "Host name is not valid". That is crazy. When I enter an incorrect pasword - it is detected immediately - so there is a connection to AIM. What could be the reason? I tried everything, other conncetion ports (443 instead of 5160..). But the situation is still the same: 7 out 10 connection fail...
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Hi Mario f,
It sounds like AIM are updating their servers.
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"Lost connection with AIM" error message

Hi all,
I've been a long-time iChat user — I've had very few problems, but now, at home, whenever I've been connected for about 10-15mins, iChat just disconnects with the simple iChat Connect Alert that the app has "Lost connection with AIM. The connection with the host was unexpectedly lost."
My Buddy List collapses to a "disconnected" header and I diappear from my Buddies' buddy lists. If I'm in the middle of a chat (video, audio or text), the chat continues uninterrupted, but I still disappear from people's lists as if I'd disconnected manually. Weird.
The net result is that I have to keep checking to see if I'm connected and then reconnecting all the time. A real pain in the proverbial.
It only happens at the house. My laptop doesn't disconnect if I'm at the office, for instance.
I have cable, coming in to Netgear 814v2 router; out to an 8-port gigabit switch, which then feeds my three main machines. All via ethernet cabling.
All machines have the same problem described above.
I've made the usual Quicktime setting changes.
I've listed the necessary ports in my Mac firewall settings (even though the firewall is turned off).
Each machine has a dedicated IP issued by the router (10.0.0.2 thru 10.0.0.5)
The router firmware is up to date.
What else is there?! I have no problems initiating or joining any sort of chat with my buddies around the world. I have excellent bandwidth. My internet and email are never interrupted 24/7.
Can someone help me? Pretty please?
17" Powerbook G4 & Dual G5 2.5Ghz Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Hi
Try this log on to AIM on port 443 rather than port 5190
Go to IChat > Preferences > Accounts.
Log out of AIM and then use the Server Settings tab
Set the port to 443.
Log back in again.
Tony

Suddenly can't connect to AIM :(((

After months and months of successful AV chats, I'm suddenly completely unable to connect to AIM. The message I get is "Could not connect to AIM. Auth: ResvLinkError".
I did a search and tried changing from port 5190 to port 443 in the prefs, but that didn't help at all.
Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks!

Hi Sandra,
Looks like a AIM Server Synch problem.
As the AIM servers send you Buddy list back to you on port 5190 on the UDP protocol then sometimes changing the log in port can help. (particularly if your modem port forwards the protocols as well as the ports - as this seems to be regarded by some devices as the same as forwarding it twice to different computers).
However as people start holidays and contacting family the usage of AIM goes up and hey presto it shows the strain now and then.
(I have left you a message in iChat 2.1)
10:31 PM Tuesday; December 19, 2006

Suddenly can't connect to AIM/iChat.

I'm sorry if this has been asked many times, and answered many times but I can't find an answer to my problem. Please help.
Recently I am not able to connect to iChat while I am at home. When I'm at school and using their wifi, iChat works fine. After awhile, it won't connect a box comes up and says, "Could not connect to AIM. The conncection to the host was unexpectedly lost." I can still go to websites and my .mac mail seems to be working fine, it's just the iChat that isn't working. I've checked for updates and it says I have all the updates that are available. To my knowledge, I didn't change any numbers, addresses, connections or whatever to cause iChat to stop working. I don't know what it could be, or what changed all of a sudden that it stopped working.
Thanks!

Hey,
I'm having the same problem, too. Only, for some reason, my iChat stopped working in my dorm room at school. It was working yesterday in my dorm room and worked when I was in class, however, it stopped connecting when I tried to sign on from the dorm. I tried changing my port from 5190 to 443 and nothing happened. It either says "connecting" for a very long time or it says "The connection to the host was unexpectedly lost." I'm not sure why there is such a sudden change, however, I really need to get on iChat. I also tried using Yahoo Messenger and the same thing happened also. Any more ideas besides attempting to change the port??
Thanks =)
shann131

Messages won't connect to AIM?

I've read the other threads I can find about this issue, but none of the advice has worked.
Yesterday when I logged into my computer, Messages wouldn't connect to AIM. I was connected to VPN at the time so I didn't worry a lot about it (it's never happened before, but VPN often causes strange issues for me), but it's still happening now that I'm back to my regular connection. It just hangs at "Connecting..." and doesn't give any error message or indication of a problem.
I don't have a firewall and I've tried unchecking the Use SSL box in Server Settings. I've deleted and re-added the account (several times), made sure that it can connect to my work chat server, and successfully added another account (Gmail). Nothing has changed in my settings or configurations or anything, just one day it worked and the next day it didn't.
What am I forgetting? Thanks for any other suggestions.

HI,
In the Finder use the Go Menu > Go to Folder and type ~/Library/Preferences in the dialogue box that appears
Find the com.apple.ichat.AIM.plist and drag it to the Trash.
Restart Messages.
This particular .plist holds the state that your login was in when it was connected (or whether it was logged out).
If the connection was dropped this can be different to the info held at AIM and therefore you get refused.
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Problem connecting to jabber account after mac os x 10.5.5 update

Hallo,
I have two accounts - an AIM and a jabber account. After installing the Mac OS X 10.5.5 update I got trouble on both accounts. Changing to port 443 fixed the AIM problem, but I still have problems connecting to my jabber account
On console I get these messages:
23.09.08 10:14:41 iChatAgent[604\] [SASL\] Level 5: DIGEST-MD5 client step 2
23.09.08 10:14:41 iChatAgent[604\] [SASL\] Level 5: DIGEST-MD5 client step 3
23.09.08 10:14:41 iChatAgent[604\] WARNING: XMLStream: XML parse error 3 at EOF
23.09.08 10:14:41 iChatAgent[604\] WARNING: JConnection: Error: Die Verbindung zum Server wurde unerwartet getrennt., type=3, code=3
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I am using the latest Safari 4 beta with 10.5.7, and X11 works fine. My guess is you installed the update on an already dysfunctional system. I suggest you may want to try the following:
Repairing the Hard Drive and Permissions
Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger and Leopard.) After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer. Now restart normally.
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I can't log in to ichat due to the fact that I can't connect with aim.

i can't log in to ichat due to the fact that I can't connect with aim. everytime i try to log in it gives an ichat connection alert saying that the connection to the host was unexpectedly lost. the weird thing is that it let me sign on the first time then all of the sudden it just clicked off, giving me that message.
Mac OS X (10.4.8)

I'm having the same problem.
I know this is an Apple forum, but is there anywhere that we can get info about AOL's servers (i.e., which regions are having trouble, etc)? I'm in France, and AOL seems to shut down at about 6:00pm every day. This is very frustrating, since the people i'm trying to talk to are in the US.
Edit: the firewall port solution doesn't work, either. It's AOL.

Ichat isn't working... won't connect to AIM???PLEASE HELP

For the past three days my ichat has not been working. At first it would not connect and I kept getting the message "Could not connect to AIM(xxx) :The connection could not be completed because it timed out or I would get host refused connection.*" I waited a day to try again and got the same problem. I also changed my port to 443 and i was able to sign in but not able to video chat. If anyone could help me with this problem i would really appreciate it. ( I am working with a newly bought MacBook pro with ichat version 4.0.8 (619) if that will be any help )

Hi,
Welcome to the  Discussions
Which Setting are you using in System Preferences > Security > Firewall ?
Do Not Use Allow Essentials as iChat is not an Essential App.
Have you set up your routing device to allow the ports iChat uses ?
Port 443 for the Login should work as it is below the 1024 threshold (ports are open up to this number)
Video chatting uses ports above this number.
If it is a routing device that appears to be the issue please tell us make and model and version number so we can direct you further.
11:36 PM Monday; September 7, 2009

Could not connect to AIM

Hi everybody,
I have been having a problem connecting to the AIM server for iChatAV for the past few days, and have read through the various discussion forums but I still cannot solve the problem. The full error is "Could not connect to AIM: The connection to the host was unexpectedly lost."
I have tried to change the firewall settings on the Netgear router, I have tried to connect directly using the Motorola modem, still nothing.
I also have my laptop with ichat installed which worked a couple of weeks back...this also fails, so this leads me to believe that it may be a network configuration problem that I have. The ISP assures me that this is not the case, and the Apple helpdesk are also stumped. Any ideas?
imac Mac OS X (10.4.3)
imac Mac OS X (10.4.3)
imac Mac OS X (10.4.3)

Hi,
Apparently there has been a problem with .mac accounts and the link to the AIM Servers. This has caused some people problems with logging on to the AIM network.
One though occures to me at this stage. Does the password for your .mac account have more than 16 characters ?
If it does reduce to it to at the most 16. .mac can have over 20 characters to the password but AIM only allows 16 Max.
If this is not the problem go here http://www.apple.com/support/dotmac/ and report the problem.
Ralph

Could not connect to AIM. Change port doesn't help !

I have been using ichat for about three months without any problems.
It is tonight (22/10/06) that I cannot login while I was able to connect to the server in this morning. Nothing has changed in my router configuration.
The error message is "Could not connect to AIM. The specified host cannot be located.
I did search the forum here. The suggested solution is to change ichat port to 443 or 5191. It does not work for me.
At first I thought the server was busy. But I changed my mind since my friend can login.
My internet connection works normally. Nothing seems broken.
Oh another thing is both my username before @mac and passwords is 9 characters.
Please help.
Macbook Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Hi Omegaxxx,
At this stage I would try this.
Down load IPNetMonmitorX
It is free as a trail for a number of days.
Get it to do Port Scans on the UDP ports that iChat uses.
Do these one at a time for Ports 5060, 5190 and 5678 and then repeat for the group of twenty (16384-16403)
Now test it for TCP port Scans. (just port 5190 for AIM/@mac)
This will be the one to tell if the Login is working or not.
Repeat for any other port you have tried iChat to login with. (The AIM servers will allow login on almost any port: 443 is regarded as more secure as it is used for some Mail apps)
You will need to test to a specific IP address.
Use the ones listed by Ryan above.
If you are on a University or other large campus like a large business it may be that they have blocked the ports at a fairly local level.
If you opened the ports in your connection device with Port Forwarding and it is also using DHCP then check your computer is at the same IP that the Port Forwarding is pointing to.
9:23 PM Friday; September 22, 2006

IChat cannot connect ot AIM

trying to set up iChat on an (old?) PowerBook G4 (Mac OS X 10.4.11), iChat v3.1.9 every time iChat starts up and tries to connect a window opens telling me that the AIM login failed (wrong Pseudonym {screenname} or Password).
During setup I have choosen *.Mac account* and entered the MobileMe ID (ending on @me.com). In the window I see that this has changed to @mac.com.
On the same PowerBook there is another user installed and that one worked perfect: connection through .Mac and having the same @mac.com endings. This account is about three years old (no MobileMe then). The newly created account is a family account and was created with @me.com
I have also created an AIM account right now and adding that account to iChat allows me to connect to AIM without a problem. Therefor I assume that my software on the PowerBook is ok but there must be something wrong with the handover from iChats MobileMe data to AIM.
Unfortunately I have no idea what I have to change, can anyone help? Thank you.

Hi,
As you know the .Mac service when it ran did much the same as MobileMe does now.
For iChat though there was one difference in that trial or even a lapsed Paid For account could continue to be be used in iChat.
In Leopard when MobileMe came out an Update ran that changed all the .Mac references to MobileMe and added the option to many apps including iChat.
Trial MobileMe accounts do not work after the 60 day trial. (The trials need a active Credit card registered and also Active Cancellation).
In Tiger there was no MobileMe update hence the work around for adding @me.name as AIM names.
The Get an iChat Account Button used to lead to @Mac.com for a registration as a trial when Adding an Account/Screen name to the iChat > Prefs > Accounts
In Leopard this button, more recently, this has led here
So now @mac.com names are being used as iChat Screen Names.
The downside is that you get stuck with the password you first set up.
10:44 PM Monday; August 3, 2009
Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

Unable to connect to AIM

Hello,
I'm running a core duo macbook pro and ichat 3.1.6 on tiger 10.4.8. I haven't been able to connect to AIM for days using a native mac osx client (I generally use adium, but iChat shows the same problem) in days. I can connect from the same computer using GAIM running through parallels with no problems. This would get rid of any network problems as one operating system can connect and one cannot.
Is there anyone else out there with similar issues? Any one have any idea how to fix this?

Hi vahtryn,
This is all I can help you with, apart from the port settings mentioned above, it's the current AIM and iChat status
mentioned on their website. Hope it is satisfactory for all.
In short,
AIM only works when port 443 is open
If you want to chat with Vista users you need 6.0 (5.9 is not supported)
For now AIM 6.0 works with tekst chat and two person audio, video not yet.
Q: After I upgraded to the newer version of AIM, I was no longer able to sign in.
A: On the AIM "Help" menu, go to "AIM Help" (or get there instantly by pressing F1). If that doesn't answer your question, you can report a bug by going to the second option under the AIM "Help" menu. Your firewall may need to be configured to let AIM 6.0 totally work on your computer, and if that's the issue, AIM uses port 443.
Q: Why would I still want to use AIM 5.9?
A: It's really up to you which AIM you choose to use. You might like the look and feel of the 5.9 version better, and depending on your PC, you might not be able to upgrade to 6.0 at this time. Some people just don't like change. AIM 5.9 won't be supported on the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system, while AIM 6.0 will.
Q: Is AIM 6.0 compatible with AIM 5.9, AOL 9.0 and iChat?
A: AIM 6.0 works seamlessly with AIM 5.9, AOL 9.0 and iChat® services. You can send and receive IMs with your buddies using any of these clients. However, certain advanced features may not work across all clients right now. For example, voice chat with more than two people only works with other AIM 6.0 users, and video chat will work only between two AIM 6.0 users at this time.
Q5 delta Other OS (38518353)|

Unable to connect to AIM via iChat- Adium works fine...

I have been trying to get this to work for a long time, but just can't figure it out.
I am currently using Adium and everything works fine and connects, but Adium has no support for video so when I want to do a video chat, I used to just login to iChat.
Now, when I try to login to iChat, I get the "Lost connection with AIM" error.
It will sometimes connect for less then a second, then it just dies.
I have checked logs and just cant figure it out. I am not using a proxy, I know the server settings are correct, and I don't have anything on my router that could cause this- especially because it works fine with Adium...
Anyone else ever had this problem? If so- know any way to fix it?
Looking at logs, I see its doing:
Tue Oct 9 2007 00:54:11.672 PDT -Allw- local:0 -> 192.168.1.1:53 (domain) udp4 'lookupd (15310)'
Tue Oct 9 2007 00:54:11.696 PDT -Allw- 192.168.1.1:53 (domain) -> local:61846 udp4 'lookupd (15310)'
Tue Oct 9 2007 00:54:11.696 PDT -Allw- local:55479 -> 64.12.200.89:5190 (aim ) tcp4 'iChatAgent (23718)'
Tue Oct 9 2007 00:54:11.696 PDT -Allw- 127.0.0.1:61847 -> 127.0.0.1:61847 udp4 'iChatAgent (23718)'
Tue Oct 9 2007 00:54:12.182 PDT -Allw- local:55480 -> 64.12.24.129:5190 (aim ) tcp4 'iChatAgent (23718)'
So it looks like it is finding the IP and connecting to it, but its connecting to multiple IPs for AOL? I just have no idea...

Hi
Try logging on to AIM on port 443 rather than port 5190.
Go to IChat in the menu bar > Preferences > Accounts.
Log out of AIM and then use the Server Settings tab
Set the port to 443.
Log back in again.
Tony

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