iChat 2 How to : First Run

These iChatAV (Version 2) pages are coloured Green and have the iChat 2 icon on them that was in use at the time, so you know where you are. The icon differs from Version 1 by having the camera logo added.

iChatAV (Version 2) How to Start Up iChat (First Run)

These pages are about running the Start Up Screens for iChat 2.

These are the screens you see the first time you use iChat and require that you enter some details as you go.

Running iChat for the First Time

Start Up Screens

So you have your nice new Screen Name and you are ready to start to use iChat to chat with your Buddies

This will mean starting up iChat and if you have not done it before it will run what are commonly referred to as the Start Up Screens. These are a series of windows or panes where you enter your details in to Start iChat. This basically formalises the link between Your Address Book and iChat.

Actually Panther and iChat 2 do not seem to run the MobileMe update to the .Mac parts of the OS like it is done in later version of the OS. This will mean you will have to add a MobileMe Screen Name as if was an AIM one (in the AIM Drop Down and type the suffix as well.

Once you have filled in your Real Name and Screen Name and chosen the Account Type you can hit the OK button.

This will take you to the second screen asking if you want to Enable Rendezvous. As you can see from the Picture it essentially a Yes/No option.

From there you get to see the Video picture from the camera and the grey bar under the pic will show a moving green representation of the Voice volume if you talk.

It is then finalised with a Done Screen to Confirm and iChat will now Launch the Buddy list(s).

What is in the Buddy List depends if you have them already (Buddies) or need to Add them. (See below)

The Pictures

The Welcome Screen

The Bits where the names go - notice the drop down to select @mac or AIM

Rendezvous Request

Rendezvous Welcome

There is also the Video Screen.

This is followed by a Done Screen to Confirm which I am not showing here.

Bigger Pictures via an Index.

Alternatives

Like most things there is an alternative way of doing this.

Basically it is using the method to set up a New Account (Screen Name) when you have not actually set one up in the first place as it is possible to Click through the Start Up Screens.

Go to the iChat Menu and select Preferences.

The next window will show a range of icons across the Toolbar and you want the Accounts one to be Highlighted/selected. This is a smaller pane than in iChat 1.

Where this picture shows my Screen Name is where you need to concentrate on. If you have not got a Screen Name entered you should be able to type in this Box and the Server Settings button should also be dark/active text. The Password box should be empty if you have not set anything up yet.

You can set up more than one Screen Name and use this same spot to change between them. The arrow at the end of the Screen Name field will drop down into a List if you have more names, as the Picture above shows. If you plan to swap between two or more names, do not use the Clear option that appears in here.

So if you have got here with no Screen Name entered in the Start Up Screens enter the Information now. Leaving the Password blank will get iChat to prompt you each time you try to Log in to AIM. Otherwise it is stored in the Keychain like other passwords.

The Server Settings Button

This is available to use when you are Logged out of AIM. The picture is an iChat 1 one and in iChat 2 the Proxy info is hidden at first with a drop down option.

When you click on the Server Settings Button it will show you the Server name and the TCP port that iChat is using to Log in to that server with. The default server is login.oscar.aol.com and the port is 5190. (There are no longer any other servers available)

The port can be changed. The reason for this is that iChat uses Port 5190 on the TCP protocol for Logging in and sending basic Text Chats and also on the UDP protocol for File Sending and Direct chats and some modems and Routers that have to use Port Forwarding do not like this dual use - so changing the port here is useful. (Port Forwarding only allows a Port to be forwarded once to one IP and some devices insist and list Protocols as well which makes it seem the port is to be forwarded twice)

From testing it seems that the AIM servers will actually accept a login on any port (there are, in fact, 65535 of them). The suggestion is to use one below 1024 as these ports are always open in a routing modem or router. On the whole we recommend using port 443 as this is used by some mail applications and secure Websites and will also be open in the Mac Firewall in versions up to Tiger (10.4.x).

If you use a Proxy server to get on to the Internet this is also where it is set, although generally iChat seems to do better with use of the System wide Proxies set in the System Preferences > Network pane.

Next - How to Add Buddies

Information Block

This site is about iChat from Version 1 through to iChat 4.x.x

It has a mixture of basic info and problem solving help.

The sections below will change for Specifics about info on the page on view

If you find these pages helpful please Donate to help keep them up to date

About This Page

A set of info about running iChat for the first time placed in this How-to Series. There is a link at the bottom of the pictures column if you would like bigger pictures.

Under the two columns is an Alternative method of doing this. Essentially it is possible to click through the Start Up Screens without entering anything and you need to go to the Preferences to set up a Screen Name. This can also be used to add additional name and change between them.

I also pay particular attention to the Server Settings button as part of this section as it can be useful for some routing devices.

Compatibility

Confirmed to work with Win/IE 5.5 and later (should work in 5.0, but not confirmed), Firefox 2, Safari 3, Opera 9, iCab 3.02 and later, Mac/IE 5, Netscape 6 and later

Old browsers (IE version 4 or earlier, Netscape 4 or earlier) should only see a text-based page which, while not the prettiest option, is still entirely usable.

Ralph Johns

iChat Information Pages

Version 2