# Problem With AIM **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 5, 2005, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-aim/297901 "2005-04-05T20:25:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sleeping](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@sleeping](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleeping)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-aim/297901/1 "2005-04-05T20:25:44Z")
For the past couple of weeks, every time I log on to AIM it shuts down within 2 minutes. I’ve tried reinstalling it, including upgrading to the latest version, but it still shuts down. I haven’t downloaded anything unusual lately and I’ve done spyware scans–nothing. Does anyone know what could be causing this? ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-aim/297901/2 "2005-04-06T05:43:49Z")
Do you get any error messages? And by “shut down”, do you mean that the entire program closes and disappears from your taskbar & system tray? Also, if you don’t mind a different user interface, a temporary workaround might be to use the free version of [Trillian](http://www.trillian.cc) until you find out what’s causing the AIM problem. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-aim/297901/3 "2005-04-06T06:21:04Z")
Why is using Trillian a temporary solution? Screw AIM and its banners and bugs. Trillian is great. 4 different IM services intergrated, free. Whats the problem? ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-aim/297901/4 "2005-04-06T06:27:26Z")
I’m with **Gabe**. I’ve been using Trillian for a few years now and I’ll never go back to the AIM software. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-aim/297901/5 "2005-04-06T07:39:02Z")
Oh, nothing wrong with Trillian. I definitely like it more than AIM. Just didn’t want to force the OP to change software if a solution could be found. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-aim/297901/6 "2005-04-06T10:50:18Z")
Even better (IMO) than Trillian is [Gaim](http://gaim.sourceforge.net/). I don’t like Trillian, because links in people’s profile’s don’t work with it, but with Gaim, they do, so you don’t have to ask every friend on your buddy list, “Hey, what’s the actual URL of that link you say is very funny in your profile.” ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-aim/297901/7 "2005-04-06T11:12:40Z")
You can do that as long as you install Trillian’s [Minibrowser](http://trillian.cc/downloads/pl_download.php?id=137) plugin. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-aim/297901/8 "2005-04-06T11:13:42Z")
Whoops, nevermind, that only works with the paid version ☹ ---
**Author:** ![sleeping](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@sleeping](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleeping)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-aim/297901/9 "2005-04-06T15:55:21Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > Do you get any error messages? And by “shut down”, do you mean that the entire program closes and disappears from your taskbar & system tray? No error messages. Yes, it closes after a few minutes but the Quicklaunch icon is still there. When I place the cursor over the taskbar it, too, disappears (the icon, not the taskbar itself). > [@Reply](#): > > Also, if you don’t mind a different user interface, a temporary workaround might be to use the free version of Trillian until you find out what’s causing the AIM problem. > [@bouv](#): > > Even better (IMO) than Trillian is Gaim. I don’t like Trillian, because links in people’s profile’s don’t work with it, but with Gaim, they do, so you don’t have to ask every friend on your buddy list Thanks, guys, I’ll give those a try but I still don’t understand why AIM doesn’t work.