Why Isn't My Chat Box Working on iGoogle?
The iGoogle interface is a personalized Google homepage that allows you to take advantage of several Google products, including Google Talk, from a single Web interface. Whether you plan to use Google Talk for text chat or to make voice or video calls, it is possible experience errors that prevent you from using the feature via iGoogle.
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Google Talk System Requirements
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Google's recommended minimum requirements for Google Talk aren't stringent, but it's possible that the computer you use might not meet them if you are accessing the Internet from a public place, particularly in a developing country. Specifically, you need to be running at least Windows 2000 operating system on a dial-up connection with at least 56k speed. Additionally, you need to have access to a microphone or other sound input, as well as headphones or speakers if you want to use the voice and video calling features of Google Talk via iGoogle.
Google Voice Plug-in
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Additionally, you must download and install a plug-in for Google Voice if you want to use chat for voice and video calling, regardless of whether you do so within Gmail or iGoogle. If you use the Google Chrome browser, this plug-in is installed automatically. It isn't possible to use Google Talk for voice and video calling in certain geographical locations, so if you try to install this plug-in and it fails, it could prevent you from making voice and video calls in iGoogle and Gmail alike.
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Firewall
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Another reason chat, voice and video features don't work via iGoogle is if the connection you are using has a "firewall" that prevents such functions from working. To see whether this is the case, attempt to access the chat box from Gmail. If it doesn't work within Gmail, it is likely that chatting has been disabled by your network administrator, as commonly happens on corporate and institutional Internet networks. If you want to attempt turning the firewall off, select "Control Panel" from the Windows "Start" menu, type "Firewall" in the "Search" box, then click "Windows Firewall," where you an option to turn off the firewall if one exists.
Chat Turned Off
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A further possibility is that you have simply turned chat off. If your buddy list doesn't appear and the chat box says you aren't signed in, click the "Options" menu in the lower, left corner of the chat box, and click "Sign In To Chat." Once Google validates your credentials, it signs you back in to chat, at which point you can resume sending messages and, if your device and location meet Google's requirements, making voice and video calls.
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