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Two things to do
You need two things: (1) a copy of classic AIM, and (2) to tell it to talk to this server instead of the old one. Need a screen name? Sign up first.FREE! AOL Instant Messenger - Try It Now! (jump to the download steps)

Jump to: Windows | Mac | Linux | Pidgin | Classic 3.0

Point AIM here (before you sign on!)
Host:aim.getaudo.com
Port:5190
No SSL / encryption. Then, in AIM:
  1. At the AIM sign-on screen, click Setup.
  2. Under the Sign On/Off category, click Connection.
  3. Set Host to aim.getaudo.com and Port to 5190. No SSL / encryption.
  4. Click OK, then sign on with the screen name and password you made on this site.

Windows 10 / 11
AIM 5.9.6089 (featured)
Recommended for Windows 10 / 11: the last "classic" AIM, documented by the server project. It needs a few extra steps because it is picky:
  1. Download AIM 5.9.6089 (pick the plain 5.9.6089, not the Beta) from OldVersion.com: AIM 5.9.6089 download page (or the full AIM version list).
  2. Install AIM, then exit AIM right after the installation finishes.
  3. Open Task Manager and end the AOL Instant Messenger (32 bit) process so AIM is really closed.
  4. Open File Explorer and go to C:\Program Files (x86)\AIM.
  5. Delete the file aimapi.dll.
  6. Right-click aim.exe and set Windows XP compatibility mode on it.
  7. Launch AIM. Before signing in, open Setup > Sign On/Off > Connection and set Host to aim.getaudo.com and Port to 5190 (no SSL / encryption).

Mac (Intel & Apple Silicon)
AIM 5.1.3036 (featured)
Recommended for Mac: classic AIM 5.1.3036 - works out of the box. This works on Intel and Apple Silicon Macs without a virtual machine, using the open-source IM for macOS project (it wraps AIM 5.1.3036 with Wine). Its release notes say it supports macOS 10.14 (Mojave) through 14.x (Sonoma).
  1. Download AIM_5.1.3036_for_MacOS.zip (about 95 MB) from the latest release page (that was release v0.0.4 when this page was written).
  2. Double-click the zip to unzip it. You get AOL Instant Messenger.app.
  3. The app is not notarized by Apple, so remove its quarantine flag. Open Terminal and run this one command (adjust the path if needed):
    sudo xattr -d com.apple.quarantine ~/Downloads/AOL\ Instant\ Messenger.app
    It asks for your Mac password; nothing shows while you type it - that is normal.
    (If macOS still complains on first launch, right-click the app and choose Open. On recent macOS versions you may instead need to go to System Settings > Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.)
  4. Drag AOL Instant Messenger.app into your Applications folder.
  5. Open it. On first start it asks permission to download the AIM installer from archive.org - click Yes and wait.
  6. When the AIM installer appears, finish it and leave the default install path.
  7. AIM starts up. Before signing in, open Setup > Sign On/Off > Connection, set Host to aim.getaudo.com and Port to 5190, click OK and close the preferences window.


Alternates: other ways that also work with this server

Linux / FreeBSD (Wine)
Alternate: Windows AIM 5.0 - 5.1.3036 runs fine under Wine on Linux / FreeBSD:
  1. Install Wine.
  2. Download the AIM 5.1.3036 installer from archive.org (aim513036).
  3. Run it from a terminal: wine aim513036.exe
  4. Start AIM, open Setup > Sign On/Off > Connection and set Host to aim.getaudo.com and Port to 5190.

Pidgin (any OS)
Pidgin (any OS) - the alternative. Prefer something modern? Pidgin works on Windows, Linux and more, but current Pidgin needs the retro-prpl plugin to get AIM back. Alternatively use Pidgin 2.14.2, the last version with built-in AIM (download from SourceForge [link unverified]).
  1. Accounts > Manage Accounts > Add... and choose AIM as the protocol.
  2. Basic tab: your screen name as Username, and your password.
  3. Advanced tab: Server = aim.getaudo.com, Port = 5190, Connection security = Don't use encryption, Authentication method = MD5-based.
  4. Click Add - Pidgin signs on right away.

Classic, advanced: AIM 3.0
Classic, advanced: AIM 3.0.1464 - the Windows 95/98-era AIM, for people who want the really old look. Aaron has tested it with this server: it signs on and loads the buddy list. The easy options above are simpler; this one is for tinkerers.

Download links (third-party archive mirrors - not run by me, and nothing is hosted on this site):On Windows:
  1. Download AOL_Instant_Messenger_3.0.1464.exe from one of the links above and run it to install AIM.
  2. Start AIM. If it will not start on Windows 10 / 11, try compatibility mode: right-click the AIM program, choose Properties > Compatibility, and try Windows 98 or Windows XP (how to set compatibility mode). [Unverified - not yet tested by me on Windows 10/11.]
  3. On the sign-on screen open Setup > Sign On/Off > Connection, set Host to aim.getaudo.com and Port to 5190, then OK. (The menu wording may differ a little from AIM 5.x - look for the Connection / Host / Port settings.)
  4. Sign in with your screen name and password.
On the Mac (this is how Aaron runs it; it is not a polished download). There is no ready-made AIM 3.0 Mac app, and none is hosted here. Aaron made his from the same IM for macOS wrapper (v0.0.4, the same Wine inside) with AIM 3.0.1464 installed in place of 5.1:
  1. Do the Mac steps above first, so you have the wrapper in your Applications folder.
  2. Download AOL_Instant_Messenger_3.0.1464.exe from one of the mirror links above.
  3. Put that .exe on the wrapper's fake C: drive (inside the wrapper app) and run it with the wrapper's own Wine. It installs to C:\Program Files (x86)\AIM95.
  4. Edit the wrapper's main.vbs so it launches C:\Program Files (x86)\AIM95\aim.exe.
  5. Open the wrapper, set Host to aim.getaudo.com and Port to 5190 (Setup > Sign On/Off > Connection), and sign in.
I have not written down the exact folder names inside the wrapper app, so I am not guessing at them here. Stuck? Ask Aaron for help - he has this working.

Instructions for the featured and alternate versions adapted from the Open OSCAR Server docs: Windows AIM 5.x client setup and Pidgin setup. Download links go to the original or third-party archive sources; nothing is hosted here. Software is provided by third parties - use at your own risk. I make no promises about whether the server is online.

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Psst!
Set the Host and Port in AIM before you sign on:
aim.getaudo.com
Port 5190