We like to think that extension conflicts are the work
of a vengeful deity or a chaotic universe, but we know
better. On most days, our Macs happily hum through their
duties without a problem. The network may go down (what
else can you expect from that sad little NT server they’ve
forced you to connect to at work), the cable modem service
might go all funny (reliable service from the cable
company – what were we thinking?), but the Mac
does its job with a pleasant smile every time it starts
up.
And that’s when we really louse things
up!
You see, its usually not a question of whether or not
the system freeze was your fault, but which combination
of boneheaded installations has finally taken its toll.
Did you really think you could upgrade your system software
without removing that System 7 control panel? Maybe
you can have too many fonts. Didn’t the
system administrator warn you about that screen saver?
For every one of us dedicated to making our Macs do
things they were never meant to do, there’s Cassady
& Greene’s Conflict Catcher. Though it was
originally designed to “Stop Crashes and Freezes,”
Conflict Catcher has grown into a robust, fully featured
system toolkit that does so much more (and occasionally,
a bit less), than help users prevent or eliminate extension
conflicts.
Because Conflict Catcher purportedly runs on a wide
variety of systems ("Any Macintosh computer except
the Plus SE, SE/30, Classic Series and PB 100,"
systems 7.5-9.0.4), I tested the utility on three Macs:
a 400mhz Pismo Powerbook (OS 9.0.4); a beige G3/233
desktop (OS 8.1); and my trusty Performa 6400/200 (OS
8.6). Installation is simple, quick, and error-free.
Just pop in the CD, double-click the installer icon,
and within a minute your Mac will restart to the well-designed
Conflict Catcher window, ready to let you alter your
extensions and control panels before they begin their
stoic march beneath the approving smile of the Mac OS
logo.
“Nothing gives me confidence in
the Mac OS like the ol’ “death’s head”
extension.
In fact, you may find that CC does much of its most
valuable work on your system during this first restart.
The program dutifully located several outdated and duplicated
extensions on the Performa and the desktop G3, allowing
me to disable or trash them even before the CC window
fully opened. It also identified a damaged Network Control
Panel and repaired it before I had time to worry about
it. Predictably, CC located no such problems on the
PowerBook, though it mysteriously turned off the control
strip during startup (this was easily turned back on
and has stayed on since then).
The CC window can be set to open automatically during
startup or via user command when needed, allowing users
to enable/disable specific items or load different sets
of extensions depending on how you plan on torturing
your poor Mac. Though such a feature has little to do
with the program’s main purpose, I found it to
be Conflict Catcher’s most useful feature. Maybe
you’ll actually create an extension set for installing
new software like you’re supposed to. If not, you
could at least get through Photoshop/Unreal Tournament
sessions with less problems and better performance by
designing custom extension sets. Most Mac users may
not care about such techy nitpicking; then again, “Power-Users”
who do care need programs like this one to erase the
havoc they’ve created.
As for the program’s primary purpose, the news
is mixed. Only one of my test systems had a conflict
that needed catching, so the Performa volunteered for
duty. Unfortunately, the system freezes that have been
pestering the Performa during startup have been inconsistent,
occurring at various stages of the startup process,
and only occasionally at that. This is exactly the type
of problem that Conflict Catcher is relatively hopeless
in solving (Cassady & Greene does admit this in
their manual). Using the conflict tests allowed me to
hear the Performa’s startup chime enough times
to invade my dreams for nights to come, but I couldn’t
recreate the problem. The system has frozen twice since
installing Conflict Catcher, but the program failed
to identify the responsible extension as it should have.
The entire process left me optimistic about CC’s
ability to solve consistent freezes, but doubtful as
to its usefulness as a preventative against your Mac’s
bad hair days.
Nevertheless, CC is loaded with other goodies for the
performance obsessed geek nestled in your soul. The
bumper crop of information available about each system
file is impressive, and CC’s interface can be set
up to rank files based on size or load time, and it
can even group files by the vendor who created them.
What senna, rhubarb, what purgative
drug shall scour these Redmonds hence?!
Conflict Catcher will even alert you to those dastardly
startup files that take more memory than they’re
supposed to (though the warnings would be made more
conspicuous if they appeared in boldface or red text).
Apple needs to crack down on these
third party- oh, uh, never mind…
Again, these are great features for power users or
owners of seriously ill Macs, but the usefulness of
such tests for the rest of us is dubious. The slowest-loading
files on all three systems were predictable (QuickTime
was one of the slowest pokes on all three systems) and
were essential if you want to do anything worthwhile
on your Mac. As for the memory-hogging extensions, three
out of five of the piglets identified by CC on each
system were Apple extensions; but hey, who needs File
Exchange, the Control Strip, or the Apple CD driver
anyway? Conflict Catcher even runs detailed system tests
that can identify non-PPC native code that could be
slowing your system down. I was so impressed that I
disabled the worst offender on my Performa (Adobe Type
Reunion) and experienced a series of system crashes
that made me think I had a certain brand of defective
tires installed on the computer. Of course, I was batting
out of my league and absolve CC of any wrongdoing -
I can look back on it and laugh now.
There’s even more to do with this solid program
as you look further. The file/folder damage scan located
and fixed some problem files on the Performa, and it
alerted me to damaged system software. I thought I would
get to use the much lauded Clean Install System Merge
feature at this point (a utility that allows you to
easily graft your own system preferences and “improvements”
onto a virgin system folder), but a simple, reinstall
of the OS 8.6 updater fixed things in a jiffy with everything
still intact. If you really have some spare time to
burn, you can also use CC to manage fonts and startup
items, switch between multiple system folders, restrict
user access to vital system components, and rebuild
the desktop. CC can provide you with tips for improving
system performance at each startup, and the new version
(8.0.7) includes support for Apple Location Manager
and OS9 as well as a Menu Bar icon for speedy access.
I should also point out that the online PDF user manual,
written by veteran Mac columnist David Pogue, is highly
readable and useful: Proust it ain’t, but the manual
is a potential Pulitzer winner compared with the slop
that ships with most software. The Cassady & Greene
website contains extensive product support, and you
can easily uninstall the whole shebang and let your
system folder go to seed if you so desire.
Essentially, Conflict Catcher is a mature, effective
system utility with features that could only be matched
by combining a bevy of shareware and freeware programs.
It works quite well when things go all funny, but lacks
punch as a preventative measure against system glitches.
If you find yourself rifling through your extensions
folder on even a semi-regular basis, just go buy it
and get on with what’s left of your life. I can
think of more useful things to buy for $79.95, but I’m
glad to know such a program exists, should bad things
happen to the good Apples in my life.
Suggested Retail Price: $79.95
(save ten dollars if you download it from the C&G
website)
Hits: Exhaustive extension
library, good at tracking down the cause of repeatable
system crashes, useful for managing multiple startup
sets, clear and highly customizable interface loaded
with information, great manual, free demo.
Misses: Helpless for inconsistent
freezes and crashes, weak as a preventative against
system problems, pricey.
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