What is Conflict Catcher 3?

Conflict Catcher was a popular utility for early System 7 users which did not have the Extensions Manager.  Conflict Catcher allowed users to solve startup problems due to incompatible control panels or extensions.

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What can you say about a program that garnered a five-star rating from Macworld less than a year ago — and just got dramatically better? Conflict Catcher II has proven itself to be a flawless tool for managing extensions and control panels. Conflict Catcher 3 is the same — but with this substantial update, the program does its job with greater efficiency and has an even more flexible, friendly interface.

Conflict Catcher’s systematic approach to isolating extension conflicts has gotten more intelligent, speeding up conflict resolution. For example, the program now records the date on which each new start-up file is installed on your Mac. When you use Conflict Catcher to track down a conflict, the program starts by turning off the most recently installed control panels and extensions — the most likely suspects when a new conflict arises. It can also scan for damaged startup files immediately, in case a damaged resource is responsible. And if you have a hunch about which file might be causing the problem, you can even point Conflict Catcher in the right direction using the new Intuition dialog box. With this feature, you identify the suspect files. Conflict Catcher first tests your hunches, then moves on to other suspects if the problem isn’t solved.

Even when you’re not tracking down a conflict, the program gives you a better handle on the mysterious extension and control-panel files that lurk within your System Folder. You can, for example, have Conflict Catcher display the names of start-up files as well as their icons during your Mac’s start-up sequence — a great way to figure out the identity of a file you can’t recognize by its icon alone.

As in previous versions. Conflict Catcher 3 allows you to group extensions and control panels into sets in order to create customized start-up configurations. You can also assign each configuration its own keyboard shortcut and start-up sound, making it easy to select the configuration you want. During a work session, you can choose from your saved sets using the new Conflict Catcher menu (which appears in your Mac’s menu bar at all times), then restart your machine. You can also launch Conflict Catcher from the menu bar at any time. All of this makes managing your start-up files disarmingly simple.

Conflict Catcher’s main window now lets you display and sort start-up files in seven different list views instead of four. You can sort files by loading order, name, kind, folder, date installed, or amount of memory used, or by whether they’re enabled. In addition, the resizable main window now includes a second column that can display each item’s kind, folder, date installed, or memory use. Clicking on any listed file displays even more detailed information about it, such as its icon, version number, type/creator code, and a description of its function.

The program lets you color-code start-up files in list views — you can have all extensions appear in blue, for example — and the colors are fully customizable. Do you really need to be able to display your list of control panels and extensions in 16 million colors? Probably not — but it certainly doesn’t hurt to have such conveniences either.

The Last Word

Even with all these interface enhancements, the price is still right. Conflict Catcher offers unparalleled control over the ever-growing number of components that make up your system software. When conflicts arise. Conflict Catcher helps you home in on the problem with the elegance and efficiency that characterize the very best Mac programs.

Schorr, Joseph. (September 1995). Conflict Catcher 3. Macworld. (pg. 69).

Download Conflict Catcher 3 for Mac

Architecture

Motorola 68K

System Requirements

From Mac OS 7.0 up to Mac OS 7.6

Compatibility notes

Architecture: 68K or PPC

Mac OS 7.x - Mac OS 7.6.1

 

Emulating this? It could probably run under: Basilisk II