Problem: How can I determine for sure whether or not there is a conflict between extensions?

Solution: Extensions are items in a number of places in the System Folder that enhance and change the behavior of the Mac OS. If your computer does not start up properly, freezes, crashes or behaves erratically, it is possible that you have two extensions that are incompatible with each other. MacFixIt keeps reports of many of known problems.

1. You can usually determine for sure whether or not you have a conflict between extensions by starting your computer with the extensions off. You do this by holding down the shift key immediately after you activate the power switch or after you restart and hear the startup "BONG". Release the shift key when you see these words on the screen, "Extensions Off".
   
   
2. Now try whatever was causing the problem before. If your machine was crashing on startup, it shouldn't now -- if it does, you have another problem. Follow this link to a page that will have more information on Startup crashes. If you were having a problem with an application, especially an internet application, there's a good chance that you won't be able to use it with all extensions off.
   
   
3. Go to your Apple menu, choose Control Panels:Extension Manager. This will open the Extension Manager, a Control Panel designed to assist you in dealing with extension conflicts, among other things. If a box pops up saying that "the selected set does not match the contents of the System Folder", tell it to Create New Set. If it says that there are missing extensions, tell it to Save the information in a convenient place, such as the desktop.
   
   
4. Now a window with a list of all extensions, control panels, shared libraries and startup/shutdown items on your computer should appear. If you suspect a specific item is causing the problem, you can scroll through the list and turn off that item. Otherwise, go to where it says "Selected Set", near the top of the window, and choose "Mac OS [version number] All" from the pop-up menu.
   
   
5. If you are trying to troubleshoot a problem with Bear Access, turn on KClient in the Control Panels and File Delivery Layer and VCSAPI in the Extensions folder. When the Extensions Manager asks you to duplicate the set, go ahead and do so. Name it something useful like "Test Set".
   
   
6. Now click on the Restart button beneath the list. (Note: Extension conflicts may sometimes cause problems with restarting. If the computer freezes or refuses to restart, you may need to force a restart.)
   
   
7. When your computer restarts, try to reproduce the action that caused the problem before. If the problem does not occur, you can conclude that it was indeed an extension conflict, caused by a third-party extension. If it still occurs, it may be a problem with the system software, or the application itself.
   
   
8. If it doesn't seem to be an extension conflict, sometimes trashing the preferences associated with the application will help. To do this, go into the Preferences folder, in the System folder, and look for "[Application] Preferences". For example, random crashes may sometimes be a result of a corrupted Finder Preferences file. Likewise, problems in Bear Access can sometimes be resolved by deleting the preferences files associated with Bear Access: "FDL.packages" and "FDL.services" (in the Project SALSA folder in the Preferences folder, not the one on the Hard Drive).
   
   
9. If the problem occurred with all 3rd-party extensions off, reinstallation of the affected software, or the OS, may help. For help with reinstalling Bear access, follow this link.
   
   
10. If you've confirmed that you have an extension conflict, you now need to figure out what extension is causing the problem. Follow this link to a page which details how to determine the specific extension which causes the problem.

    Note: There are some utilities which aid in the finding of extension conflicts such as Conflict Catcher. However, the HelpDesk does not support such programs.