Crash-Proof Tools

John Montgomery

It seems silly to buy fast hardware and install the latest version of a desktop OS but then limit yourself to installing and running as few applications as you can. Yet that's the best way to keep crashes to a minimum. But isn't there something out there that will let you have your cake and eat it, too? The answer is yes. There's a variety of tools that can help you avoid crashes and recover from them a little more gracefully. Here are four.

Symantec Norton Utilities

Available in both Macintosh and Windows versions (although they are different), Symantec's Norton Utilities includes CrashGuard, Symantec's entry in the "catch the crash before it happens" field. The package also includes Symantec's mature Disk Doctor, for repairing damaged disk drives, and the Macintosh version includes a bootable CD-ROM. See http://www.symantec.com/ .

Cybermedia FirstAid

Of all the features that are included in the FirstAid package, two are aimed specifically at killing system crashes: FirstAid Guardian and AutoFix. FirstAid Guardian monitors your system to watch for crashes, and it tracks changes to your system, making it easier to uninstall software. AutoFix can scan your system for missing or misplaced drivers and DLLs and automatically repair them. See http://www.cybermedia.com/products/firstaid/fahome.html .

Casady & Greene Conflict Catcher

On the Macintosh, extension conflicts are the source of a large number of system crashes. Conflict Catcher (which now supports Mac OS 8.1) has the ability to check for potential conflicts and allows you to choose which extensions to load. See http://www.casadyg.com/C &G/Products/CC4/features.html.

Network Associates Nuts & Bolts

The Nuts & Bolts utility includes two tools that are of particular interest to the anti-crash crowd. First is the Registry Wizard, which is a tool for making sense of the Windows Registry. More important is the Bomb Shelter tool, which (in theory, anyway) catches crashes before they happen and enables you to close the program that's crashing. See http://www.nai.com/products/retail/diagnostic/nuts.asp .