Q: ClarisWorks runs reliably on the computers at my school but will not launch on my system at home. What might cause this problem?
A: When you launch ClarisWorks, the program performs a number of tasks including building a custom font menu, checking for viruses, locating the Claris Help, Dictionary, and File Translation files, and initializing memory. Thus, a crash at startup could indicate a problem with fonts, a problem with the disk or disk directory, a virus, a problem with the way you arranged the Claris support files, or a conflict with one of your system extensions. This is complicated, but not unmanageable.
Start by rebuilding your desktop; that is, boot your computer while you hold down the Command and Option Keys and respond "OK" to the on-screen prompt.
Next, check for conflicts between your system extensions (CDevs and Inits) and ClarisWorks by de-activating your extensions and then running ClarisWorks. [Ed: A "CDev" is a Control Panel Device that you can modify through the Macintosh Control Panel. CDevs show up as "Control Panel Documents" when you list the contents of the System Folder by name, date, size, or kind. "Init" is a generic term for any other system startup extension.]
If you use System 7, this process is easy; just hold down the Shift Key while you reboot your system. That will keep your System Extensions from loading. If you can then launch ClarisWorks, your problem is an Init or CDev. Remove them from your System Folder and then systematically reinsert them and reboot until you identify the problem.
If you use System 6.x, you must move all your Inits and CDevs from your System Folder to another folder and reboot. Then reinstall your system extensions one at a time, restart, and launch ClarisWorks until you identify the source of your problem. [Ed: You can identify the Inits and CDevs by viewing the contents of your System Folder by "Kind". That makes it easy to move all the Control Panel Documents and Startup Documents to a different folder.]
Finally, you should check for directory problems by running Disk First Aid, the Norton Utilities, MacTools, or some other disk utility.