Corrupt Prefs

If your problems seem to be related to one particular application, the preferences for that application may have become corrupt. The preferences for most programs are found in the Preferences folder of the System folder. Simply drag the preferences file for the affected program to the trash and try to open and use the program. Almost every program on the market will rebuild a preferences file of default settings when it finds its preferences are missing. The good news is that this may cure the crashes. The bad news is that you will have to re-enter your custom settings, and in some cases you may need to re-enter your registration serial number.

Remember, in this matter, the Finder is just like other applications. If you have crashes while opening folders, duplicating items, or simply moving around in the Finder, the prefs may have been corrupted and need to be removed.