diff --git a/maven-artifact/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/artifact/resolver/DefaultArtifactResolver.java b/maven-artifact/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/artifact/resolver/DefaultArtifactResolver.java
index 13f863c4f9..b2ab46dc97 100644
--- a/maven-artifact/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/artifact/resolver/DefaultArtifactResolver.java
+++ b/maven-artifact/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/artifact/resolver/DefaultArtifactResolver.java
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import org.apache.maven.artifact.AbstractArtifactComponent;
 import org.apache.maven.artifact.Artifact;
 import org.apache.maven.artifact.manager.WagonManager;
 import org.apache.maven.artifact.metadata.ArtifactMetadataSource;
+import org.apache.maven.artifact.metadata.ArtifactMetadataRetrievalException;
 import org.apache.maven.artifact.repository.ArtifactRepository;
 import org.apache.maven.wagon.TransferFailedException;
 
@@ -115,24 +116,26 @@ public class DefaultArtifactResolver
                                                          ArtifactMetadataSource source )
         throws ArtifactResolutionException
     {
+        ArtifactResolutionResult artifactResolutionResult;
+
         try
         {
-            ArtifactResolutionResult artifactResolutionResult = collect( artifacts,
-                                                                         localRepository,
-                                                                         remoteRepositories,
-                                                                         source );
-
-            for ( Iterator i = artifactResolutionResult.getArtifacts().values().iterator(); i.hasNext(); )
-            {
-                resolve( (Artifact) i.next(), remoteRepositories, localRepository );
-            }
-
-            return artifactResolutionResult;
+            artifactResolutionResult = collect( artifacts,
+                                                localRepository,
+                                                remoteRepositories,
+                                                source );
         }
-        catch ( ArtifactCollectionException e )
+        catch ( TransitiveArtifactResolutionException e )
         {
-            throw new ArtifactResolutionException( "Error while resolving transitive dependencies: ", e );
+            throw new ArtifactResolutionException( "Error transitively resolving artifacts: ", e );
         }
+
+        for ( Iterator i = artifactResolutionResult.getArtifacts().values().iterator(); i.hasNext(); )
+        {
+            resolve( (Artifact) i.next(), remoteRepositories, localRepository );
+        }
+
+        return artifactResolutionResult;
     }
 
     public ArtifactResolutionResult resolveTransitively( Artifact artifact,
@@ -157,7 +160,7 @@ public class DefaultArtifactResolver
                                              ArtifactRepository localRepository,
                                              Set remoteRepositories,
                                              ArtifactMetadataSource source )
-        throws ArtifactCollectionException
+        throws TransitiveArtifactResolutionException
     {
         ArtifactResolutionResult result = new ArtifactResolutionResult();
 
@@ -187,13 +190,7 @@ public class DefaultArtifactResolver
 
                     if ( !newVersion.equals( knownVersion ) )
                     {
-                        /*
-                        getLogger().warn( "Version conflict: " + id + ", " +
-                                          "using version: " + knownArtifact.getVersion() + ", " +
-                                          "found version: " + newArtifact.getVersion() );
-
                         addConflict( result, knownArtifact, newArtifact );
-                        */
                     }
                 }
                 else
@@ -207,9 +204,9 @@ public class DefaultArtifactResolver
                     {
                         referencedDependencies = source.retrieve( newArtifact );
                     }
-                    catch ( Exception e )
+                    catch ( ArtifactMetadataRetrievalException e )
                     {
-                        throw new ArtifactCollectionException( "Problem building project: ", e );
+                        throw new TransitiveArtifactResolutionException( "Error retrieving metadata: ", e );
                     }
 
                     // the pom for given dependency exisit we will add it to the queue
diff --git a/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/artifact/MavenMetadataSource.java b/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/artifact/MavenMetadataSource.java
index fd2d67b07b..affc55c0ef 100644
--- a/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/artifact/MavenMetadataSource.java
+++ b/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/artifact/MavenMetadataSource.java
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import org.apache.maven.artifact.metadata.ArtifactMetadataRetrievalException;
 import org.apache.maven.artifact.metadata.ArtifactMetadataSource;
 import org.apache.maven.artifact.repository.ArtifactRepository;
 import org.apache.maven.artifact.resolver.ArtifactResolver;
+import org.apache.maven.artifact.resolver.ArtifactResolutionException;
 import org.apache.maven.model.Dependency;
 import org.apache.maven.model.Model;
 import org.apache.maven.model.io.xpp3.MavenXpp3Reader;