diff --git a/src/core/settings.c b/src/core/settings.c
index 065c70ea..1ddc6fa6 100644
--- a/src/core/settings.c
+++ b/src/core/settings.c
@@ -393,16 +393,19 @@ void sig_term(int n)
    would be nice but would just take more space without much real benefit */
 static unsigned int file_checksum(const char *fname)
 {
-	FILE *f;
-	int n = 0;
+        char buf[512];
+        int f, ret, n;
 	unsigned int checksum = 0;
 
-	f = fopen(fname, "rb");
-	if (f == NULL) return 0;
+	f = open(fname, O_RDONLY);
+	if (f == -1) return 0;
 
-	while (!feof(f))
-		checksum += fgetc(f) << ((n++ & 3)*8);
-	fclose(f);
+        n = 0;
+	while ((ret = read(f, buf, sizeof(buf))) > 0) {
+		while (ret-- > 0)
+			checksum += buf[ret] << ((n++ & 3)*8);
+	}
+	close(f);
 	return checksum;
 }
 
@@ -439,31 +442,41 @@ int irssi_config_is_changed(const char *fname)
 static CONFIG_REC *parse_configfile(const char *fname)
 {
 	CONFIG_REC *config;
+	struct stat statbuf;
+        const char *path;
 	char *real_fname;
 
 	real_fname = fname != NULL ? g_strdup(fname) :
 		g_strdup_printf("%s"G_DIR_SEPARATOR_S".irssi"
 				G_DIR_SEPARATOR_S"config", g_get_home_dir());
-	config = config_open(real_fname, -1);
 
-	if (config != NULL)
-		config_parse(config);
-	else if (fname == NULL) {
+	if (stat(real_fname, &statbuf) == 0)
+		path = real_fname;
+	else {
 		/* user configuration file not found, use the default one
 		   from sysconfdir */
-		config = config_open(SYSCONFDIR"/irssi/config", -1);
-		if (config != NULL)
-			config_parse(config);
-		else {
+                path = SYSCONFDIR"/irssi/config";
+		if (stat(path, &statbuf) != 0) {
 			/* no configuration file in sysconfdir ..
 			   use the build-in configuration */
-			config = config_open(NULL, -1);
-			config_parse_data(config, default_config, "internal");
+                        path = NULL;
 		}
-
-                config_change_file_name(config, real_fname, 0660);
 	}
 
+	config = config_open(path, -1);
+	if (config == NULL) {
+		last_config_error_msg =
+			g_strdup_printf("Error opening configuration file %s: %s",
+					path, g_strerror(errno));
+		config = config_open(NULL, -1);
+	}
+
+        if (path != NULL)
+		config_parse(config);
+        else
+		config_parse_data(config, default_config, "internal");
+
+	config_change_file_name(config, real_fname, 0660);
         irssi_config_save_state(real_fname);
 	g_free(real_fname);
 	return config;
diff --git a/src/fe-common/core/fe-log.c b/src/fe-common/core/fe-log.c
index 4278f6a9..434e094e 100644
--- a/src/fe-common/core/fe-log.c
+++ b/src/fe-common/core/fe-log.c
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ static void cmd_log_open(const char *data)
 {
         SERVER_REC *server;
         GHashTable *optlist;
-	char *targetarg, *fname, *levels;
+	char *targetarg, *fname, *levels, *servertag;
 	void *free_arg;
 	char window[MAX_INT_STRLEN];
 	LOG_REC *log;
@@ -86,15 +86,17 @@ static void cmd_log_open(const char *data)
 
 	/* -<server tag> */
 	server = cmd_options_get_server("join", optlist, NULL);
+	servertag = server == NULL ? NULL : server->tag;
 
 	if (g_hash_table_lookup(optlist, "window")) {
 		/* log by window ref# */
 		ltoa(window, active_win->refnum);
-		log_item_add(log, LOG_ITEM_WINDOW_REFNUM, window, server->tag);
+		log_item_add(log, LOG_ITEM_WINDOW_REFNUM, window,
+			     servertag);
 	} else {
 		targetarg = g_hash_table_lookup(optlist, "targets");
 		if (targetarg != NULL && *targetarg != '\0')
-			log_add_targets(log, targetarg, server->tag);
+			log_add_targets(log, targetarg, servertag);
 	}
 
 	if (g_hash_table_lookup(optlist, "autoopen"))
diff --git a/src/fe-common/core/themes.c b/src/fe-common/core/themes.c
index cf91e95a..317b3bf5 100644
--- a/src/fe-common/core/themes.c
+++ b/src/fe-common/core/themes.c
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ GHashTable *default_formats;
 static int init_finished;
 static char *init_errors;
 
-static void theme_read(THEME_REC *theme, const char *path, const char *data);
+static int theme_read(THEME_REC *theme, const char *path, const char *data);
 
 THEME_REC *theme_create(const char *path, const char *name)
 {
@@ -631,10 +631,9 @@ static void window_themes_update(void)
 
 THEME_REC *theme_load(const char *setname)
 {
-	THEME_REC *theme;
+	THEME_REC *theme, *oldtheme;
 	struct stat statbuf;
 	char *fname, *name, *p;
-        int modified;
 
         name = g_strdup(setname);
 	p = strrchr(name, '.');
@@ -659,24 +658,24 @@ THEME_REC *theme_load(const char *setname)
 		}
 	}
 
-        modified = theme != NULL;
-	if (theme != NULL) {
-		if (theme->last_modify == statbuf.st_mtime) {
-                        /* theme not modified, use the one already in memory */
-			g_free(fname);
-			g_free(name);
-			return theme;
-		}
-
-                theme_destroy(theme);
+	if (theme != NULL && theme->last_modify == statbuf.st_mtime) {
+		/* theme not modified, use the one already in memory */
+		g_free(fname);
+		g_free(name);
+		return theme;
 	}
 
+        oldtheme = theme;
 	theme = theme_create(fname, name);
 	theme->last_modify = statbuf.st_mtime;
-	theme_read(theme, theme->path, NULL);
+	if (!theme_read(theme, theme->path, NULL)) {
+                /* error reading .theme file */
+		theme_destroy(theme);
+		theme = NULL;
+	}
 
-	if (modified) {
-		/* make sure no windows use the theme we just destroyed */
+	if (oldtheme != NULL && theme != NULL) {
+		theme_destroy(oldtheme);
 		window_themes_update();
 	}
 
@@ -696,42 +695,47 @@ static void theme_read_modules(const char *module, void *value,
 	theme_init_module(rec->theme, module, rec->config);
 }
 
-static void theme_read(THEME_REC *theme, const char *path, const char *data)
+static void read_error(const char *str)
+{
+	char *old;
+
+	if (init_finished)
+                printtext(NULL, NULL, MSGLEVEL_CLIENTERROR, "%s", str);
+	else if (init_errors == NULL)
+		init_errors = g_strdup(str);
+	else {
+                old = init_errors;
+		init_errors = g_strconcat(init_errors, "\n", str, NULL);
+                g_free(old);
+	}
+}
+
+static int theme_read(THEME_REC *theme, const char *path, const char *data)
 {
 	CONFIG_REC *config;
 	THEME_READ_REC rec;
+        char *str;
 
-	if (data == NULL) {
-		config = config_open(path, -1);
-		if (config == NULL) {
-			/* didn't exist or no access? */
-			theme->default_color = 0;
-			theme->default_bold_color = 7;
-			return;
-		}
-		config_parse(config);
-	} else {
-		config = config_open(NULL, -1);
-		config_parse_data(config, data, "internal");
+	config = config_open(data == NULL ? path : NULL, -1) ;
+	if (config == NULL) {
+		/* didn't exist or no access? */
+		str = g_strdup_printf("Error reading theme file %s: %s",
+				      path, g_strerror(errno));
+		read_error(str);
+		g_free(str);
+		return FALSE;
 	}
 
-	if (config_last_error(config) != NULL) {
-		char *str;
+	if (data != NULL)
+		config_parse_data(config, data, "internal");
+        else
+		config_parse(config);
 
+	if (config_last_error(config) != NULL) {
 		str = g_strdup_printf(_("Ignored errors in theme %s:\n%s"),
 				      theme->name, config_last_error(config));
-		if (!init_finished) {
-			if (init_errors == NULL)
-				init_errors = str;
-			else {
-				init_errors = g_strconcat(init_errors, "\n",
-							  str, NULL);
-                                g_free(str);
-			}
-		} else {
-			signal_emit("gui dialog", 2, "error", str);
-			g_free(str);
-		}
+		read_error(str);
+                g_free(str);
 	}
 
 	theme->default_color =
@@ -746,6 +750,8 @@ static void theme_read(THEME_REC *theme, const char *path, const char *data)
 	g_hash_table_foreach(default_formats,
 			     (GHFunc) theme_read_modules, &rec);
 	config_close(config);
+
+        return TRUE;
 }
 
 typedef struct {