diff --git a/src/helma/main/Server.java b/src/helma/main/Server.java
index f7a3081e..d28c8870 100644
--- a/src/helma/main/Server.java
+++ b/src/helma/main/Server.java
@@ -32,10 +32,6 @@ import java.io.*;
 import java.rmi.registry.*;
 import java.rmi.server.*;
 import java.util.*;
-import java.net.Socket;
-import java.net.InetAddress;
-import java.net.UnknownHostException;
-import java.net.InetSocketAddress;
 
 import helma.util.ResourceProperties;
 
@@ -109,7 +105,9 @@ public class Server implements Runnable {
 
         // create system properties
         sysProps = new ResourceProperties();
-        sysProps.addResource(new FileResource(config.getPropFile()));
+        if (config.hasPropFile()) {
+            sysProps.addResource(new FileResource(config.getPropFile()));
+        }
     }
 
 
@@ -304,13 +302,6 @@ public class Server implements Runnable {
         if (!config.hasHomeDir()) {
             throw new Exception ("couldn't determine helma directory");
         }
-
-        // try to transform hopHome directory to its canonical representation
-        try {
-            config.setHomeDir(config.getHomeDir().getCanonicalFile());
-        } catch (IOException iox) {
-            config.setHomeDir(config.getHomeDir().getAbsoluteFile());
-        }
     }
 
 
diff --git a/src/helma/main/ServerConfig.java b/src/helma/main/ServerConfig.java
index 6d0ebf7e..9217f868 100644
--- a/src/helma/main/ServerConfig.java
+++ b/src/helma/main/ServerConfig.java
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ public class ServerConfig {
     }
 
     public void setPropFile(File propFile) {
-        this.propFile = propFile;
+        this.propFile = propFile == null ? null : propFile.getAbsoluteFile();
     }
 
     public File getHomeDir() {
@@ -101,6 +101,6 @@ public class ServerConfig {
     }
 
     public void setHomeDir(File homeDir) {
-        this.homeDir = homeDir;
+        this.homeDir = homeDir == null ? null : homeDir.getAbsoluteFile();
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/helma/servlet/StandaloneServletClient.java b/src/helma/servlet/StandaloneServletClient.java
index 6cc24cba..d31e0ce0 100644
--- a/src/helma/servlet/StandaloneServletClient.java
+++ b/src/helma/servlet/StandaloneServletClient.java
@@ -159,6 +159,7 @@ public final class StandaloneServletClient extends AbstractServletClient {
             ServerConfig config = new ServerConfig();
             config.setHomeDir(hopHome);
             Server server = new Server(config);
+            server.init();
 
             app = new Application(appName, server, repositories, appHome, dbHome);
             app.init();