@@ -134,10 +134,14 @@
 	tree
 	vgmod
         ducttape-lib
 	)
 
+;; globals to dashboard module
+(define *updaters-running* #f)
+(define *updaters-thread*  #f)
+
 (define help (conc 
 	      "Megatest Dashboard, documentation at http://www.kiatoa.com/fossils/megatest
   version " megatest-version "
   license GPL, Copyright (C) Matt Welland 2012-2017
 
@@ -3662,19 +3666,19 @@
      numruns
      testnamepatt
      keypatts)))
 
 (define (dashboard:runs-tab-updater commondat tab-num)
-  (debug:catch-and-dump 
-   (lambda ()
+  ;; (debug:catch-and-dump 
+  ;;  (lambda ()
      (let* ((tabdat (dboard:common-get-tabdat commondat tab-num: tab-num))
 	    (dbkeys (dboard:tabdat-dbkeys tabdat)))
        (dashboard:do-update-rundat tabdat)
        (let ((uidat (dboard:commondat-uidat commondat)))
 	 (update-buttons tabdat uidat (dboard:tabdat-numruns tabdat) (dboard:tabdat-num-tests tabdat)))
        ))
-   "dashboard:runs-tab-updater"))
+   ;; "dashboard:runs-tab-updater"))
 
 ;;======================================================================
 ;; The heavy lifting starts here
 ;;======================================================================
 
@@ -3715,35 +3719,46 @@
 	(dboard:commondat-add-updater 
 	 commondat 
 	 (lambda ()
 	   (dashboard:runs-tab-updater commondat 1))
 	 tab-num: 2)
+	
 	(iup:callback-set! *tim*
 			   "ACTION_CB"
 			   (lambda (time-obj)
-			     (let ((update-is-running #f))
-			     (mutex-lock! (dboard:commondat-update-mutex commondat))
-			     (set! update-is-running (dboard:commondat-updating commondat))
-			     (if (not update-is-running)
-			     (dboard:commondat-updating-set! commondat #t))
-			     (mutex-unlock! (dboard:commondat-update-mutex commondat))
-			     (if (not update-is-running) ;; we know that the update was not running and we now have a lock on doing an update
-			     (begin
-			     (dboard:common-run-curr-updaters commondat) ;; (dashboard:run-update commondat)
-			     (mutex-lock! (dboard:commondat-update-mutex commondat))
-			     (dboard:commondat-updating-set! commondat #f)
-			     (mutex-unlock! (dboard:commondat-update-mutex commondat)))
+			     (if (not *updaters-thread*)
+				 (begin
+				   ;; (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "Updater started...")
+				   (set! *updaters-thread*
+					 (make-thread
+					  (lambda ()
+					    (dboard:common-run-curr-updaters commondat))))
+				   (thread-start! *updaters-thread*))
+				 (begin
+				   (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "Updater restarted...")
+				   (thread-resume! *updaters-thread*)))
+			     (thread-sleep! 0.25)
+			     (if (eq? (thread-state *updaters-thread*) 'running)
+				 (begin
+				   (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "Updater suspended...")
+				   (thread-suspend! *updaters-thread*))
+				 (begin
+				   (set! *updaters-thread* #f)
+				   ;; (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "Updater done...")
 				   ))
 			     1))))
       
-      (let ((th1 (make-thread (lambda ()
-				(thread-sleep! 1)
-				(dboard:common-run-curr-updaters commondat 0) ;; force update of summary tab 
-				) "update buttons once"))
-	    (th2 (make-thread iup:main-loop "Main loop")))
-	(thread-start! th2)
-	(thread-join! th2)))))
+      ;; (let ((th1 (make-thread (lambda ()
+      ;; 				(thread-sleep! 1)
+      ;; 				(dboard:common-run-curr-updaters commondat 0) ;; force update of summary tab 
+      ;; 				) "update buttons once"))
+      ;; 	    (th2 (make-thread iup:main-loop "Main loop")))
+      ;; 	(thread-start! th2)
+      ;; 	(thread-join! th2))
+      
+      (iup:main-loop)
+      )))
 
 (define (get-debugcontrolf)
   (let ((debugcontrolf (conc (get-environment-variable "HOME") "/.dashboardrc")))
     (if (common:file-exists? debugcontrolf)
 	debugcontrolf