Index: common.scm
==================================================================
--- common.scm
+++ common.scm
@@ -879,10 +879,35 @@
       (configf:lookup *configdat* "setup" "testsuite" )
       (getenv "MT_TESTSUITE_NAME")
       (if (string? *toppath* )
           (pathname-file *toppath*)
           #f))) ;; (pathname-file (current-directory)))))
+
+;; safe getting of toppath
+(define (common:get-toppath areapath)
+  (or *toppath*
+      (if areapath
+	  (begin
+	    (set! *toppath* areapath)
+	    (setenv "MT_RUN_AREA_HOME" areapath)
+	    areapath)
+	  #f)
+      (if (getenv "MT_RUN_AREA_HOME")
+	  (begin
+	    (set! *toppath* (getenv "MT_RUN_AREA_HOME"))
+	    *toppath*)
+	  #f)
+      ;; last resort, look for megatest.config
+      (let loop ((thepath (realpath ".")))
+	(if (file-exists? (conc thepath "/megatest.config"))
+	    thepath
+	    (if (equal? thepath "/")
+		(begin
+		  (debug:print-error 0 *default-log-port* "Unable to find megatest home directory.")
+		  #f)
+		(loop (pathname-directory thepath)))))
+      ))
 
 (define common:get-area-name common:get-testsuite-name)
 
 (define (common:get-db-tmp-area . junk)
   (if *db-cache-path*
@@ -1277,13 +1302,18 @@
 
 (define (common:get-linktree)
   (or (getenv "MT_LINKTREE")
       (if *configdat*
 	  (configf:lookup *configdat* "setup" "linktree")
-	  (if *toppath*
-	      (conc *toppath* "/lt")
-	      #f))))
+	  #f)
+      (if (or *toppath* (getenv "MT_RUN_AREA_HOME"))
+	  (conc (or *toppath* (getenv "MT_RUN_AREA_HOME")) "/lt")
+	  #f)
+      (let* ((tp (common:get-toppath #f))
+	     (lt (conc tp "/lt")))
+	(if (not tp)(debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "WARNING: cannot calculate best path for linktree, using " lt))
+	lt)))
 
 (define (common:args-get-runname)
   (let ((res (or (args:get-arg "-runname")
 		 (args:get-arg ":runname")
 		 (getenv "MT_RUNNAME"))))

Index: launch.scm
==================================================================
--- launch.scm
+++ launch.scm
@@ -1029,11 +1029,11 @@
   (if (and (eq? *configstatus* 'fulldata)
 	   *toppath*
 	   (not force-reread)) ;; no need to reprocess
       *toppath*   ;; return toppath
       (let* ((use-cache (common:use-cache?)) ;; BB- use-cache checks *configdat* for use-cache setting.  We do not have *configdat*.  Bootstrapping problem here.
-	     (toppath  (or *toppath* areapath (getenv "MT_RUN_AREA_HOME"))) ;; preserve toppath
+	     (toppath  (common:get-toppath areapath))
 	     (target   (common:args-get-target))
 	     (sections (if target (list "default" target) #f)) ;; for runconfigs
 	     (mtconfig (or (args:get-arg "-config") "megatest.config")) ;; allow overriding megatest.config 
              (cachefiles (launch:get-cache-file-paths areapath toppath target mtconfig))
 	     ;; checking for null cachefiles should not be necessary, I was seeing error car of '(), might be a chicken bug or a red herring ...
@@ -1224,10 +1224,11 @@
 	(let ((cfname (args:get-arg "-append-config")))
 	  (if (and cfname
 		   (file-read-access? cfname))
 	      (read-config cfname *configdat* #t))) ;; values are added to the hash, no need to do anything special.
 	*toppath*)))
+
 
 (define (get-best-disk confdat testconfig)
   (let* ((disks   (or (and testconfig (hash-table-ref/default testconfig "disks" #f))
 		      (hash-table-ref/default confdat "disks" #f)))
 	 (minspace (let ((m (configf:lookup confdat "setup" "minspace")))
@@ -1234,11 +1235,11 @@
 		     (string->number (or m "10000")))))
     (if disks 
 	(let ((res (common:get-disk-with-most-free-space disks minspace))) ;; min size of 1000, seems tad dumb
 	  (if res
 	      (cdr res)
-	      (begin
+	      (begin ;; DEAD CODE PATH - REVISIT!
 ;;		(if (common:low-noise-print 20 "No valid disks or no disk with enough space")
 ;;		    (debug:print-error 0 *default-log-port* "No valid disks found in megatest.config. Please add some to your [disks] section and ensure the directory exists and has enough space!\n    You can change minspace in the [setup] section of megatest.config. Current setting is: " minspace))
 		;;(exit 1)
                  (if (null? disks)
                      (cons 1 (conc *toppath* "/runs"))
@@ -1247,12 +1248,21 @@
                          (let ((result (handle-exceptions exn #f (create-directory (cadr head) #t))))
                            (if result
                                result
                                (if (null? tail)
                                    (cons 1 (conc *toppath* "/runs"))
-                                   (loop (car tail) (cdr tail)))))))))))))) ;; the code creates the necessary directories if it does not exist and returns the path.
-
+                                   (loop (car tail) (cdr tail)))))))))))
+	;; no disks definition - use mtrah/runs, fall back to currdir/runs
+	(let* ((toppath (or *toppath*
+			    (common:get-toppath *toppath*)
+			    (begin
+			      (debug:print-error 0 *default-log-port* "Creating runs dir in current directory, this is probably not what you wanted. Please check your setup.")
+			      (current-directory))))
+	       (runsdir (conc toppath "/runs")))
+	  (if (not (file-exists? runsdir))(create-directory runsdir))
+	  runsdir)
+	))) ;; the code creates the necessary directories if it does not exist and returns the path.
 
 (define (launch:test-copy test-src-path test-path)
   (let* ((ovrcmd (let ((cmd (configf:lookup *configdat* "setup" "testcopycmd")))
 		   (if cmd
 		       ;; substitute the TEST_SRC_PATH and TEST_TARG_PATH