Index: launch.scm
==================================================================
--- launch.scm
+++ launch.scm
@@ -355,12 +355,15 @@
 
 	  (thread-sleep! 0.3) ;; NFS slowness has caused grief here
 
 	  (if (args:get-arg "-xterm")
 	      (set! fullrunscript "xterm")
-	      (if (and fullrunscript (not (file-execute-access? fullrunscript)))
+	      (if (and fullrunscript 
+		       (file-exists? fullrunscript)
+		       (not (file-execute-access? fullrunscript)))
 		  (system (conc "chmod ug+x " fullrunscript))))
+
 	  ;; We are about to actually kick off the test
 	  ;; so this is a good place to remove the records for 
 	  ;; any previous runs
 	  ;; (db:test-remove-steps db run-id testname itemdat)
 	  
@@ -515,11 +518,11 @@
 	    (thread-start! th2)
 	    (thread-join! th2)
 	    (debug:print-info 0 "Megatest exectute of test " test-name ", item path " item-path " complete. Notifying the db ...")
 	    (set! keep-going #f)
 	    (thread-join! th1)
-	    (thread-sleep! 1)       ;; give thread th1 a chance to be done TODO: Verify this is needed. At 0.1 I was getting fail to stop, increased to total of 1.1 sec.
+	    (thread-sleep! 1)       ;; givbe thread th1 a chance to be done TODO: Verify this is needed. At 0.1 I was getting fail to stop, increased to total of 1.1 sec.
 	    (mutex-lock! m)
 	    (let* ((item-path (item-list->path itemdat))
 		   ;; only state and status needed - use lazy routine
 		   (testinfo  (rmt:get-testinfo-state-status run-id test-id)))
 	      ;; Am I completed?

Index: tests.scm
==================================================================
--- tests.scm
+++ tests.scm
@@ -730,27 +730,30 @@
 	     (if (or (getenv "MT_ITEMPATH")
 		     (not (string=? "" (getenv "MT_ITEMPATH"))))
 		 (conc "/" (getenv "MT_ITEMPATH"))))))
 
 (define (tests:get-testconfig test-name test-registry system-allowed #!key (force-create #f))
-  (let* ((test-path         (hash-table-ref/default 
-			     test-registry test-name 
+  (let* ((treg              (or test-registry
+				(tests:get-all)))
+	 (test-path         (hash-table-ref/default 
+			     treg test-name 
 			     (conc *toppath* "/tests/" test-name)))
 	 (test-configf (conc test-path "/testconfig"))
 	 (testexists   (and (file-exists? test-configf)(file-read-access? test-configf)))
 	 (cache-path   (tests:get-test-path-from-environment))
 	 (cache-exists (and cache-path 
 			    (not force-create)  ;; if force-create then pretend there is no cache to read
 			    (file-exists? (conc cache-path "/.testconfig"))))
 	 (cache-file   (conc cache-path "/.testconfig"))
 	 (tcfg         (if testexists
-			   (or (and cache-exists
+			   (or (and (not force-create)
+				    cache-exists
 				    (handle-exceptions
 				     exn
 				     (begin
 				       (debug:print 0 "WARNING: Failed to read " cache-file) 
-				       #f)
+				       (make-hash-table)) ;; better to return a hash and keep going - I think
 				     (configf:read-alist cache-file)))
 			       (read-config test-configf #f system-allowed environ-patt: (if system-allowed
 											     "pre-launch-env-vars"
 											     #f)))
 			   #f)))