diff --git a/deluge/common.py b/deluge/common.py
index 63c364d6c..033bbd2ef 100644
--- a/deluge/common.py
+++ b/deluge/common.py
@@ -42,12 +42,18 @@ import subprocess
 import platform
 import sys
 import chardet
+import pkg_resources
+import gettext
+import locale
 
 try:
     import json
 except ImportError:
     import simplejson as json
 
+from deluge.error import *
+from deluge.log import LOG as log
+
 # Do a little hack here just in case the user has json-py installed since it
 # has a different api
 if not hasattr(json, "dumps"):
@@ -63,10 +69,6 @@ if not hasattr(json, "dumps"):
     json.dump = dump
     json.load = load
 
-import pkg_resources
-import gettext
-import locale
-
 # Initialize gettext
 try:
     if hasattr(locale, "bindtextdomain"):
@@ -75,14 +77,11 @@ try:
         locale.textdomain("deluge")
     gettext.install("deluge", pkg_resources.resource_filename("deluge", "i18n"), unicode=True)
 except Exception, e:
-    from deluge.log import LOG as log
     log.error("Unable to initialize gettext/locale!")
     log.exception(e)
     import __builtin__
     __builtin__.__dict__["_"] = lambda x: x
 
-from deluge.error import *
-
 LT_TORRENT_STATE = {
     "Queued": 0,
     "Checking": 1,
@@ -102,7 +101,6 @@ LT_TORRENT_STATE = {
     7: "Checking Resume Data"
 }
 
-
 TORRENT_STATE = [
     "Allocating",
     "Checking",
@@ -159,11 +157,15 @@ def get_default_config_dir(filename=None):
         else:
             return os.path.join(appDataPath, "deluge")
     else:
-        import xdg.BaseDirectory
-        if filename:
-            return os.path.join(xdg.BaseDirectory.save_config_path("deluge"), filename)
-        else:
-            return xdg.BaseDirectory.save_config_path("deluge")
+        from xdg.BaseDirectory import save_config_path
+        try:
+            if filename:
+                return os.path.join(save_config_path("deluge"), filename)
+            else:
+                return save_config_path("deluge")
+        except OSError, e:
+            log.error("Unable to use default config directory, exiting... (%s)", e)
+            sys.exit(1)
 
 def get_default_download_dir():
     """
diff --git a/deluge/main.py b/deluge/main.py
index d7f3df257..f8953d2a1 100644
--- a/deluge/main.py
+++ b/deluge/main.py
@@ -42,6 +42,8 @@
 import os
 import sys
 from optparse import OptionParser
+from logging import FileHandler
+from errno import EEXIST
 
 import deluge.log
 import deluge.common
@@ -86,6 +88,14 @@ def start_ui():
     # Get the options and args from the OptionParser
     (options, args) = parser.parse_args()
 
+    # Setup the logger
+    if options.quiet:
+        options.loglevel = "none"
+    if options.loglevel:
+        options.loglevel = options.loglevel.lower()
+    deluge.log.setupLogger(level=options.loglevel, filename=options.logfile)
+    from deluge.log import LOG as log
+
     if options.config:
         if not os.path.exists(options.config):
             # Try to create the config folder if it doesn't exist
@@ -94,7 +104,7 @@ def start_ui():
             except Exception, e:
                 pass
         elif not os.path.isdir(options.config):
-            print "Config option needs to be a directory!"
+            log.error("Config option needs to be a directory!")
             sys.exit(1)
     else:
         if not os.path.exists(deluge.common.get_default_config_dir()):
@@ -110,18 +120,8 @@ def start_ui():
         print "The default UI has been changed to", options.default_ui
         sys.exit(0)
 
-    if options.quiet:
-        options.loglevel = "none"
-
-    if options.loglevel:
-        options.loglevel = options.loglevel.lower()
-
-    # Setup the logger
-    deluge.log.setupLogger(level=options.loglevel, filename=options.logfile)
-
     version = deluge.common.get_version()
 
-    from deluge.log import LOG as log
     log.info("Deluge ui %s", version)
     log.debug("options: %s", options)
     log.debug("args: %s", args)
@@ -170,18 +170,31 @@ this should be an IP address", metavar="IFACE",
     # Get the options and args from the OptionParser
     (options, args) = parser.parse_args()
 
+    # Setup the logger
     if options.quiet:
         options.loglevel = "none"
+    if options.logfile:
+        # Try to create the logfile's directory if it doesn't exist
+        try:
+            os.makedirs(os.path.abspath(os.path.dirname(options.logfile)))
+        except OSError, e:
+            if e.errno != EEXIST:
+                print "There was an error creating the log directory, exiting... (%s)" % e
+                sys.exit(1)
+    deluge.log.setupLogger(level=options.loglevel, filename=options.logfile)
+    from deluge.log import LOG as log
 
     if options.config:
         if not deluge.configmanager.set_config_dir(options.config):
-            print "There was an error setting the config dir! Exiting.."
+            log.error("There was an error setting the config directory! Exiting...")
             sys.exit(1)
 
     # Sets the options.logfile to point to the default location
     def open_logfile():
         if not options.logfile:
             options.logfile = deluge.configmanager.get_config_dir("deluged.log")
+            file_handler = FileHandler(options.logfile)
+            log.addHandler(file_handler)
 
     # Writes out a pidfile if necessary
     def write_pidfile():
@@ -208,15 +221,6 @@ this should be an IP address", metavar="IFACE",
         # Do not daemonize
         write_pidfile()
 
-    # Setup the logger
-    try:
-        # Try to make the logfile's directory if it doesn't exist
-        os.makedirs(os.path.abspath(os.path.dirname(options.logfile)))
-    except:
-        pass
-    deluge.log.setupLogger(level=options.loglevel, filename=options.logfile)
-    from deluge.log import LOG as log
-
     if options.profile:
         import hotshot
         hsp = hotshot.Profile(deluge.configmanager.get_config_dir("deluged.profile"))