diff --git a/mod/install.php b/mod/install.php
index 2a791b98c8..86edc4c287 100644
--- a/mod/install.php
+++ b/mod/install.php
@@ -17,11 +17,21 @@ function install_post(&$a) {
 	$db = new dba($dbhost, $dbuser, $dbpass, $dbdata, $true);
 
 	if(mysqli_connect_errno()) {
-		notice( t('Could not connect to database.') . EOL);
-		return;
+		$db = new dba($dbhost, $dbuser, $dbpass, '', true);
+		if(! mysql_connect_errno()) {
+			$r = q("CREATE DATABASE '%s'",
+					dbesc($dbdata)
+			);
+			if($r) 
+				$db = new dba($dbhost, $dbuser, $dbpass, $dbdata, $true);
+		}
+		if(mysqli_connect_errno()) {
+			notice( t('Could not create/connect to database.') . EOL);
+			return;
+		}
 	}
-	else
-		notice( t('Connected to database.') . EOL);
+
+	notice( t('Connected to database.') . EOL);
 
 	$tpl = load_view_file('view/htconfig.tpl');
 	$txt = replace_macros($tpl,array(
@@ -67,8 +77,13 @@ function install_post(&$a) {
 
 function install_content(&$a) {
 
+	$o = '';
+
 	notice( t('Welcome to Friendika.') . EOL);
 
+
+	check_funcs();
+
 	$o .= check_htconfig();
 	if(strlen($o))
 		return $o;
@@ -106,6 +121,18 @@ function check_php(&$phpath) {
 	return $o;
 }
 
+function check_funcs() {
+	if(! function_exists('curl_init')) 
+		notice( t('Error: libCURL PHP module required but not installed.') . EOL);
+	if(! function_exists('imagecreatefromjpeg')) 
+		notice( t('Error: GD graphics PHP module with JPEG support required but not installed.') . EOL);
+	if(! function_exists('openssl_public_encrypt')) 
+		notice( t('Error: openssl PHP module required but not installed.') . EOL);	
+	if(! function_exists('mysqli_connect')) 
+		notice( t('Error: mysqli PHP module required but not installed.') . EOL);	
+}
+
+
 function check_htconfig() {
 
 	if(((file_exists('.htconfig.php')) && (! is_writable('.htconfig.php')))
diff --git a/mod/register.php b/mod/register.php
index ba6cffea0b..3b26f69712 100644
--- a/mod/register.php
+++ b/mod/register.php
@@ -205,9 +205,11 @@ function register_post(&$a) {
 
 	}
 
-	require_once('include/Photo.php');
-    $nograv = get_config('system','no_gravatar');
-	if(! $nograv) {
+	$use_gravatar = ((get_config('system','no_gravatar')) ? false : true);
+	if($use_gravatar) {
+
+		require_once('include/Photo.php');
+
 		$photo = gravatar_img($email);
 		$photo_failure = false;
 
@@ -246,6 +248,7 @@ function register_post(&$a) {
 			}
 		}
 	}
+
 	if( $a->config['register_policy'] == REGISTER_OPEN ) {
 		$email_tpl = load_view_file("view/register_open_eml.tpl");
 		$email_tpl = replace_macros($email_tpl, array(
@@ -302,7 +305,6 @@ function register_post(&$a) {
 		}
 
 	}
-	
 	return;
 }}