diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/getdown/data/Application.java b/src/java/com/threerings/getdown/data/Application.java
index 6f915e7..e45f7cf 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/getdown/data/Application.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/getdown/data/Application.java
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 //
-// $Id: Application.java,v 1.14 2004/07/20 07:35:56 mdb Exp $
+// $Id: Application.java,v 1.15 2004/07/26 17:52:32 mdb Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.getdown.data;
 
+import java.awt.Color;
 import java.awt.Rectangle;
 
 import java.io.BufferedReader;
@@ -57,9 +58,18 @@ public class Application
         /** The dimensions of the progress bar. */
         public Rectangle progress;
 
+        /** The color of the progress text. */
+        public Color progressText;
+
+        /** The color of the progress bar. */
+        public Color progressBar;
+
         /** The dimensions of the status display. */
         public Rectangle status;
 
+        /** The color of the status text. */
+        public Color statusText;
+
         /** The path (relative to the appdir) to the background image. */
         public String background;
     }
@@ -265,7 +275,13 @@ public class Application
         ui.name = (String)cdata.get("ui.name");
         ui.progress = parseRect(
             "ui.progress", (String)cdata.get("ui.progress"));
+        ui.progressText = parseColor(
+            "ui.progress_text", (String)cdata.get("ui.progress_text"));
+        ui.progressBar = parseColor(
+            "ui.progress_bar", (String)cdata.get("ui.progress_bar"));
         ui.status = parseRect("ui.progress", (String)cdata.get("ui.status"));
+        ui.statusText = parseColor(
+            "ui.status_text", (String)cdata.get("ui.status_text"));
         ui.background = (String)cdata.get("ui.background");
         return ui;
     }
@@ -422,6 +438,7 @@ public class Application
             // have also changed
             String olddig = (_digest == null) ? "" : _digest.getMetaDigest();
             try {
+                status.updateStatus("m.checking");
                 downloadControlFile(Digest.DIGEST_FILE);
                 _digest = new Digest(_appdir);
                 if (!olddig.equals(_digest.getMetaDigest())) {
@@ -643,6 +660,20 @@ public class Application
         return null;
     }
 
+    /** Used to parse color specifications from the config file. */
+    protected Color parseColor (String name, String value)
+    {
+        if (!StringUtil.blank(value)) {
+            try {
+                return new Color(Integer.parseInt(value, 16));
+            } catch (Exception e) {
+                Log.warning("Ignoring invalid '" + name + "' config '" +
+                            value + "'.");
+            }
+        }
+        return Color.white;
+    }
+
     protected File _appdir;
     protected File _config;
     protected Digest _digest;
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/getdown/launcher/Getdown.java b/src/java/com/threerings/getdown/launcher/Getdown.java
index 2e54a77..ab8872b 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/getdown/launcher/Getdown.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/getdown/launcher/Getdown.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 //
-// $Id: Getdown.java,v 1.15 2004/07/20 01:27:32 mdb Exp $
+// $Id: Getdown.java,v 1.16 2004/07/26 17:52:32 mdb Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.getdown.launcher;
 
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ public class Getdown extends Thread
         super("Getdown");
         _app = new Application(appDir);
         _msgs = ResourceBundle.getBundle("com.threerings.getdown.messages");
+        _startup = System.currentTimeMillis();
     }
 
     public void run ()
@@ -56,8 +57,13 @@ public class Getdown extends Thread
                 _ifc = _app.init();
             } catch (IOException ioe) {
                 Log.warning("Failed to parse 'getdown.txt': " + ioe);
+                createInterface();
                 _app.attemptRecovery();
+                // and re-initalize
                 _ifc = _app.init();
+                // now clear out our UI as we probably have a new one
+                _frame.dispose();
+                _frame = null;
             }
 
             for (int ii = 0; ii < MAX_LOOPS; ii++) {
@@ -209,6 +215,18 @@ public class Getdown extends Thread
 
         try {
             Process proc = _app.createProcess();
+
+            // if we have a UI open and we haven't been around for at
+            // least 5 seconds, don't stick a fork in ourselves straight
+            // away but give our lovely user a chance to see what we're
+            // doing
+            long uptime = System.currentTimeMillis() - _startup;
+            if (_frame != null && uptime < MIN_EXIST_TIME) {
+                try {
+                    Thread.sleep(MIN_EXIST_TIME - uptime);
+                } catch (Exception e) {
+                }
+            }
             System.exit(0);
         } catch (IOException ioe) {
             Log.logStackTrace(ioe);
@@ -246,7 +264,7 @@ public class Getdown extends Thread
         // create our user interface, and display it
         _frame = new JFrame(StringUtil.blank(_ifc.name) ? "" : _ifc.name);
         _frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
-        _status = new StatusPanel(_msgs, bounds, bgimg, ppos, spos);
+        _status = new StatusPanel(_msgs, bounds, bgimg, ppos, spos, _ifc);
         _frame.getContentPane().add(_status, BorderLayout.CENTER);
         _frame.pack();
         SwingUtil.centerWindow(_frame);
@@ -329,7 +347,10 @@ public class Getdown extends Thread
     protected JFrame _frame;
     protected StatusPanel _status;
 
+    protected long _startup;
+
     protected static final int MAX_LOOPS = 5;
+    protected static final long MIN_EXIST_TIME = 5000L;
 
     protected static final Rectangle DEFAULT_PPOS =
         new Rectangle(5, 5, 300, 15);
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/getdown/launcher/StatusPanel.java b/src/java/com/threerings/getdown/launcher/StatusPanel.java
index 26fc9b5..f1e860a 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/getdown/launcher/StatusPanel.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/getdown/launcher/StatusPanel.java
@@ -1,12 +1,11 @@
 //
-// $Id: StatusPanel.java,v 1.5 2004/07/20 01:25:06 mdb Exp $
+// $Id: StatusPanel.java,v 1.6 2004/07/26 17:52:32 mdb Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.getdown.launcher;
 
-import java.awt.AlphaComposite;
 import java.awt.Color;
-import java.awt.Composite;
 import java.awt.Dimension;
+import java.awt.Font;
 import java.awt.Graphics2D;
 import java.awt.Graphics;
 import java.awt.Rectangle;
@@ -24,6 +23,7 @@ import com.samskivert.text.MessageUtil;
 import com.samskivert.util.StringUtil;
 
 import com.threerings.getdown.Log;
+import com.threerings.getdown.data.Application.UpdateInterface;
 
 /**
  * Displays download and patching status.
@@ -31,13 +31,15 @@ import com.threerings.getdown.Log;
 public class StatusPanel extends JComponent
 {
     public StatusPanel (ResourceBundle msgs, Rectangle bounds,
-                        BufferedImage bgimg, Rectangle ppos, Rectangle spos)
+                        BufferedImage bgimg, Rectangle ppos, Rectangle spos,
+                        UpdateInterface ifc)
     {
         _msgs = msgs;
         _bgimg = bgimg;
         _psize = new Dimension(bounds.width, bounds.height);
         _ppos = ppos;
         _spos = spos;
+        _ifc = ifc;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -46,11 +48,17 @@ public class StatusPanel extends JComponent
     public void setProgress (int percent, long remaining)
     {
         _progress = percent;
-        String msg = (remaining > 1) ? "m.complete_remain" : "m.complete";
+        String msg = "m.complete";
+        int minutes = 0, seconds = 0;
+        if (remaining > 1) {
+            msg = "m.complete_remain";
+            minutes = (int)(remaining / 60);
+            seconds = (int)(remaining % 60);
+        }
         msg = get(msg);
         String label = MessageFormat.format(msg, new Object[] {
-            new Integer(percent), new Long(remaining) });
-        _newplab = new Label(label);
+            new Integer(percent), new Integer(minutes), new Integer(seconds) });
+        _newplab = new Label(label, _ifc.progressText, _pfont);
         repaint();
     }
 
@@ -60,7 +68,7 @@ public class StatusPanel extends JComponent
     public void setStatus (String status)
     {
         status = xlate(status);
-        _newlab = new Label(status, _lcolor, null);
+        _newlab = new Label(status, _ifc.statusText, _sfont);
         _newlab.setTargetWidth(_spos.width);
         repaint();
     }
@@ -91,20 +99,15 @@ public class StatusPanel extends JComponent
             _newplab = null;
         }
 
-        Composite ocomp = gfx.getComposite();
-        gfx.setComposite(PROGRESS_ALPHA);
-        gfx.setColor(Color.black);
+        gfx.setColor(_ifc.progressBar);
         gfx.fillRect(_ppos.x, _ppos.y, _progress * _ppos.width / 100,
                      _ppos.height);
-        gfx.setComposite(ocomp);
 
-        gfx.setColor(_lcolor);
         if (_plabel != null) {
             int xmarg = (_ppos.width - _plabel.getSize().width)/2;
             int ymarg = (_ppos.height - _plabel.getSize().height)/2;
             _plabel.render(gfx, _ppos.x + xmarg, _ppos.y + ymarg);
         }
-        gfx.draw(_ppos);
 
         if (_label != null) {
             _label.render(gfx, _spos.x, _spos.y);
@@ -182,8 +185,8 @@ public class StatusPanel extends JComponent
     protected Label _plabel, _newplab;
 
     protected Color _lcolor = new Color(0xD7C94F);
+    protected UpdateInterface _ifc;
 
-    /** The alpha level at which to paint the progress bar. */
-    protected static final Composite PROGRESS_ALPHA =
-        AlphaComposite.getInstance(AlphaComposite.SRC_OVER, 0.25f);
+    protected static final Font _sfont = new Font("SansSerif", Font.PLAIN, 12);
+    protected static final Font _pfont = new Font("SansSerif", Font.BOLD, 12);
 }
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/getdown/messages.properties b/src/java/com/threerings/getdown/messages.properties
index 5722078..0eef4a4 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/getdown/messages.properties
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/getdown/messages.properties
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 #
-# $Id: messages.properties,v 1.4 2004/07/19 12:39:08 mdb Exp $
+# $Id: messages.properties,v 1.5 2004/07/26 17:52:31 mdb Exp $
 #
 # Getdown translation messages
 
@@ -7,12 +7,13 @@ m.resolving = Resolving downloads...
 m.downloading = Downloading data...
 m.failure = Download failed: {0}
 
+m.checking = Checking for update...
 m.validating = Validating...
 m.patching = Patching...
 m.launching = Launching...
 
 m.complete = {0}% complete
-m.complete_remain = {0}% complete  {1}s remaining
+m.complete_remain = {0}% complete  {1}:{2} remaining
 
 m.updating_metadata = Downloading control files...