diff --git a/modules/services/scheduling/atd.nix b/modules/services/scheduling/atd.nix
index 19fda42928ab..9538a332f7c0 100644
--- a/modules/services/scheduling/atd.nix
+++ b/modules/services/scheduling/atd.nix
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ in
     jobs.atd =
       { description = "at daemon (atd)";
 
-        startOn = "startup";
+        startOn = "started udev";
 
         preStart =
           ''
diff --git a/modules/services/x11/display-managers/auto.nix b/modules/services/x11/display-managers/auto.nix
index 8805fbfd3833..507d24cd3ce9 100644
--- a/modules/services/x11/display-managers/auto.nix
+++ b/modules/services/x11/display-managers/auto.nix
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ in
     services.xserver.displayManager.job =
       { execCmd =
           ''
-            ${pkgs.xorg.xinit}/bin/xinit \
+            exec ${pkgs.xorg.xinit}/bin/xinit \
               ${pkgs.su}/bin/su -c ${dmcfg.session.script} ${cfg.user} \
               -- ${dmcfg.xserverBin} ${dmcfg.xserverArgs}
           '';
diff --git a/modules/services/x11/display-managers/kdm.nix b/modules/services/x11/display-managers/kdm.nix
index 438846d30439..15553ba386b5 100644
--- a/modules/services/x11/display-managers/kdm.nix
+++ b/modules/services/x11/display-managers/kdm.nix
@@ -71,9 +71,9 @@ in
 
       enableXDMCP = mkOption {
         default = false;
-  description = ''
-    Whether to enable XDMCP, which allows remote logins.
-  '';
+        description = ''
+          Whether to enable XDMCP, which allows remote logins.
+        '';
       };
 
       extraConfig = mkOption {
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ in
   config = mkIf cfg.enable {
   
     services.xserver.displayManager.job =
-      { execCmd = "PATH=${pkgs.grub}/sbin:$PATH ${kdebase_workspace}/bin/kdm -config ${kdmrc}";
+      { execCmd = "PATH=${pkgs.grub}/sbin:$PATH exec ${kdebase_workspace}/bin/kdm -config ${kdmrc} -nodaemon";
         logsXsession = true;
       };
 
diff --git a/modules/services/x11/display-managers/slim.nix b/modules/services/x11/display-managers/slim.nix
index ad767e199a15..cdb4dc785e25 100644
--- a/modules/services/x11/display-managers/slim.nix
+++ b/modules/services/x11/display-managers/slim.nix
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ in
           { SLIM_CFGFILE = slimConfig;
             SLIM_THEMESDIR = slimThemesDir;
           };
-        execCmd = "${pkgs.slim}/bin/slim";
+        execCmd = "exec ${pkgs.slim}/bin/slim";
       };
 
     # Allow null passwords so that the user can login as root on the
diff --git a/modules/system/activation/activation-script.nix b/modules/system/activation/activation-script.nix
index 744a35f54f4b..9a3a73e66d97 100644
--- a/modules/system/activation/activation-script.nix
+++ b/modules/system/activation/activation-script.nix
@@ -96,6 +96,7 @@ let
       fi
 
       mkdir -m 0755 -p /var/log
+      mkdir -m 0755 -p /var/log/upstart
 
       touch /var/log/wtmp # must exist
       chmod 644 /var/log/wtmp
diff --git a/modules/system/boot/stage-2-init.sh b/modules/system/boot/stage-2-init.sh
index 609bf0a95a4d..de9b136d02a3 100644
--- a/modules/system/boot/stage-2-init.sh
+++ b/modules/system/boot/stage-2-init.sh
@@ -95,6 +95,7 @@ mkdir -m 0755 -p /etc/nixos
 # Miscellaneous boot time cleanup.
 rm -rf /var/run
 rm -rf /var/lock
+rm -rf /var/log/upstart
 
 #echo -n "cleaning \`/tmp'..."
 #rm -rf --one-file-system /tmp/*
diff --git a/modules/system/upstart/upstart.nix b/modules/system/upstart/upstart.nix
index 74095d093ca8..e0c0f0bb99f1 100644
--- a/modules/system/upstart/upstart.nix
+++ b/modules/system/upstart/upstart.nix
@@ -23,13 +23,12 @@ let
     let
 
       jobText =
+        let log = "/var/log/upstart/${job.name}"; in
         ''
           # Upstart job `${job.name}'.  This is a generated file.  Do not edit.
         
           description "${job.description}"
 
-          console output
-
           ${if isList job.startOn then
               "start on ${concatStringsSep " or " job.startOn}"
             else if job.startOn != "" then
@@ -44,6 +43,7 @@ let
           
           ${optionalString (job.preStart != "") ''
             pre-start script
+              exec >> ${log} 2>&1
               ${job.preStart}
             end script
           ''}
@@ -53,18 +53,20 @@ let
             else if job.script != "" then
               ''
                 script
+                  exec >> ${log} 2>&1
                   ${job.script}
                 end script
               ''
             else if job.exec != "" then
               ''
-                exec ${job.exec}
+                exec ${job.exec} >> ${log} 2>&1
               ''
             else ""
           }
 
           ${optionalString (job.postStart != "") ''
             post-start script
+              exec >> ${log} 2>&1
               ${job.postStart}
             end script
           ''}
@@ -74,12 +76,14 @@ let
 
           ${optionalString (job.preStop != "") ''
             pre-stop script
+              exec >> ${log} 2>&1
               ${job.preStop}
             end script
           ''}
 
           ${optionalString (job.postStop != "") ''
             post-stop script
+              exec >> ${log} 2>&1
               ${job.postStop}
             end script
           ''}
diff --git a/modules/tasks/tty-backgrounds.nix b/modules/tasks/tty-backgrounds.nix
index 8ba46e1b6b34..b273dc8e599f 100644
--- a/modules/tasks/tty-backgrounds.nix
+++ b/modules/tasks/tty-backgrounds.nix
@@ -123,7 +123,6 @@ in
                 theme=$(readlink ${themesUnpacked}/$tty)
                 prevTheme=$(${splashutils}/${splashutils.controlName} --tty ''${tty:3} -c getcfg |
                     sed 's/theme: *\(.*\)/\1/;t;d' || true)
-                echo $tty $theme $prevTheme
                 if [ "$theme" != "$prevTheme" ]; then
                     ${splashutils}/${splashutils.controlName} --tty ''${tty:3} -c setcfg -t $theme || true
                 fi