diff --git a/examples/idehelp/myidehelp.pas b/examples/idehelp/myidehelp.pas
index 2ce7057ad7..ca3d1e9e93 100644
--- a/examples/idehelp/myidehelp.pas
+++ b/examples/idehelp/myidehelp.pas
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ interface
 uses
   Classes, SysUtils, LCLProc, FileUtil, Forms, Controls, Graphics, Dialogs,
   LazHelpIntf, HelpIntfs, ComCtrls, StdCtrls, IDEHelpIntf, IDEDialogs,
-  IDEOptionsIntf;
+  IDEOptionsIntf, BaseIDEIntf;
 
 const
   MyHelpOptionID: integer = 10000; // an arbitrary number, choose a big number
@@ -185,10 +185,23 @@ type
     procedure WriteSettings(AOptions: TAbstractIDEOptions); override;
   end;
 
+procedure LoadMyIDEOptions(Filename: string);
+procedure SaveMyIDEOptions(Filename: string);
+
 procedure Register;
 
 implementation
 
+procedure LoadMyIDEOptions(Filename: string);
+begin
+
+end;
+
+procedure SaveMyIDEOptions(Filename: string);
+begin
+
+end;
+
 procedure Register;
 begin
   // register help databases
diff --git a/ide/ideoptiondefs.pas b/ide/ideoptiondefs.pas
index 552f45ee0c..f03b0fcc1b 100644
--- a/ide/ideoptiondefs.pas
+++ b/ide/ideoptiondefs.pas
@@ -208,12 +208,19 @@ function GetLazIDEConfigStorage(const Filename: string; LoadFromDisk: Boolean
 var
   ConfigFilename: String;
 begin
-  if LoadFromDisk then begin
+  if CompareFilenames(ExtractFilePath(Filename),GetPrimaryConfigPath)=0 then
+    ConfigFilename:=ExtractFileName(Filename)
+  else
+    ConfigFilename:=Filename;
+
+  if LoadFromDisk and (ExtractFilePath(ConfigFilename)='')
+  then begin
     // copy template config file to users config directory
-    CopySecondaryConfigFile(Filename);
+    CopySecondaryConfigFile(ConfigFilename);
   end;
   // create storage
-  ConfigFilename:=AppendPathDelim(GetPrimaryConfigPath)+Filename;
+  if not FilenameIsAbsolute(ConfigFilename) then
+    ConfigFilename:=AppendPathDelim(GetPrimaryConfigPath)+ConfigFilename;
   Result:=TXMLOptionsStorage.Create(ConfigFilename,LoadFromDisk);
 end;
 
diff --git a/ide/lazconf.pp b/ide/lazconf.pp
index fab8bd84fa..7bd1c5d584 100644
--- a/ide/lazconf.pp
+++ b/ide/lazconf.pp
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ function GetSecondaryConfigPath: String;
 procedure CreatePrimaryConfigPath;
 procedure SetPrimaryConfigPath(const NewValue: String);
 procedure SetSecondaryConfigPath(const NewValue: String);
-procedure CopySecondaryConfigFile(const AFilename: String);
+procedure CopySecondaryConfigFile(const ShortFilename: String);
 function GetProjectSessionsConfigPath: String;
 
 function GetDefaultTestBuildDirectory: string;
@@ -279,29 +279,17 @@ end;
 {---------------------------------------------------------------------------
   CopySecondaryConfigFile procedure
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------}
-procedure CopySecondaryConfigFile(const AFilename: String);
+procedure CopySecondaryConfigFile(const ShortFilename: String);
 var
   PrimaryFilename, SecondaryFilename: string;
-  SrcFS, DestFS: TFileStream;
 begin
-  PrimaryFilename:=GetPrimaryConfigPath+PathDelim+AFilename;
-  SecondaryFilename:=GetSecondaryConfigPath+PathDelim+AFilename;
+  if ShortFilename='' then exit;
+  PrimaryFilename:=AppendPathDelim(GetPrimaryConfigPath)+ShortFilename;
+  SecondaryFilename:=AppendPathDelim(GetSecondaryConfigPath)+ShortFilename;
   if (not FileExistsUTF8(PrimaryFilename))
   and (FileExistsUTF8(SecondaryFilename)) then begin
-    try
-      SrcFS:=TFileStream.Create(UTF8ToSys(SecondaryFilename),fmOpenRead);
-      try
-        DestFS:=TFileStream.Create(UTF8ToSys(PrimaryFilename),fmCreate);
-        try
-          DestFS.CopyFrom(SrcFS,SrcFS.Size);
-        finally
-          DestFS.Free;
-        end;
-      finally
-        SrcFS.Free;
-      end;
-    except
-    end;
+    if not CopyFile(SecondaryFilename,PrimaryFilename) then
+      debugln(['WARNING: unable to copy config "',SecondaryFilename,'" to "',SecondaryFilename,'"']);
   end;
 end;