diff --git a/src/cloudron.js b/src/cloudron.js
index 8baa81ce9..ca1bad359 100644
--- a/src/cloudron.js
+++ b/src/cloudron.js
@@ -19,11 +19,12 @@ exports = module.exports = {
     backup: backup,
     ensureBackup: ensureBackup,
 
-    isActivatedSync: isActivatedSync,
+    isConfiguredSync: isConfiguredSync,
 
     events: new (require('events').EventEmitter)(),
 
-    EVENT_ACTIVATED: 'activated'
+    EVENT_ACTIVATED: 'activated',
+    EVENT_CONFIGURED: 'configured'
 };
 
 var apps = require('./apps.js'),
@@ -64,7 +65,7 @@ var NOOP_CALLBACK = function (error) { if (error) debug(error); };
 
 var gUpdatingDns = false,                // flag for dns update reentrancy
     gCloudronDetails = null,             // cached cloudron details like region,size...
-    gIsActivated = null;                // cached activation state so that return value is synchronous. null means we are not initialized yet
+    gIsConfigured = null;                // cached configured state so that return value is synchronous. null means we are not initialized yet
 
 function debugApp(app, args) {
     assert(!app || typeof app === 'object');
@@ -115,29 +116,57 @@ CloudronError.NOT_FOUND = 'Not found';
 function initialize(callback) {
     assert.strictEqual(typeof callback, 'function');
 
-    settings.events.on(settings.DNS_CONFIG_KEY, addDnsRecords);
+    exports.events.on(exports.EVENT_CONFIGURED, addDnsRecords);
 
-    userdb.count(function (error, count) {
-        if (error) return callback(new CloudronError(CloudronError.INTERNAL_ERROR, error));
-
-        gIsActivated = count !== 0;
-
-        if (gIsActivated) addDnsRecords(); // reboot/restore/upgrade
-
-        callback(null);
-    });
+    syncConfigState(callback);
 }
 
 function uninitialize(callback) {
     assert.strictEqual(typeof callback, 'function');
 
-    settings.events.removeListener(settings.DNS_CONFIG_KEY, addDnsRecords);
+    exports.events.removeListener(exports.EVENT_CONFIGURED, addDnsRecords);
 
     callback(null);
 }
 
-function isActivatedSync() {
-    return gIsActivated === true;
+function isConfiguredSync() {
+    return gIsConfigured === true;
+}
+
+function isConfigured(callback) {
+    // set of rules to see if we have the configs required for cloudron to function
+    // note this checks for missing configs and not invalid configs
+
+    settings.getDnsConfig(function (error, dnsConfig) {
+        if (error) return callback(error);
+
+        if (!dnsConfig) return callback(null, false);
+
+        var isConfigured = (config.isCustomDomain() && dnsConfig.provider === 'route53') ||
+                        (!config.isCustomDomain() && dnsConfig.provider === 'caas');
+
+        callback(null, isConfigured);
+    });
+}
+
+function syncConfigState(callback) {
+    assert(!gIsConfigured);
+
+    callback = callback || NOOP_CALLBACK;
+
+    isConfigured(function (error, configured) {
+        if (error) return callback(error);
+
+        if (configured) {
+            exports.events.emit(exports.EVENT_CONFIGURED);
+        } else {
+            settings.events.once(settings.DNS_CONFIG_KEY, function () { syncConfigState(); }); // check again later
+        }
+
+        gIsConfigured = configured;
+
+        callback();
+    });
 }
 
 function setTimeZone(ip, callback) {
@@ -191,8 +220,6 @@ function activate(username, password, email, ip, callback) {
             tokendb.add(token, tokendb.PREFIX_USER + userObject.id, result.id, expires, '*', function (error) {
                 if (error) return callback(new CloudronError(CloudronError.INTERNAL_ERROR, error));
 
-                gIsActivated = true;
-
                 // EE API is sync. do not keep the REST API reponse waiting
                 process.nextTick(function () { exports.events.emit(exports.EVENT_ACTIVATED); });
 
diff --git a/src/cron.js b/src/cron.js
index 6d315ebd5..a2517c8f5 100644
--- a/src/cron.js
+++ b/src/cron.js
@@ -39,7 +39,6 @@ function initialize(callback) {
     assert.strictEqual(typeof callback, 'function');
 
     settings.events.on(settings.TIME_ZONE_KEY, recreateJobs);
-    settings.events.on(settings.AUTOUPDATE_PATTERN_KEY, autoupdatePatternChanged);
 
     gHeartbeatJob = new CronJob({
         cronTime: '00 */1 * * * *', // every minute
@@ -48,7 +47,7 @@ function initialize(callback) {
     });
     cloudron.sendHeartbeat(); // latest unpublished version of CronJob has runOnInit
 
-    if (cloudron.isActivatedSync()) {
+    if (cloudron.isConfiguredSync()) {
         recreateJobs(callback);
     } else {
         cloudron.events.on(cloudron.EVENT_ACTIVATED, recreateJobs);
@@ -110,6 +109,8 @@ function recreateJobs(unusedTimeZone, callback) {
             timeZone: allSettings[settings.TIME_ZONE_KEY]
         });
 
+        settings.events.removeListener(settings.AUTOUPDATE_PATTERN_KEY, autoupdatePatternChanged);
+        settings.events.on(settings.AUTOUPDATE_PATTERN_KEY, autoupdatePatternChanged);
         autoupdatePatternChanged(allSettings[settings.AUTOUPDATE_PATTERN_KEY]);
 
         if (callback) callback();
@@ -118,6 +119,7 @@ function recreateJobs(unusedTimeZone, callback) {
 
 function autoupdatePatternChanged(pattern) {
     assert.strictEqual(typeof pattern, 'string');
+    assert(gBoxUpdateCheckerJob);
 
     debug('Auto update pattern changed to %s', pattern);
 
diff --git a/src/mailer.js b/src/mailer.js
index c2b805c1c..f5cd949dc 100644
--- a/src/mailer.js
+++ b/src/mailer.js
@@ -48,10 +48,10 @@ var gMailQueue = [ ],
 function initialize(callback) {
     assert.strictEqual(typeof callback, 'function');
 
-    if (cloudron.isActivatedSync()) {
+    if (cloudron.isConfiguredSync()) {
         checkDns();
     } else {
-        cloudron.events.on(cloudron.EVENT_ACTIVATED, checkDns);
+        cloudron.events.on(cloudron.EVENT_CONFIGURED, checkDns);
     }
 
     callback(null);
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ function initialize(callback) {
 function uninitialize(callback) {
     assert.strictEqual(typeof callback, 'function');
 
-    cloudron.events.removeListener(cloudron.EVENT_ACTIVATED, checkDns);
+    cloudron.events.removeListener(cloudron.EVENT_CONFIGURED, checkDns);
 
     // TODO: interrupt processQueue as well
     clearTimeout(gCheckDnsTimerId);
diff --git a/src/taskmanager.js b/src/taskmanager.js
index 3ae845673..cef624eaa 100644
--- a/src/taskmanager.js
+++ b/src/taskmanager.js
@@ -26,10 +26,10 @@ function initialize(callback) {
 
     locker.on('unlocked', startNextTask);
 
-    if (cloudron.isActivatedSync()) {
+    if (cloudron.isConfiguredSync()) {
         resumeTasks();
     } else {
-        cloudron.events.on(cloudron.EVENT_ACTIVATED, resumeTasks);
+        cloudron.events.on(cloudron.EVENT_CONFIGURED, resumeTasks);
     }
 
     callback();
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ function uninitialize(callback) {
         stopAppTask(appId);
     }
 
-    cloudron.events.removeListener(cloudron.EVENT_ACTIVATED, resumeTasks);
+    cloudron.events.removeListener(cloudron.EVENT_CONFIGURED, resumeTasks);
     locker.removeListener('unlocked', startNextTask);
 
     callback(null);