diff -ur a/src/startup.c b/src/startup.c
--- a/src/startup.c	2002-12-24 22:57:16.000000000 +0000
+++ b/src/startup.c	2007-07-06 23:33:50.000000000 +0100
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
 #include <sys/types.h>  /* geteuid, mknod */
 #include <sys/stat.h>   /* mknod */
 #include <fcntl.h>      /* mknod */
-#include <unistd.h>     /* mknod */
+#include <unistd.h>     /* mknod, daemon */
 
 
 #include "headers/gpmInt.h"
@@ -134,26 +134,17 @@
       }
    }
 
-   if(option.run_status == GPM_RUN_STARTUP ) { /* else is debugging */
-      /* goto background and become a session leader (Stefan Giessler) */  
-      switch(fork()) {
-         case -1: gpm_report(GPM_PR_OOPS,GPM_MESS_FORK_FAILED);   /* error  */
-         case  0: option.run_status = GPM_RUN_DAEMON; break;      /* child  */
-         default: _exit(0);                                       /* parent */
-      }
+   if (option.run_status == GPM_RUN_STARTUP ) { /* else is debugging */
+      if (daemon(0,0))
+         gpm_report(GPM_PR_OOPS,GPM_MESS_FORK_FAILED);   /* error  */
 
-      if (setsid() < 0) gpm_report(GPM_PR_OOPS,GPM_MESS_SETSID_FAILED);
+      option.run_status = GPM_RUN_DAEMON; /* child  */
    }
 
    /* damon init: check whether we run or not, display message */
    check_uniqueness();
    gpm_report(GPM_PR_INFO,GPM_MESS_STARTED);
 
-   /* is changing to root needed, because of relative paths ? or can we just
-    * remove and ignore it ?? FIXME */
-   if (chdir("/") < 0) gpm_report(GPM_PR_OOPS,GPM_MESS_CHDIR_FAILED);
-
-   
    //return mouse_table[1].fd; /* the second is handled in the main() */
 
    /****************** OLD CODE from gpn.c  END ***********************/