diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index 2911dfa1..fd06c0f4 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -1,9 +1,16 @@
-screen-profiles (1.8) UNRELEASED; urgency=low
+screen-profiles (1.9) UNRELEASED; urgency=low
+
+  * 
+
+ -- Dustin Kirkland <kirkland@ubuntu.com>  Mon, 12 Jan 2009 09:11:30 -0600
+
+screen-profiles (1.8-0ubuntu1) jaunty; urgency=low
 
   [ Dustin Kirkland ]
-  * profiles/common: source the system default /etc/screenrc
+  * screen-profiles-helper: fix crash on startup, when
+    ~/.screen-profiles-helper does not exist
 
- -- Dustin Kirkland <kirkland@ubuntu.com>  Mon, 12 Jan 2009 01:09:14 -0600
+ -- Dustin Kirkland <kirkland@ubuntu.com>  Mon, 12 Jan 2009 09:11:15 -0600
 
 screen-profiles (1.7-0ubuntu1) jaunty; urgency=low
 
diff --git a/screen-profiles-helper b/screen-profiles-helper
index fb058a0c..7ded790e 100755
--- a/screen-profiles-helper
+++ b/screen-profiles-helper
@@ -96,21 +96,24 @@ def help(screen, size, config):
 
     t = Textbox(74, 19, text, scroll=1)
     bb = ButtonBar(screen, (("Menu", "menu"), ("Exit", "exit")), compact = 1)
-    
-    if (config.get('Defaults', 'help') == "on"):
+
+    try:
+        if (config.get('Defaults', 'help') == "on"):
+            cbOn = 1
+        else:
+            cbOn = 0
+    except:
         cbOn = 1
-    else:
-        cbOn = 0
 
     cb=Checkbox("Display this help on startup", isOn=cbOn)
-    
+
     g = GridForm(screen, "GNU Screen Profiles Help", 1, 3)
     g.add(t, 0, 0, padding=(0,0,0,0))
     g.add(cb, 0, 1, padding=(1,0,0,0))
     g.add(bb, 0, 2, padding=(1,1,0,0))
 
     button = bb.buttonPressed(g.runOnce())
-    
+
     if cb.value() != cbOn:
         #Check box value has change, write config file
         if not config.has_section('Defaults'):
@@ -321,10 +324,13 @@ def main():
     screen.pushHelpLine("<Tab>/<Alt-Tab> between elements | <Return> Validates")
 
     config = SafeConfigParser()
-    config.read(os.getenv("HOME")+'/.screen-profiles-helper')
-    if config.has_option('Defaults', 'help'):
-        showhelp=config.get('Defaults', 'help')
-    else:
+    try:
+        config.read(os.getenv("HOME")+'/.screen-profiles-helper')
+        if config.has_option('Defaults', 'help'):
+            showhelp=config.get('Defaults', 'help')
+        else:
+            showhelp="on"
+    except:
         showhelp="on"
 
     isInstalled = (commands.getoutput('grep screen-launcher '+(os.getenv("HOME")+'/.bashrc')) != "")