diff --git a/core/controllers/welcome.php b/core/controllers/welcome.php
index 672252eb..061a4176 100644
--- a/core/controllers/welcome.php
+++ b/core/controllers/welcome.php
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 class Welcome_Controller extends Template_Controller {
   public $template = 'welcome.html';
 
-  function Index() {
+  function index() {
     $this->template->syscheck = new View('welcome_syscheck.html');
     $this->template->syscheck->errors = $this->_get_config_errors();
     $this->_create_directories();
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ class Welcome_Controller extends Template_Controller {
     return $errors;
   }
 
-  function _error_handler() {
+  function _error_handler($x) {
   }
 
   function _create_directories() {
diff --git a/core/helpers/core_installer.php b/core/helpers/core_installer.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ef4dddd9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/helpers/core_installer.php
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+<?php defined("SYSPATH") or die("No direct script access.");
+/**
+ * Gallery - a web based photo album viewer and editor
+ * Copyright (C) 2000-2008 Bharat Mediratta
+ *
+ * This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
+ * it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+ * the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at
+ * your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
+ * WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU
+ * General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+ * along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
+ * Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street - Fifth Floor, Boston, MA  02110-1301, USA.
+ */
+class core_installer {
+  public function install() {
+    $db = Database::instance();
+    try {
+      $base_version = ORM::factory('module')->where('name', 'core')->find()->version;
+    } catch (Exception $e) {
+      if ($e->getMessage() == "Table modules does not exist in your database.") {
+	$base_version = 0;
+      } else {
+	throw $e;
+      }
+    }
+
+    if ($base_version == 0) {
+      $db->query("CREATE TABLE `modules` (
+		   `id` int(9) NOT NULL auto_increment,
+		   `name` char(255) default NULL,
+		   `version` int(9) default NULL,
+		   PRIMARY KEY (`id`),
+                   UNIQUE KEY(`name`))
+		 ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8;");
+
+      $db->query("CREATE TABLE  `items` (
+		   `id` int(9) NOT NULL auto_increment,
+		   `type` char(32) default NULL,
+		   `title` char(255) default NULL,
+		   `path` char(255) default NULL,
+		   `parent_id` int(9) default NULL,
+		   `level` int(9) default NULL,
+		   `left` int(9) default NULL,
+		   `right` int(9) default NULL,
+		   PRIMARY KEY (`id`),
+		   KEY `parent_id` (`parent_id`),
+		   KEY `type` (`type`))
+		 ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8;");
+      $core = ORM::factory('module')->where('name', 'core')->find();
+      $core->name = "core";
+      $core->version = 1;
+      $core->save();
+    }
+  }
+
+  public function uninstall() {
+    $db = Database::instance();
+    $db->query("DROP TABLE IF EXISTS `items`;");
+    $db->query("DROP TABLE IF EXISTS `modules`;");
+  }
+}
diff --git a/core/models/item.php b/core/models/item.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f402a567
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/models/item.php
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+<?php defined("SYSPATH") or die("No direct script access.");
+/**
+ * Gallery - a web based photo album viewer and editor
+ * Copyright (C) 2000-2008 Bharat Mediratta
+ *
+ * This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
+ * it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+ * the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at
+ * your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
+ * WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU
+ * General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+ * along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
+ * Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street - Fifth Floor, Boston, MA  02110-1301, USA.
+ */
+class Item_Model extends MPTT {
+}
diff --git a/core/models/module.php b/core/models/module.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..de4cc43d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/models/module.php
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+<?php defined("SYSPATH") or die("No direct script access.");
+/**
+ * Gallery - a web based photo album viewer and editor
+ * Copyright (C) 2000-2008 Bharat Mediratta
+ *
+ * This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
+ * it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+ * the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at
+ * your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
+ * WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU
+ * General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+ * along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
+ * Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street - Fifth Floor, Boston, MA  02110-1301, USA.
+ */
+class Module_Model extends ORM {
+}
diff --git a/core/tests/Item_Test.php b/core/tests/Item_Test.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f83c60f1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/tests/Item_Test.php
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+<?php defined("SYSPATH") or die("No direct script access.");
+/**
+ * Gallery - a web based photo album viewer and editor
+ * Copyright (C) 2000-2008 Bharat Mediratta
+ *
+ * This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
+ * it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+ * the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at
+ * your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
+ * WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU
+ * General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+ * along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
+ * Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street - Fifth Floor, Boston, MA  02110-1301, USA.
+ */
+class Item_Test extends Unit_Test_Case {
+  public function create_item_test() {
+    ORM::factory('item');
+  }
+}
diff --git a/modules/gallery_unit_test/controllers/test.php b/modules/gallery_unit_test/controllers/test.php
index 052a58e5..d012cf8b 100644
--- a/modules/gallery_unit_test/controllers/test.php
+++ b/modules/gallery_unit_test/controllers/test.php
@@ -23,6 +23,27 @@ class Test_Controller extends Controller {
       print Kohana::show_404();
     }
 
+    $original_config = DOCROOT . "var/database.php";
+    $test_config = VARPATH . "database.php";
+    if (!file_exists($original_config)) {
+      print "Please create $original and create a 'unit_test' database configuration.\n";
+    } else {
+      copy($original_config, $test_config);
+      $db_config = Kohana::config('database');
+      if (empty($db_config['unit_test'])) {
+	print "Please create create a 'unit_test' database configuration in $db_config.\n";
+	return;
+      }
+
+      try {
+	$db = Database::instance('unit_test');
+	$db->connect();
+      } catch (Exception $e) {
+	print "{$e->getMessage()}\n";
+	return;
+      }
+    }
+
     // Find all tests, excluding sample tests that come with the unit_test module.
     $paths = array(APPPATH . "tests");
     foreach (glob(MODPATH . "*/tests") as $path) {
@@ -32,6 +53,8 @@ class Test_Controller extends Controller {
     }
     Kohana::config_set('unit_test.paths', $paths);
 
+    core_installer::install();
+
     print new Unit_Test();
   }
 }