diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Tests/UmbracoExamine/IndexTest.cs b/src/Umbraco.Tests/UmbracoExamine/IndexTest.cs
index cf58f420ca..77a9fd2dba 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Tests/UmbracoExamine/IndexTest.cs
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Tests/UmbracoExamine/IndexTest.cs
@@ -142,12 +142,15 @@ namespace Umbraco.Tests.UmbracoExamine
 		{
 			var s = (IndexSearcher)_searcher.GetSearcher();
 
+            
+
 			//first delete all 'Content' (not media). This is done by directly manipulating the index with the Lucene API, not examine!
-			var r = IndexReader.Open(s.GetIndexReader().Directory(), false);
+			
 			var contentTerm = new Term(LuceneIndexer.IndexTypeFieldName, IndexTypes.Content);
-			var delCount = r.DeleteDocuments(contentTerm);
-			r.Commit();
-			r.Close();
+		    var writer = _indexer.GetIndexWriter();
+            writer.DeleteDocuments(contentTerm);
+            writer.Commit();
+			
 
 			//make sure the content is gone. This is done with lucene APIs, not examine!
 			var collector = new AllHitsCollector(false, true);
diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Web/PublishedCache/XmlPublishedCache/PublishedMediaCache.cs b/src/Umbraco.Web/PublishedCache/XmlPublishedCache/PublishedMediaCache.cs
index 6edb9d7960..f47c280d6d 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Web/PublishedCache/XmlPublishedCache/PublishedMediaCache.cs
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Web/PublishedCache/XmlPublishedCache/PublishedMediaCache.cs
@@ -145,18 +145,24 @@ namespace Umbraco.Web.PublishedCache.XmlPublishedCache
 			var eMgr = GetExamineManagerSafe();
 			if (eMgr != null)
 			{
-				try
-				{
-					//by default use the InternalSearcher
-					return eMgr.SearchProviderCollection["InternalSearcher"];
-				}
-				catch (FileNotFoundException)
-				{
-					//Currently examine is throwing FileNotFound exceptions when we have a loadbalanced filestore and a node is published in umbraco
-					//See this thread: http://examine.cdodeplex.com/discussions/264341
-					//Catch the exception here for the time being, and just fallback to GetMedia
-					//TODO: Need to fix examine in LB scenarios!
-				}
+			    try
+			    {
+			        //by default use the InternalSearcher
+			        return eMgr.SearchProviderCollection["InternalSearcher"];
+			    }
+			    catch (FileNotFoundException)
+			    {
+			        //Currently examine is throwing FileNotFound exceptions when we have a loadbalanced filestore and a node is published in umbraco
+			        //See this thread: http://examine.cdodeplex.com/discussions/264341
+			        //Catch the exception here for the time being, and just fallback to GetMedia
+			        //TODO: Need to fix examine in LB scenarios!
+			    }
+			    catch (NullReferenceException)
+			    {
+			        //This will occur when the search provider cannot be initialized. In newer examine versions the initialization is lazy and therefore
+                    // the manager will return the singleton without throwing initialization errors, however if examine isn't configured correctly a null
+                    // reference error will occur because the examine settings are null.
+			    }
 			}
 			return null;
 		}
diff --git a/src/UmbracoExamine/BaseUmbracoIndexer.cs b/src/UmbracoExamine/BaseUmbracoIndexer.cs
index aa0a5c0b63..48fcb85699 100644
--- a/src/UmbracoExamine/BaseUmbracoIndexer.cs
+++ b/src/UmbracoExamine/BaseUmbracoIndexer.cs
@@ -202,8 +202,9 @@ namespace UmbracoExamine
             //if temp local storage is configured use that, otherwise return the default
             if (_localTempStorageHelper.LuceneDirectory != null)
             {
-                return new IndexWriter(GetLuceneDirectory(), IndexingAnalyzer,
-                    DeletePolicyTracker.Current.GetPolicy(IndexSetName),
+                var directory = GetLuceneDirectory();
+                return new IndexWriter(directory, IndexingAnalyzer,
+                    DeletePolicyTracker.Current.GetPolicy(directory),
                     IndexWriter.MaxFieldLength.UNLIMITED);
             }
 
diff --git a/src/UmbracoExamine/DeletePolicyTracker.cs b/src/UmbracoExamine/DeletePolicyTracker.cs
index d002cc108d..3edcd12a24 100644
--- a/src/UmbracoExamine/DeletePolicyTracker.cs
+++ b/src/UmbracoExamine/DeletePolicyTracker.cs
@@ -14,9 +14,9 @@ namespace UmbracoExamine
             get { return Instance; }
         }
 
-        public IndexDeletionPolicy GetPolicy(string indexSetName)
+        public IndexDeletionPolicy GetPolicy(Lucene.Net.Store.Directory directory)
         {
-            var resolved = _directories.GetOrAdd(indexSetName, s => new SnapshotDeletionPolicy(new KeepOnlyLastCommitDeletionPolicy()));
+            var resolved = _directories.GetOrAdd(directory.GetLockID(), s => new SnapshotDeletionPolicy(new KeepOnlyLastCommitDeletionPolicy()));
             return resolved;
         }
     }
diff --git a/src/UmbracoExamine/UmbracoExamineSearcher.cs b/src/UmbracoExamine/UmbracoExamineSearcher.cs
index 437e5c5220..7d5c8b7776 100644
--- a/src/UmbracoExamine/UmbracoExamineSearcher.cs
+++ b/src/UmbracoExamine/UmbracoExamineSearcher.cs
@@ -170,9 +170,10 @@ namespace UmbracoExamine
 
         protected override IndexReader OpenNewReader()
         {
+            var directory = GetLuceneDirectory();
             return IndexReader.Open(
-                GetLuceneDirectory(), 
-                DeletePolicyTracker.Current.GetPolicy(IndexSetName), 
+                directory, 
+                DeletePolicyTracker.Current.GetPolicy(directory), 
                 true);
         }
 
diff --git a/src/umbraco.businesslogic/ui.cs b/src/umbraco.businesslogic/ui.cs
index e6bfbb2435..5f2579d9ec 100644
--- a/src/umbraco.businesslogic/ui.cs
+++ b/src/umbraco.businesslogic/ui.cs
@@ -38,6 +38,8 @@ namespace umbraco
         [Obsolete("Get the current culture/language from the currently logged in IUser, the IUser object is available on most Umbraco base classes and on the UmbracoContext")]
         public static string Culture(User u)
         {
+            if (ApplicationContext.Current == null) return string.Empty;
+
             var found = UserExtensions.GetUserCulture(u.Language, ApplicationContext.Current.Services.TextService);
             return found == null ? string.Empty : found.Name;
         }
@@ -46,6 +48,8 @@ namespace umbraco
         [Obsolete("Get the current culture/language from the currently logged in IUser, the IUser object is available on most Umbraco base classes and on the UmbracoContext")]
         internal static string Culture(IUser u)
         {
+            if (ApplicationContext.Current == null) return string.Empty;
+
             var found = u.GetUserCulture(ApplicationContext.Current.Services.TextService);
             return found == null ? string.Empty : found.Name;
         }
@@ -94,11 +98,15 @@ namespace umbraco
         /// <returns></returns>
         public static string Text(string Key, User u)
         {
+            if (ApplicationContext.Current == null) return "[" + Key + "]";
+
             return ApplicationContext.Current.Services.TextService.Localize(Key, GetCultureFromUserLanguage(GetLanguage(u)));
         }
 
         internal static string Text(string key, IUser u)
         {
+            if (ApplicationContext.Current == null) return "[" + key + "]";
+
             return ApplicationContext.Current.Services.TextService.Localize(key, GetCultureFromUserLanguage(GetLanguage(u)));
         }
 
@@ -109,6 +117,8 @@ namespace umbraco
         /// <returns></returns>
         public static string Text(string Key)
         {
+            if (ApplicationContext.Current == null) return "[" + Key + "]";
+
             return ApplicationContext.Current.Services.TextService.Localize(Key, GetCultureFromUserLanguage(GetLanguage()));
         }
 
@@ -121,6 +131,8 @@ namespace umbraco
         /// <returns></returns>
         public static string Text(string Area, string Key, User u)
         {
+            if (ApplicationContext.Current == null) return "[" + Key + "]";
+
             return ApplicationContext.Current.Services.TextService.Localize(
                 string.Format("{0}/{1}", Area, Key),
                 GetCultureFromUserLanguage(GetLanguage(u)));
@@ -128,6 +140,8 @@ namespace umbraco
 
         public static string Text(string area, string key, IUser u)
         {
+            if (ApplicationContext.Current == null) return "[" + key + "]";
+
             return ApplicationContext.Current.Services.TextService.Localize(
                 string.Format("{0}/{1}", area, key),
                 GetCultureFromUserLanguage(GetLanguage(u)));
@@ -141,6 +155,8 @@ namespace umbraco
         /// <returns></returns>
         public static string Text(string Area, string Key)
         {
+            if (ApplicationContext.Current == null) return "[" + Key + "]";
+
             return ApplicationContext.Current.Services.TextService.Localize(
                 string.Format("{0}/{1}", Area, Key),
                 GetCultureFromUserLanguage(GetLanguage()));
@@ -156,6 +172,8 @@ namespace umbraco
         /// <returns></returns>
         public static string Text(string Area, string Key, string[] Variables, User u)
         {
+            if (ApplicationContext.Current == null) return "[" + Key + "]";
+
             return ApplicationContext.Current.Services.TextService.Localize(
                 string.Format("{0}/{1}", Area, Key),
                 GetCultureFromUserLanguage(GetLanguage(u)),
@@ -164,6 +182,8 @@ namespace umbraco
 
         internal static string Text(string area, string key, string[] variables)
         {
+            if (ApplicationContext.Current == null) return "[" + key + "]";
+
             return ApplicationContext.Current.Services.TextService.Localize(
                 string.Format("{0}/{1}", area, key),
                 GetCultureFromUserLanguage(GetLanguage()),
@@ -172,6 +192,8 @@ namespace umbraco
 
         internal static string Text(string area, string key, string[] variables, IUser u)
         {
+            if (ApplicationContext.Current == null) return "[" + key + "]";
+
             return ApplicationContext.Current.Services.TextService.Localize(
                 string.Format("{0}/{1}", area, key),
                 GetCultureFromUserLanguage(GetLanguage(u)),
@@ -188,6 +210,8 @@ namespace umbraco
         /// <returns></returns>
         public static string Text(string Area, string Key, string Variable, User u)
         {
+            if (ApplicationContext.Current == null) return "[" + Key + "]";
+
             return ApplicationContext.Current.Services.TextService.Localize(
                 string.Format("{0}/{1}", Area, Key),
                 GetCultureFromUserLanguage(GetLanguage(u)),
@@ -196,6 +220,8 @@ namespace umbraco
 
         internal static string Text(string area, string key, string variable)
         {
+            if (ApplicationContext.Current == null) return "[" + key + "]";
+
             return ApplicationContext.Current.Services.TextService.Localize(
                 string.Format("{0}/{1}", area, key),
                 GetCultureFromUserLanguage(GetLanguage()),
@@ -204,6 +230,8 @@ namespace umbraco
 
         internal static string Text(string area, string key, string variable, IUser u)
         {
+            if (ApplicationContext.Current == null) return "[" + key + "]";
+
             return ApplicationContext.Current.Services.TextService.Localize(
                 string.Format("{0}/{1}", area, key),
                 GetCultureFromUserLanguage(GetLanguage(u)),
@@ -228,6 +256,8 @@ namespace umbraco
         /// <returns></returns>
         public static string GetText(string area, string key)
         {
+            if (ApplicationContext.Current == null) return "[" + key + "]";
+
             return ApplicationContext.Current.Services.TextService.Localize(
                 string.Format("{0}/{1}", area, key),
                 GetCultureFromUserLanguage(GetLanguage()));
@@ -242,6 +272,8 @@ namespace umbraco
         /// <returns></returns>
         public static string GetText(string area, string key, string[] variables)
         {
+            if (ApplicationContext.Current == null) return "[" + key + "]";
+
             return ApplicationContext.Current.Services.TextService.Localize(
                string.Format("{0}/{1}", area, key),
                GetCultureFromUserLanguage(GetLanguage()),
@@ -257,6 +289,8 @@ namespace umbraco
         /// <returns></returns>
         public static string GetText(string area, string key, string variable)
         {
+            if (ApplicationContext.Current == null) return "[" + key + "]";
+
             return ApplicationContext.Current.Services.TextService.Localize(
                string.Format("{0}/{1}", area, key),
                GetCultureFromUserLanguage(GetLanguage()),
@@ -274,6 +308,8 @@ namespace umbraco
         /// <remarks>This is the underlying call for all Text/GetText method calls</remarks>
         public static string GetText(string area, string key, string[] variables, string language)
         {
+            if (ApplicationContext.Current == null) return "[" + key + "]";
+
             return ApplicationContext.Current.Services.TextService.Localize(
                string.Format("{0}/{1}", area, key),
                GetCultureFromUserLanguage(GetLanguage()),