Index: apps/main.c
===================================================================
--- apps/main.c	(revision 18881)
+++ apps/main.c	(working copy)
@@ -143,12 +143,12 @@
     int result = 0;
     bool clear = false;
     
+    
     if (preinit)
-        dircache_init();
+        dircache_init(global_settings.dircache);
     
     if (!global_settings.dircache)
         return 0;
-    
 # ifdef HAVE_EEPROM_SETTINGS
     if (firmware_settings.initialized && firmware_settings.disk_clean 
         && preinit)
Index: firmware/include/dircache.h
===================================================================
--- firmware/include/dircache.h	(revision 18881)
+++ firmware/include/dircache.h	(working copy)
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@
     DIR_UNCACHED *regulardir;
 } DIR_CACHED;
 
-void dircache_init(void);
+void dircache_init(bool);
 int dircache_load(void);
 int dircache_save(void);
 int dircache_build(int last_size);
Index: firmware/common/dircache.c
===================================================================
--- firmware/common/dircache.c	(revision 18881)
+++ firmware/common/dircache.c	(working copy)
@@ -55,6 +55,9 @@
 #define MAX_OPEN_DIRS 8
 #endif
 static DIR_CACHED opendirs[MAX_OPEN_DIRS];
+/* this is used instead of buffer_alloc() for the 
+   opendirs[i].secondary_entry.d_name */
+static char entrybuf[MAX_OPEN_DIRS][MAX_PATH];
 
 static struct dircache_entry *fd_bindings[MAX_OPEN_FILES];
 static struct dircache_entry *dircache_root;
@@ -74,7 +77,8 @@
 static char dircache_cur_path[MAX_PATH*2];
 
 static struct event_queue dircache_queue;
-static long dircache_stack[(DEFAULT_STACK_SIZE + 0x900)/sizeof(long)];
+#define DIRCACHE_STACK_SIZE (DEFAULT_STACK_SIZE + 0x900)/sizeof(long) 
+static long *dircache_stack;
 static const char dircache_thread_name[] = "dircache";
 
 static struct fdbind_queue fdbind_cache[MAX_PENDING_BINDINGS];
@@ -744,7 +748,7 @@
  * Main initialization function that must be called before any other
  * operations within the dircache.
  */
-void dircache_init(void)
+void dircache_init(bool start)
 {
     int i;
     
@@ -752,12 +756,15 @@
     dircache_initializing = false;
     
     memset(opendirs, 0, sizeof(opendirs));
+    
     for (i = 0; i < MAX_OPEN_DIRS; i++)
     {
-        opendirs[i].secondary_entry.d_name = buffer_alloc(MAX_PATH);
+        opendirs[i].secondary_entry.d_name = &entrybuf[i];
     }
-    
+    if (!start)
+        return;
     queue_init(&dircache_queue, true);
+    dircache_stack = (long*)buffer_alloc(DIRCACHE_STACK_SIZE);
     create_thread(dircache_thread, dircache_stack,
                 sizeof(dircache_stack), 0, dircache_thread_name
                 IF_PRIO(, PRIORITY_BACKGROUND)