diff --git a/configuration/live-dvd.nix b/configuration/live-dvd.nix
index e876247df8c8..17ffc5d6358d 100644
--- a/configuration/live-dvd.nix
+++ b/configuration/live-dvd.nix
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ rec {
       readOnlyRoot = true;
       # The label used to identify the installation CD.
       rootLabel = "NIXOS";
+      extraTTYs = [7 8]; # manual, rogue
     };
     
     services = {
@@ -45,6 +46,15 @@ rec {
           ";
         }
       
+        # Show the NixOS manual on tty7.
+        { name = "manual";
+          job = "
+            start on udev
+            stop on shutdown
+            respawn ${pkgs.w3m}/bin/w3m ${manual} < /dev/tty7 > /dev/tty7 2>&1
+          ";
+        }
+
         # Allow the user to do something useful on tty8 while waiting
         # for the installation to finish.
         { name = "rogue";
@@ -59,6 +69,13 @@ rec {
       # And a background to go with that.
       ttyBackgrounds = {
         specificThemes = [
+          { tty = 7;
+            # Theme is GPL according to http://kde-look.org/content/show.php/Green?content=58501.
+            theme = pkgs.fetchurl {
+              url = http://www.kde-look.org/CONTENT/content-files/58501-green.tar.gz;
+              sha256 = "0sdykpziij1f3w4braq8r8nqg4lnsd7i7gi1k5d7c31m2q3b9a7r";
+            };
+          }
           { tty = 8;
             theme = pkgs.fetchurl {
               url = http://www.bootsplash.de/files/themes/Theme-GNU.tar.bz2;
@@ -67,6 +84,13 @@ rec {
           }
         ];
       };
+
+      mingetty = {
+        helpLine = ''
+        
+          Log in as "root" with an empty password.  Press <Alt-F7> for help.
+        '';
+      };
       
     };
 
@@ -151,7 +175,15 @@ rec {
 
 
   pkgs = system.pkgs;
-  
+
+
+  # The NixOS manual, with a backward compatibility hack for Nix <=
+  # 0.11 (you won't get the manual).
+  manual =
+    if builtins ? unsafeDiscardStringContext
+    then "${import ../doc/manual}/manual.html"
+    else pkgs.writeText "dummy-manual" "Manual not included in this build!";
+
 
   # Since the CD is read-only, the mount points must be on disk.
   cdMountPoints = pkgs.runCommand "mount-points" {} "
@@ -216,7 +248,7 @@ rec {
   # Create an ISO image containing the Grub boot loader, the kernel,
   # the initrd produced above, and the closure of the stage 2 init.
   rescueCD = import ../helpers/make-iso9660-image.nix {
-    inherit (pkgs) stdenv perl cdrtools;
+    inherit (pkgs) stdenv perl cdrkit;
     isoName = "nixos-${platform}.iso";
 
     # Single files to be copied to fixed locations on the CD.
@@ -236,10 +268,7 @@ rec {
       { source = pkgs.memtest86 + "/memtest.bin";
         target = "boot/memtest.bin";
       }
-      { source = pkgs.fetchurl {
-          url = http://www.gnome-look.org/CONTENT/content-files/36909-soft-tux.xpm.gz;
-          sha256 = "14kqdx2lfqvh40h6fjjzqgff1mwk74dmbjvmqphi6azzra7z8d59";
-        };
+      { source = system.config.boot.grubSplashImage;
         target = "boot/background.xpm.gz";
       }
       { source = cdMountPoints;
diff --git a/etc/default.nix b/etc/default.nix
index 499376d1e8f5..6bf0b42c9e41 100644
--- a/etc/default.nix
+++ b/etc/default.nix
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 { config, pkgs, upstartJobs, systemPath, wrapperDir
 , defaultShell, extraEtc, nixEnvVars
+, kernel ? null
 }:
 
 let 
@@ -25,7 +26,6 @@ let
 
   pamConsolePerms = ./security/console.perms;
 
-
 in
 
     
@@ -109,10 +109,12 @@ import ../helpers/make-etc.nix {
       source = pkgs.substituteAll {
         src = ./profile.sh;
         inherit systemPath wrapperDir;
-        inherit (pkgs) systemKernel glibc;
+        inherit (pkgs) glibc;
         timeZone = config.time.timeZone;
         defaultLocale = config.i18n.defaultLocale;
         inherit nixEnvVars;
+	systemKernel = (if kernel == null then 
+		pkgs.systemKernel else kernel);
       };
       target = "profile";
     }
diff --git a/etc/profile.sh b/etc/profile.sh
index 992f23afabab..832ea5cccb04 100644
--- a/etc/profile.sh
+++ b/etc/profile.sh
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ export EDITOR=nano
 
 # A nice prompt.
 PROMPT_COLOR="1;31m"
+let $UID && PROMPT_COLOR="1;32m"
 PS1="\n\[\033[$PROMPT_COLOR\][\u@\h:\w]$\[\033[0m\] "
 if test "x$TERM" == "xxterm"; then
     PS1="\033]2;\h:\u:\w\007$PS1"
diff --git a/system/system.nix b/system/system.nix
index 9dbfef0c0b32..9b655e0a4956 100644
--- a/system/system.nix
+++ b/system/system.nix
@@ -172,6 +172,7 @@ rec {
   etc = import ../etc/default.nix {
     inherit config pkgs upstartJobs systemPath wrapperDir
       defaultShell nixEnvVars;
+    inherit kernel;
     extraEtc = pkgs.lib.concatLists (map (job: job.extraEtc) upstartJobs.jobs);
   };