diff --git a/PdfScribe/ActivityNotificationPresenter.cs b/PdfScribe/ActivityNotificationPresenter.cs
index 84e2d89..c61ffc1 100644
--- a/PdfScribe/ActivityNotificationPresenter.cs
+++ b/PdfScribe/ActivityNotificationPresenter.cs
@@ -11,18 +11,38 @@ namespace PdfScribe
 {
     public class ActivityNotificationPresenter
     {
-        public ActivityNotificationPresenter()
+        public ActivityNotificationPresenter(Application guiApplication)
         {
-            progressTimer = new SysTimers.Timer();
-            progressTimer.Enabled = false;
-            progressTimer.Interval = 250; // Quarter second is default
-            progressTimer.Elapsed += new SysTimers.ElapsedEventHandler(progressTimer_Elapsed);
+            this.activityWindowApp = guiApplication;
+            this.progressTimer = new SysTimers.Timer();
+            this.progressTimer.Enabled = false;
+            this.progressTimer.Interval = 250; // Quarter second is default
+            this.progressTimer.Elapsed += new SysTimers.ElapsedEventHandler(progressTimer_Elapsed);
+            this.activityWindow = new ActivityNotification();
+            /*
+            if (guiApplication.Dispatcher.CheckAccess())
+            {
+                this.activityWindow = new ActivityNotification();
+            }
+            else
+            {
+                guiApplication.Dispatcher.Invoke((Action)delegate()
+                                                    {
+                                                        this.activityWindow = new ActivityNotification();
+                                                        progressTimer = new SysTimers.Timer();
+                                                        progressTimer.Enabled = false;
+                                                        progressTimer.Interval = 250; // Quarter second is default
+                                                        progressTimer.Elapsed += new SysTimers.ElapsedEventHandler(progressTimer_Elapsed);
+                                                    }
+                                                );
+            }
+             */ 
         }
 
 
         
-        private Application activityWindowApp = null;
-        private ActivityNotification activityWindow;
+        private Application activityWindowApp;
+        private ActivityNotification activityWindow = null;
         private SysTimers.Timer progressTimer;
         readonly String progressString = "CAPTURING";
 
@@ -32,6 +52,27 @@ namespace PdfScribe
         /// a separate thread
         /// </summary>
         public void ShowActivityNotificationWindow()
+        {
+            if (this.activityWindow != null)
+            {
+                if (this.activityWindow.Dispatcher.CheckAccess())
+                {
+                    this.activityWindow.Show();
+                }
+                else
+                {
+                    this.activityWindow.Dispatcher.Invoke((Action)delegate()
+                                                                {
+                                                                    this.activityWindow.Show();
+                                                                }
+                                                             );
+                }
+                this.progressTimer.Start();
+            }
+        }
+        
+        /*
+        public void ShowActivityNotificationWindow()
         {
             if (this.activityWindowApp == null)
             {
@@ -48,6 +89,7 @@ namespace PdfScribe
                 this.progressTimer.Enabled = true;
             }
         }
+        */
 
         /// <summary>
         /// Shuts down the WPF Application showing
@@ -55,6 +97,25 @@ namespace PdfScribe
         /// </summary>
         public void CloseActivityNotificationWindow()
         {
+            this.progressTimer.Enabled = false;
+            if (this.activityWindow != null)
+            {
+                if (this.activityWindow.Dispatcher.CheckAccess())
+                {
+                    this.activityWindow.Close();
+                }
+                else
+                {
+                    this.activityWindow.Dispatcher.Invoke((Action)delegate()
+                                                            {
+                                                                this.activityWindow.Close();
+                                                            }
+                    );
+                }
+                this.activityWindow = null;
+            }
+
+            /*
             if (activityWindowApp != null)
             {
                 this.progressTimer.Stop();
@@ -73,6 +134,7 @@ namespace PdfScribe
                 this.progressTimer.Dispose();
                 this.progressTimer = null;
             }
+             */ 
         }
 
 
@@ -80,15 +142,26 @@ namespace PdfScribe
         private void progressTimer_Elapsed(object sender, SysTimers.ElapsedEventArgs e)
         {
             ((SysTimers.Timer)sender).Enabled = false;
-            activityWindowApp.Dispatcher.Invoke((Action)delegate()
-                        {
-                            if (this.progressCounter >= progressString.Length)
-                                this.progressCounter = 0;
-                            activityWindow.labelProgress.Content = progressString.Substring(0, progressCounter + 1);
-                            progressCounter++;
-                        }
-            );
-            ((SysTimers.Timer)sender).Enabled = true;
+            if (activityWindow != null)
+            {
+                if (this.progressCounter >= progressString.Length)
+                    this.progressCounter = 0;
+
+                if (activityWindow.labelProgress.Dispatcher.CheckAccess())
+                {
+                    activityWindow.labelProgress.Content = progressString.Substring(0, progressCounter + 1);
+                }
+                else
+                {
+                    activityWindow.labelProgress.Dispatcher.Invoke((Action)delegate()
+                                                                        {
+                                                                            activityWindow.labelProgress.Content = progressString.Substring(0, progressCounter + 1);
+                                                                        }
+                                                                    );
+                }
+                progressCounter++;
+                ((SysTimers.Timer)sender).Enabled = true;
+            }
         }
 
     }
diff --git a/PdfScribe/Program.cs b/PdfScribe/Program.cs
index f5ac268..238fc71 100644
--- a/PdfScribe/Program.cs
+++ b/PdfScribe/Program.cs
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ using System.Reflection;
 using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
 using System.Text;
 using System.Threading;
+using System.Windows;
 
 using PdfScribeCore;
 
@@ -38,7 +39,8 @@ namespace PdfScribe
 
         #endregion
 
-        static ActivityNotificationPresenter userDisplay = new ActivityNotificationPresenter();
+        static Application guiApplication = null;        
+        static ActivityNotificationPresenter userDisplay;
         static TraceSource logEventSource = new TraceSource(traceSourceName);
 
         [STAThread]
@@ -46,8 +48,13 @@ namespace PdfScribe
         {
             // Install the global exception handler
             AppDomain.CurrentDomain.UnhandledException += new UnhandledExceptionEventHandler(Application_UnhandledException);
+
+            // Setup and start the WPF application that will
+            // handle Windows and other displayables
+            LaunchApplication();
+            userDisplay = new ActivityNotificationPresenter(guiApplication);
             userDisplay.ShowActivityNotificationWindow();
-            Thread.Sleep(3000);
+            //Thread.Sleep(20000);
 
             String standardInputFilename = Path.GetTempFileName();
             String outputFilename = Path.Combine(Path.GetTempPath(), defaultOutputFilename);
@@ -125,6 +132,7 @@ namespace PdfScribe
                                               String.Format(warnFileNotDeleted, standardInputFilename));
                 }
                 userDisplay.CloseActivityNotificationWindow();
+                ShutdownApplication();
             }
         }
 
@@ -140,12 +148,51 @@ namespace PdfScribe
         {
             logEventSource.TraceEvent(TraceEventType.Critical,
                                       (int)TraceEventType.Critical,
-                                      ((Exception)e.ExceptionObject).Message);
+                                      ((Exception)e.ExceptionObject).Message + Environment.NewLine +
+                                                                        ((Exception)e.ExceptionObject).StackTrace);
             ErrorDialogPresenter errorDialog = new ErrorDialogPresenter(errorDialogCaption,
                                                                         errorDialogInstructionUnexpectedError,
-                                                                        String.Empty);
+                                                                        ((Exception)e.ExceptionObject).Message + 
+                                                                        Environment.NewLine +
+                                                                        ((Exception)e.ExceptionObject).StackTrace);
         }
 
+        static void LaunchApplication()
+        {
 
+            if (guiApplication == null)
+            {
+                guiApplication = new Application();
+                var guiApplicationThread = new Thread(new ThreadStart(() =>
+                                {
+                                    guiApplication.ShutdownMode = ShutdownMode.OnExplicitShutdown;
+                                    guiApplication.Run();
+                                }
+                            ));
+                guiApplicationThread.SetApartmentState(ApartmentState.STA);
+                guiApplicationThread.Start();
+            }
+        }
+
+        static void ShutdownApplication()
+        {
+            if (guiApplication != null)
+            {
+                guiApplication.Dispatcher.Invoke((Action)delegate()
+                    {
+                        if (guiApplication.Windows != null && guiApplication.Windows.Count > 0)
+                        {
+                            foreach (Window appWindow in guiApplication.Windows)
+                            {
+                                appWindow.Close();
+                            }
+                        }
+
+                    }
+                );
+                guiApplication.Dispatcher.InvokeShutdown();
+                guiApplication = null;
+            }
+        }
     }
 }