diff --git a/src/musrgui/PAdmin.cpp b/src/musrgui/PAdmin.cpp
index cff4a93e..b7d0ab72 100644
--- a/src/musrgui/PAdmin.cpp
+++ b/src/musrgui/PAdmin.cpp
@@ -213,10 +213,62 @@ bool PAdminXMLParser::characters(const QString& str)
 bool PAdminXMLParser::endDocument()
 {
   // check if all necessary items are found
+  QString str;
+
+  if (fAdmin->getExecPath().find('$') >= 0) {
+    str = expandPath(fAdmin->getExecPath());
+    if (!str.isEmpty())
+      fAdmin->setExecPath(str);
+  }
+
+  if (fAdmin->getDefaultSavePath().find('$') >= 0) {
+    str = expandPath(fAdmin->getDefaultSavePath());
+    if (!str.isEmpty())
+      fAdmin->setDefaultSavePath(str);
+  }
+
+  if (fAdmin->getMsrDefaultFilePath().find('$') >= 0) {
+    expandPath(fAdmin->getMsrDefaultFilePath());
+    if (!str.isEmpty())
+      fAdmin->setMsrDefaultFilePath(str);
+  }
 
   return true;
 }
 
+//--------------------------------------------------------------------------
+/**
+ * <p>Called at the end of the XML parse process.
+ */
+QString PAdminXMLParser::expandPath(const QString &str)
+{
+  QString token;
+  QString path;
+  QString msg;
+  QString newStr="";
+
+  QStringList list = QStringList::split("/", str);
+
+  for ( QStringList::Iterator it = list.begin(); it != list.end(); ++it ) {
+    token = *it;
+    if (token.contains("$")) {
+      token.remove('$');
+      path = std::getenv(token.latin1());
+      if (path.isEmpty()) {
+        msg = QString("Couldn't expand '%1'. Some things might not work properly").arg(token);
+        QMessageBox::warning(0, "**WARNING**", msg, QMessageBox::Ok, QMessageBox::NoButton);
+        newStr = "";
+        break;
+      }
+      newStr += "/" + path;
+    } else {
+      newStr += "/" + token;
+    }
+  }
+
+  return newStr;
+}
+
 //--------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // implementation of PAdmin class
 //--------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/src/musrgui/PAdmin.h b/src/musrgui/PAdmin.h
index e4d7f7b9..1b34f8e2 100644
--- a/src/musrgui/PAdmin.h
+++ b/src/musrgui/PAdmin.h
@@ -69,6 +69,8 @@ class PAdminXMLParser : public QXmlDefaultHandler
     bool characters(const QString&);
     bool endDocument();
 
+    QString expandPath(const QString&);
+
     EAdminKeyWords fKeyWord;
     bool           fFunc;
     PTheory        fTheoryItem;
diff --git a/src/musrgui/musrgui_startup.xml b/src/musrgui/musrgui_startup.xml
index afc46f38..164b5e15 100644
--- a/src/musrgui/musrgui_startup.xml
+++ b/src/musrgui/musrgui_startup.xml
@@ -5,9 +5,9 @@
     This is handling default setting parameters for the musrgui.
   </comment>
   <general>
-    <exec_path>/home/nemu/analysis/bin</exec_path>
+    <exec_path>$HOME/analysis/bin</exec_path>
     <default_save_path>./</default_save_path>
-    <msr_default_file_path>/home/nemu/analysis/musrfit/src/musrgui</msr_default_file_path>
+    <msr_default_file_path>$HOME/analysis/musrfit/src/musrgui</msr_default_file_path>
   </general>
   <msr_file_defaults>
     <beamline>mue4</beamline>
@@ -170,6 +170,6 @@
       <pixmap></pixmap>
       <params>0</params>
     </func> 
-  </theory_function>
+  </theory_functions>
 </musrgui_startup>