Index: trunk/test/functional/org/openstreetmap/josm/fixtures/JOSMFixture.java
===================================================================
--- trunk/test/functional/org/openstreetmap/josm/fixtures/JOSMFixture.java	(revision 2690)
+++ trunk/test/functional/org/openstreetmap/josm/fixtures/JOSMFixture.java	(revision 2748)
@@ -14,4 +14,5 @@
 import org.openstreetmap.josm.data.projection.Mercator;
 import org.openstreetmap.josm.io.OsmApi;
+import org.openstreetmap.josm.tools.I18n;
 
 public class JOSMFixture {
@@ -42,5 +43,5 @@
         } catch(Exception e){
             logger.log(Level.SEVERE, MessageFormat.format("failed to load property file ''{0}''", testPropertiesResourceName));
-            fail(MessageFormat.format("failed to load property file ''{0}''", testPropertiesResourceName));
+            fail(MessageFormat.format("failed to load property file ''{0}''. \nMake sure the path ''$project_root/test/config'' is on the classpath.", testPropertiesResourceName));
         }
 
@@ -53,8 +54,14 @@
             File f = new File(josmHome);
             if (! f.exists() || ! f.canRead()) {
-                fail(MessageFormat.format("property ''{0}'' points to ''{1}'' which is either not existing or not readable", "josm.home", josmHome));
+                fail(MessageFormat.format("property ''{0}'' points to ''{1}'' which is either not existing or not readable.\nEdit ''{2}'' and update the value ''josm.home''. ", "josm.home", josmHome,testPropertiesResourceName ));
             }
         }
         System.setProperty("josm.home", josmHome);
+        I18n.init();
+        // initialize the plaform hook, and
+        Main.determinePlatformHook();
+        // call the really early hook before we anything else
+        Main.platform.preStartupHook();
+
         Main.pref.init(false);