diff --git a/main/php_ini.c b/main/php_ini.c
index 8a103a08a3a..0c35e79ae28 100644
--- a/main/php_ini.c
+++ b/main/php_ini.c
@@ -50,6 +50,8 @@ typedef struct _php_extension_lists {
 static int is_special_section = 0;
 static HashTable *active_ini_hash;
 static HashTable configuration_hash;
+static int has_per_dir_config = 0;
+static int has_per_host_config = 0;
 PHPAPI char *php_ini_opened_path=NULL;
 static php_extension_lists extension_lists;
 PHPAPI char *php_ini_scanned_files=NULL;
@@ -264,6 +266,7 @@ static void php_ini_parser_cb(zval *arg1, zval *arg2, zval *arg3, int callback_t
 					key = key + sizeof("PATH") - 1;
 					key_len = Z_STRLEN_P(arg1) - sizeof("PATH") + 1;
 					is_special_section = 1;
+					has_per_dir_config = 1;
 
 				/* HOST sections */
 				} else if (!strncasecmp(Z_STRVAL_P(arg1), "HOST", sizeof("HOST") - 1)) {
@@ -271,6 +274,8 @@ static void php_ini_parser_cb(zval *arg1, zval *arg2, zval *arg3, int callback_t
 					key = key + sizeof("HOST") - 1;
 					key_len = Z_STRLEN_P(arg1) - sizeof("HOST") + 1;
 					is_special_section = 1;
+					has_per_host_config = 1;
+
 				} else {
 					is_special_section = 0;
 				}
@@ -737,6 +742,14 @@ PHPAPI void php_ini_activate_config(HashTable *source_hash, int modify_type, int
 }
 /* }}} */
 
+/* {{{ php_ini_has_per_dir_config
+ */
+PHPAPI int php_ini_has_per_dir_config(void)
+{
+	return has_per_dir_config;
+}
+/* }}} */
+
 /* {{{ php_ini_activate_per_dir_config
  */
 PHPAPI void php_ini_activate_per_dir_config(char *path, uint path_len TSRMLS_DC)
@@ -745,7 +758,7 @@ PHPAPI void php_ini_activate_per_dir_config(char *path, uint path_len TSRMLS_DC)
 	char *ptr;
 
 	/* Walk through each directory in path and apply any found per-dir-system-configuration from configuration_hash */
-	if (path && path_len) {
+	if (has_per_dir_config && path && path_len) {
 		ptr = path + 1;
 		while ((ptr = strchr(ptr, DEFAULT_SLASH)) != NULL) {
 			*ptr = 0;
@@ -760,13 +773,21 @@ PHPAPI void php_ini_activate_per_dir_config(char *path, uint path_len TSRMLS_DC)
 }
 /* }}} */
 
+/* {{{ php_ini_has_per_host_config
+ */
+PHPAPI int php_ini_has_per_host_config(void)
+{
+	return has_per_host_config;
+}
+/* }}} */
+
 /* {{{ php_ini_activate_per_host_config
  */
 PHPAPI void php_ini_activate_per_host_config(char *host, uint host_len TSRMLS_DC)
 {
 	zval *tmp;
 
-	if (host && host_len) {
+	if (has_per_host_config && host && host_len) {
 		/* Search for source array matching the host from configuration_hash */
 		if (zend_hash_find(&configuration_hash, host, host_len, (void **) &tmp) == SUCCESS) {
 			php_ini_activate_config(Z_ARRVAL_P(tmp), PHP_INI_SYSTEM, PHP_INI_STAGE_ACTIVATE TSRMLS_CC);
diff --git a/main/php_ini.h b/main/php_ini.h
index 70f3bfca2fb..61e87f6a480 100644
--- a/main/php_ini.h
+++ b/main/php_ini.h
@@ -34,6 +34,8 @@ PHPAPI int cfg_get_double(char *varname, double *result);
 PHPAPI int cfg_get_string(char *varname, char **result);
 PHPAPI int php_parse_user_ini_file(char *dirname, char *ini_filename, HashTable *target_hash TSRMLS_DC);
 PHPAPI void php_ini_activate_config(HashTable *source_hash, int modify_type, int stage TSRMLS_DC);
+PHPAPI int php_ini_has_per_dir_config(void);
+PHPAPI int php_ini_has_per_host_config(void);
 PHPAPI void php_ini_activate_per_dir_config(char *path, uint path_len TSRMLS_DC);
 PHPAPI void php_ini_activate_per_host_config(char *host, uint host_len TSRMLS_DC);
 PHPAPI HashTable* php_ini_get_configuration_hash(void);
diff --git a/sapi/cgi/cgi_main.c b/sapi/cgi/cgi_main.c
index 0c7cc011975..794bfbb34d3 100644
--- a/sapi/cgi/cgi_main.c
+++ b/sapi/cgi/cgi_main.c
@@ -710,42 +710,47 @@ static int sapi_cgi_activate(TSRMLS_D)
 		return FAILURE;
 	}
 
-	doc_root = sapi_cgibin_getenv("DOCUMENT_ROOT", sizeof("DOCUMENT_ROOT") - 1 TSRMLS_CC);
-	server_name = sapi_cgibin_getenv("SERVER_NAME", sizeof("SERVER_NAME") - 1 TSRMLS_CC);
-
-	/* DOCUMENT_ROOT and SERVER_NAME should also be defined at this stage..but better check it anyway */
-	if (!doc_root || !server_name) {
-		return FAILURE;
-	}
-	doc_root_len = strlen(doc_root);
-	if (doc_root[doc_root_len - 1] == '/') {
-		--doc_root_len;
+	if (php_ini_has_per_host_config()) {
+		/* Activate per-host-system-configuration defined in php.ini and stored into configuration_hash during startup */
+		server_name = sapi_cgibin_getenv("SERVER_NAME", sizeof("SERVER_NAME") - 1 TSRMLS_CC);
+		/* SERVER_NAME should also be defined at this stage..but better check it anyway */
+		if (server_name) {
+			php_ini_activate_per_host_config(server_name, strlen(server_name) + 1 TSRMLS_CC);
+		}
 	}
 
-	/* Prepare search path */
-	path_len = strlen(SG(request_info).path_translated);
-	path = zend_strndup(SG(request_info).path_translated, path_len);
-	php_dirname(path, path_len);
-	path_len = strlen(path);
+	if (php_ini_has_per_dir_config() || 
+	    (PG(user_ini_filename) && *PG(user_ini_filename))) {
+		/* Prepare search path */
+		path_len = strlen(SG(request_info).path_translated);
+		path = estrndup(SG(request_info).path_translated, path_len);
+		path_len = zend_dirname(path, path_len);
 
-	/* Make sure we have trailing slash! */
-	if (!IS_SLASH(path[path_len])) {
-		path[path_len++] = DEFAULT_SLASH;
-	}
-	path[path_len] = 0;
+		/* Make sure we have trailing slash! */
+		if (!IS_SLASH(path[path_len])) {
+			path[path_len++] = DEFAULT_SLASH;
+		}
+		path[path_len] = 0;
 
-	/* Activate per-dir-system-configuration defined in php.ini and stored into configuration_hash during startup */
-	php_ini_activate_per_dir_config(path, path_len TSRMLS_CC); /* Note: for global settings sake we check from root to path */
+		/* Activate per-dir-system-configuration defined in php.ini and stored into configuration_hash during startup */
+		php_ini_activate_per_dir_config(path, path_len TSRMLS_CC); /* Note: for global settings sake we check from root to path */
 
-	/* Activate per-host-system-configuration defined in php.ini and stored into configuration_hash during startup */
-	php_ini_activate_per_host_config(server_name, strlen(server_name) + 1 TSRMLS_CC);
+		/* Load and activate user ini files in path starting from DOCUMENT_ROOT */
+		if (PG(user_ini_filename) && *PG(user_ini_filename)) {
+			doc_root = sapi_cgibin_getenv("DOCUMENT_ROOT", sizeof("DOCUMENT_ROOT") - 1 TSRMLS_CC);
+			/* DOCUMENT_ROOT should also be defined at this stage..but better check it anyway */
+			if (doc_root) {
+				doc_root_len = strlen(doc_root);
+				if (doc_root[doc_root_len - 1] == '/') {
+					--doc_root_len;
+				}
+				php_cgi_ini_activate_user_config(path, path_len, doc_root_len - 1 TSRMLS_CC);
+			}
+		}
 
-	/* Load and activate user ini files in path starting from DOCUMENT_ROOT */
-	if (strlen(PG(user_ini_filename))) {
-		php_cgi_ini_activate_user_config(path, path_len, doc_root_len - 1 TSRMLS_CC);
+		efree(path);
 	}
 
-	free(path);
 	return SUCCESS;
 }