diff --git a/gui/griffon-app/conf/Config.groovy b/gui/griffon-app/conf/Config.groovy
index 9a110f37..f02f4f62 100644
--- a/gui/griffon-app/conf/Config.groovy
+++ b/gui/griffon-app/conf/Config.groovy
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 
 application {
     title = 'MuWire'
-    startupGroups = ['EventList', 'MainFrame']
+    startupGroups = ['EventList', 'MainFrame', 'ShutdownWindow']
     autoShutdown = false
 }
 
@@ -16,6 +16,11 @@ mvcGroups {
         view = 'com.muwire.gui.MainFrameView'
         controller = 'com.muwire.gui.MainFrameController'
     }
+    'ShutdownWindow' {
+        model = 'com.muwire.gui.ShutdownWindowModel'
+        view = 'com.muwire.gui.ShutdownWindowView'
+        controller = 'com.muwire.gui.ShutdownWindowController'
+    }
     'SearchTab' {
         model = 'com.muwire.gui.SearchTabModel'
         view = 'com.muwire.gui.SearchTabView'
diff --git a/gui/griffon-app/controllers/com/muwire/gui/ShutdownWindowController.groovy b/gui/griffon-app/controllers/com/muwire/gui/ShutdownWindowController.groovy
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..152ab846
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gui/griffon-app/controllers/com/muwire/gui/ShutdownWindowController.groovy
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+package com.muwire.gui
+
+import griffon.core.artifact.GriffonController
+import griffon.core.controller.ControllerAction
+import griffon.inject.MVCMember
+import griffon.metadata.ArtifactProviderFor
+import javax.annotation.Nonnull
+
+@ArtifactProviderFor(GriffonController)
+class ShutdownWindowController {
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/gui/griffon-app/lifecycle/Initialize.groovy b/gui/griffon-app/lifecycle/Initialize.groovy
index 824cbcfe..4b14b5c5 100644
--- a/gui/griffon-app/lifecycle/Initialize.groovy
+++ b/gui/griffon-app/lifecycle/Initialize.groovy
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ class Initialize extends AbstractLifecycleHandler {
             }
         }
         
-        if (SystemTray.isSupported()) {
+        if (SystemTray.isSupported() && (SystemVersion.isMac() || SystemVersion.isWindows())) {
             try {
                 def tray = SystemTray.getSystemTray()
                 def url = Initialize.class.getResource("/MuWire-32x32.png")
@@ -60,11 +60,17 @@ class Initialize extends AbstractLifecycleHandler {
 
                 def exit = new MenuItem("Exit")
                 exit.addActionListener({
+                    application.getWindowManager().findWindow("main-frame").setVisible(false)
+                    application.getWindowManager().findWindow("shutdown-window").setVisible(true)
                     Core core = application.getContext().get("core")
-                    if (core != null)
-                        core.shutdown()
+                    if (core != null) {
+                        Thread t = new Thread({
+                            core.shutdown()
+                            application.shutdown()
+                        }as Runnable)
+                        t.start()
+                    }
                     tray.remove(trayIcon)
-                    System.exit(0)
                 })
                 
                 def showMW = {e ->
diff --git a/gui/griffon-app/lifecycle/Shutdown.groovy b/gui/griffon-app/lifecycle/Shutdown.groovy
index 1c82aff5..ab3624b1 100644
--- a/gui/griffon-app/lifecycle/Shutdown.groovy
+++ b/gui/griffon-app/lifecycle/Shutdown.groovy
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ class Shutdown extends AbstractLifecycleHandler {
     void execute() {
         log.info("shutting down")
         Core core = application.context.get("core")
-        core.shutdown()
+        if (core != null) 
+            core.shutdown()
     }
 }
diff --git a/gui/griffon-app/models/com/muwire/gui/ShutdownWindowModel.groovy b/gui/griffon-app/models/com/muwire/gui/ShutdownWindowModel.groovy
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9d95dae1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gui/griffon-app/models/com/muwire/gui/ShutdownWindowModel.groovy
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+package com.muwire.gui
+
+import griffon.core.artifact.GriffonModel
+import griffon.transform.Observable
+import griffon.metadata.ArtifactProviderFor
+
+@ArtifactProviderFor(GriffonModel)
+class ShutdownWindowModel {
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/gui/griffon-app/views/com/muwire/gui/ShutdownWindowView.groovy b/gui/griffon-app/views/com/muwire/gui/ShutdownWindowView.groovy
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..57cda57c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gui/griffon-app/views/com/muwire/gui/ShutdownWindowView.groovy
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+package com.muwire.gui
+
+import griffon.core.GriffonApplication
+import griffon.core.artifact.GriffonView
+import griffon.inject.MVCMember
+import griffon.metadata.ArtifactProviderFor
+
+import javax.swing.Box
+import javax.swing.SwingConstants
+import javax.annotation.Nonnull
+import javax.inject.Inject
+
+@ArtifactProviderFor(GriffonView)
+class ShutdownWindowView {
+    @MVCMember @Nonnull
+    FactoryBuilderSupport builder
+    @MVCMember @Nonnull
+    ShutdownWindowModel model
+    
+    void initUI() {
+        builder.with {
+            app = application(size: [320, 80], id: 'shutdown-window',
+                    locationRelativeTo : null,
+                    title: application.configuration['application.title'],
+                    iconImage:   imageIcon('/MuWire-48x48.png').image,
+                    iconImages: [imageIcon('/MuWire-48x48.png').image,
+                                 imageIcon('/MuWire-32x32.png').image,
+                                 imageIcon('/MuWire-16x16.png').image],
+                    visible: false ) {
+                panel {
+                    vbox {
+                        label("MuWire is shutting down, please wait...")
+                        Box.createVerticalGlue()
+                        progressBar(indeterminate : true)
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file