diff --git a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Config.pm b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Config.pm
index 4c13325f7..d556e1194 100644
--- a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Config.pm
+++ b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Config.pm
@@ -124,6 +124,7 @@ our %EXPORT_TAGS = ( internal => [ qw( create_temp_script
 				       set_shorewall_dir
 				       set_debug
 				       find_file
+				       find_writable_file
 				       split_list
 				       split_list1
 				       split_list2
@@ -1869,6 +1870,20 @@ sub find_file($)
     "$config_path[0]$filename";
 }
 
+sub find_writable_file($) {
+    my ( $filename, $nosearch ) = @_;
+
+    return $filename if $filename =~ '/';
+
+    for my $directory ( @config_path ) {
+	next if $directory =~ m|^$globals{SHAREDIR}/configfiles/?$| || $directory =~ m|^$shorewallrc{SHAREDIR}/doc/default-config/?$|;
+	my $file = "$directory$filename";
+	return $file if -f $file && -w _;
+    }
+
+    "$config_path[0]$filename";
+}
+
 #
 # Split a comma-separated list into a Perl array
 #
@@ -4807,6 +4822,12 @@ sub conditional_quote( $ ) {
 #
 # Update the shorewall[6].conf file. Save the current file with a .bak suffix.
 #
+sub update_default($$) {
+    my ( $var, $val ) = @_;
+
+    $config{$var} = $val unless defined $config{$var};
+}
+
 sub update_config_file( $$ ) {
     my ( $annotate, $directives ) = @_;
 
@@ -4862,9 +4883,8 @@ sub update_config_file( $$ ) {
 	}
     }
 
-    $config{USE_DEFAULT_RT} = 'No' unless defined $config{USE_DEFAULT_RT};
-
-    $config{EXPORTMODULES} = 'No' unless defined $config{EXPORTMODULES};
+    update_default( 'USE_DEFAULT_RT', 'No' );
+    update_default( 'EXPORTMODULES',  'No' );
 
     my $fn;
 
diff --git a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Misc.pm b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Misc.pm
index d6f9f571f..717de54b9 100644
--- a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Misc.pm
+++ b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Misc.pm
@@ -480,7 +480,7 @@ sub convert_blacklist() {
 	}
 
 	if ( @rules ) {
-	    my $fn1 = find_file( 'blrules' );
+	    my $fn1 = find_writable_file( 'blrules' );
 	    my $blrules;
 	    my $date = localtime;
 
@@ -701,7 +701,7 @@ sub convert_routestopped() {
 
 	my ( $stoppedrules, $fn1 );
 
-	if ( -f ( $fn1 = find_file( 'stoppedrules' ) ) ) {
+	if ( -f ( $fn1 = find_writable_file( 'stoppedrules' ) ) ) {
 	    open $stoppedrules, '>>', $fn1 or fatal_error "Unable to open $fn1: $!";
 	} else {
 	    open $stoppedrules, '>',  $fn1 or fatal_error "Unable to open $fn1: $!";
@@ -723,12 +723,16 @@ sub convert_routestopped() {
 EOF
 	}
 
-	print( $stoppedrules
-	       "#\n" ,
-	       "# Rules generated from routestopped file $fn by Shorewall $globals{VERSION} - $date\n" ,
-	       "#\n" );
-
-	first_entry "$doing $fn...";
+	first_entry(
+		    sub {
+			my $date = localtime;
+			progress_message2 "$doing $fn...";
+			print( $stoppedrules
+			       "#\n" ,
+			       "# Rules generated from routestopped file $fn by Shorewall $globals{VERSION} - $date\n" ,
+			       "#\n" );
+		    }
+		   );
 
 	while ( read_a_line ( NORMAL_READ ) ) {
 
diff --git a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Tc.pm b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Tc.pm
index be1f5e6fc..516c15426 100644
--- a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Tc.pm
+++ b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Tc.pm
@@ -3177,6 +3177,16 @@ sub convert_tos($$) {
     }
 
     if ( my $fn = open_file 'tos' ) {
+	first_entry
+	    sub {
+		my $date = localtime;
+		progress_message2 "Converting $fn...";
+		print( $mangle
+		       "#\n" ,
+		       "# Rules generated from tos file $fn by Shorewall $globals{VERSION} - $date\n" ,
+		       "#\n" );
+	    };
+
 	while ( read_a_line( NORMAL_READ ) ) {
 
 	    $have_tos = 1;
@@ -3243,10 +3253,10 @@ sub convert_tos($$) {
 sub open_mangle_for_output() {
     my ( $mangle, $fn1 );
 
-    if ( -f ( find_file( 'mangle' ) ) ) {
-	open( $mangle , '>>', $fn1 = find_file('mangle') ) || fatal_error "Unable to open $fn1:$!";
+    if ( -f ( $fn1 = find_writeable_file( 'mangle' ) ) ) {
+	open( $mangle , '>>', $fn1 ) || fatal_error "Unable to open $fn1:$!";
     } else {
-	open( $mangle , '>', $fn1 = find_file('mangle') ) || fatal_error "Unable to open $fn1:$!";
+	open( $mangle , '>', $fn1 ) || fatal_error "Unable to open $fn1:$!";
 	print $mangle <<'EOF';
 #
 # Shorewall version 4 - Mangle File
@@ -3337,7 +3347,20 @@ sub setup_tc( $ ) {
 		directive_callback( sub () { print $mangle "$_[1]\n" unless $_[0] eq 'FORMAT'; 0; } );
 	    }
 
-	    first_entry "$doing $fn...";
+
+	    first_entry
+		sub {
+		    if ( $convert ) {
+			my $date = localtime;
+			progress_message2 "Converting $fn...";
+			print( $mangle
+			       "#\n" ,
+			       "# Rules generated from tcrules file $fn by Shorewall $globals{VERSION} - $date\n" ,
+			       "#\n" );
+		    } else {
+			progress_message2 "$doing $fn...";
+		    }
+		};
 
 	    process_tc_rule, $have_tcrules++ while read_a_line( NORMAL_READ );