Index: db.scm
==================================================================
--- db.scm
+++ db.scm
@@ -2955,11 +2955,11 @@
                                                      AND (status NOT IN ('TEN_STRIKES','BLOCKED') OR status IN ('INCOMPLETE'))
                                                      AND state in ('RUNNING','NOT_STARTED','LAUNCHED','REMOTEHOSTSTART')) > 0 THEN 'RUNNING'
                                    WHEN (SELECT count(id) FROM tests 
                                                 WHERE testname=?
                                                      AND item_path != '' 
-                                                     AND state != 'COMPLETED') = 0 THEN 'COMPLETED'
+                                                     AND state NOT IN ('COMPLETED','DELETED')) = 0 THEN 'COMPLETED'
                                    WHEN (SELECT count(id) FROM tests 
                                                 WHERE testname=?
                                                      AND item_path != '' 
                                                      AND state = 'NOT_STARTED') > 0 THEN 'NOT_STARTED'
                                    ELSE 'UNKNOWN' END,

Index: launch.scm
==================================================================
--- launch.scm
+++ launch.scm
@@ -896,11 +896,13 @@
 				      (list 'runname   runname)
 				      (list 'mt-bindir-path mt-bindir-path))))))))
 
     ;; clean out step records from previous run if they exist
     ;; (rmt:delete-test-step-records run-id test-id)
-    (change-directory work-area) ;; so that log files from the launch process don't clutter the test dir
+    ;; if the dir does not exist we may have a itempath where individual variables are a path, launch anyway
+    (if (file-exists? work-area)
+	(change-directory work-area)) ;; so that log files from the launch process don't clutter the test dir
     (cond
      ((and launcher hosts) ;; must be using ssh hostname
       (set! fullcmd (append launcher (car hosts)(list remote-megatest test-sig "-execute" cmdparms) debug-param)))
      ;; (set! fullcmd (append launcher (car hosts)(list remote-megatest test-sig "-execute" cmdparms))))
      (launcher

Index: runs.scm
==================================================================
--- runs.scm
+++ runs.scm
@@ -98,11 +98,11 @@
 
 (define (runs:set-megatest-env-vars run-id #!key (inkeys #f)(inrunname #f)(inkeyvals #f)(intarget #f))
   (let* ((target    (or intarget 
 			(common:args-get-target)
 			(get-environment-variable "MT_TARGET")))
-	 (keys    (if inkeys    inkeys    (rmt:get-keys)))
+	 (keys      (if inkeys    inkeys    (rmt:get-keys)))
 	 (keyvals   (if inkeyvals inkeyvals (keys:target->keyval keys target)))
 	 (vals      (hash-table-ref/default *env-vars-by-run-id* run-id #f))
 	 (link-tree (configf:lookup *configdat* "setup" "linktree")))
     ;; get the info from the db and put it in the cache
     (if link-tree