diff --git a/config/config.ini b/config/config.ini
index 2b7106a..8caffac 100644
--- a/config/config.ini
+++ b/config/config.ini
@@ -111,11 +111,9 @@ browseToUnitFolder = default
 
 [email]
 ; email settings
-emailServer = localhost
-emailFrom = kt@${serverName}
+emailServer = none
+emailFrom = kt@example.org
 emailFromName = KnowledgeTree Document Management System
-emailAdmin = kt@${serverName}
-emailAdminName = DMS Administrator
 ; Set to true to allow users to send attachments from the document
 ; management system
 allowAttachment = default
diff --git a/lib/email/Email.inc b/lib/email/Email.inc
index f2f1b53..ccf525d 100644
--- a/lib/email/Email.inc
+++ b/lib/email/Email.inc
@@ -52,6 +52,15 @@ class Email {
         $this->oMailer->WordWrap = 100;
         $this->oMailer->IsHTML(true);
         $this->oMailer->SetLanguage('en', KT_DIR .  '/phpmailer/language/');
+        $this->bEmailDisabled = false;
+        $oConfig =& KTConfig::getSingleton();
+        $sEmailServer = $oConfig->get('email/emailServer');
+        if ($sEmailServer == 'none') {
+            $this->bEmailDisabled = true;
+        }
+        if (empty($sEmailServer)) {
+            $this->bEmailDisabled = true;
+        }
     }
 	
     /**
@@ -65,6 +74,9 @@ class Email {
      * @return boolean true on email successfully sent, false otherwise and set $_SESSION["errorMessage"]
      */
     function send($mToEmail, $sSubject, $sBody) {
+        if ($this->bEmailDisabled) {
+        	return PEAR::raiseError(_kt("Email is not configured."));
+        }
         global $default;
         
         if ( (is_string($mToEmail) && (strlen($mToEmail) > 0)) || 
@@ -116,6 +128,9 @@ class Email {
      * @return boolean true on email successfully sent, false otherwise and set $_SESSION["errorMessage"]
      */
     function sendAttachment($mToEmail, $sSubject, $sBody, $sDocumentPath, $sDocumentName) {
+        if ($this->bEmailDisabled) {
+        	return PEAR::raiseError(_kt("Email is not configured."));
+        }
         global $default;
         
         if ( (is_string($mToEmail) && (strlen($mToEmail) > 0)) || 
@@ -173,6 +188,9 @@ class Email {
     * @todo need to test this on multiple mail clients, not just Outlook
     */
     function sendHyperLink($FromEmail, $FromName, $ToEmail, $Subj, $EmailBody, $hyperlink) {
+        if ($this->bEmailDisabled) {
+        	return PEAR::raiseError(_kt("Email is not configured."));
+        }
         global $default;
 
         //get info from relevant fields.
@@ -205,6 +223,9 @@ class Email {
     * @todo need to test this on multiple mail clients, not just Outlook
     */
     function sendHelpEmail($FromEmail, $FromName, $ToEmail, $Subj, $EmailBody, $hyperlink) {
+        if ($this->bEmailDisabled) {
+        	return PEAR::raiseError(_kt("Email is not configured."));
+        }
         global $default;
 
         //get info from relevant fields.
@@ -223,6 +244,9 @@ class Email {
     }
 
     function sendEmail($FromEmail, $FromName, $ToEmail, $Subj, $EmailBody) {
+        if ($this->bEmailDisabled) {
+        	return PEAR::raiseError(_kt("Email is not configured."));
+        }
         global $default;
 
         //get info from relevant fields.
diff --git a/plugins/ktcore/KTCorePlugin.php b/plugins/ktcore/KTCorePlugin.php
index b27fe93..a27d8e9 100644
--- a/plugins/ktcore/KTCorePlugin.php
+++ b/plugins/ktcore/KTCorePlugin.php
@@ -73,6 +73,7 @@ class KTCorePlugin extends KTPlugin {
         $this->registerDashlet('KTNotificationDashlet', 'ktcore.dashlet.notifications', 'KTDashlets.php');
         $this->registerDashlet('KTCheckoutDashlet', 'ktcore.dashlet.checkout', 'KTDashlets.php');
         $this->registerDashlet('KTIndexerStatusDashlet', 'ktcore.dashlet.indexer_status', 'KTDashlets.php');
+        $this->registerDashlet('KTMailServerDashlet', 'ktcore.dashlet.mail_server', 'KTDashlets.php');
 
         $this->registerAdminPage('authentication', 'KTAuthenticationAdminPage', 'principals', _kt('Authentication'), _kt('By default, KnowledgeTree controls its own users and groups and stores all information about them inside the database. In many situations, an organisation will already have a list of users and groups, and needs to use that existing information to allow access to the DMS.   These <strong>Authentication Sources</strong> allow the system administrator to  specify additional sources of authentication data.'), 'authentication/authenticationadminpage.inc.php');
 
diff --git a/plugins/ktcore/KTDashlets.php b/plugins/ktcore/KTDashlets.php
index 8e8ea69..4bf1e65 100644
--- a/plugins/ktcore/KTDashlets.php
+++ b/plugins/ktcore/KTDashlets.php
@@ -229,4 +229,29 @@ class KTIndexerStatusDashlet extends KTBaseDashlet {
     }
 }
 
+// replace the old checked-out docs.
+class KTMailServerDashlet extends KTBaseDashlet {
+
+    function is_active($oUser) {
+        $oConfig =& KTConfig::getSingleton();
+        $sEmailServer = $oConfig->get('email/emailServer');
+        if ($sEmailServer == 'none') {
+            return true;
+        }
+        if (empty($sEmailServer)) {
+            return true;
+        }
+        return false;
+    }
+    
+    function render() {	
+        $oTemplating =& KTTemplating::getSingleton();
+        $oTemplate = $oTemplating->loadTemplate("ktcore/dashlets/mailserver");
+        $aTemplateData = array(
+            "context" => $this,
+        );
+        return $oTemplate->render($aTemplateData);
+    }
+}
+
 ?>
diff --git a/templates/ktcore/dashlets/mailserver.smarty b/templates/ktcore/dashlets/mailserver.smarty
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a5830a3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/templates/ktcore/dashlets/mailserver.smarty
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+<h2>{i18n}Mail server status{/i18n}</h2>
+
+<div class="ktError">
+
+<p>{i18n}Email has not been configured on this server.  Emailing of
+documents and sending of notifications are disabled.{/i18n}</p>
+
+{if $admin}
+<p>{i18n}Edit the [email] section of the config.ini file to set your email
+server and the sending address of the KnowledgeTree server.{/i18n}</p>
+{/if}
+</div>