diff --git a/lib/api/ktcmis/ktNavigationService.inc.php b/lib/api/ktcmis/ktNavigationService.inc.php
index 2a88729..d247442 100644
--- a/lib/api/ktcmis/ktNavigationService.inc.php
+++ b/lib/api/ktcmis/ktNavigationService.inc.php
@@ -157,8 +157,16 @@ class KTNavigationService extends KTCMISBase {
      */
     public function getFolderParent($repositoryId, $folderId, $includeAllowableActions, $includeRelationships, $returnToRoot, $filter = '')
     {
-        $ancestryResult = $this->NavigationService->getFolderParent($repositoryId, $folderId, $includeAllowableActions,
-                                                              $includeRelationships, $returnToRoot);
+        try {
+            $ancestryResult = $this->NavigationService->getFolderParent($repositoryId, $folderId, $includeAllowableActions,
+                                                                        $includeRelationships, $returnToRoot);
+        }
+        catch (Exception $e) {
+            return array(
+                "status_code" => 1,
+                "message" => "Failed getting ancestry for folder: " . $e->getMessage()
+            );
+        }
 
         if (PEAR::isError($ancestryResult))
         {
diff --git a/lib/api/ktcmis/services/CMISNavigationService.inc.php b/lib/api/ktcmis/services/CMISNavigationService.inc.php
index 4e00335..e29e2b8 100644
--- a/lib/api/ktcmis/services/CMISNavigationService.inc.php
+++ b/lib/api/ktcmis/services/CMISNavigationService.inc.php
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ class CMISNavigationService {
      */
 
     // NOTE This method does NOT support paging as defined in the paging section
-    // NOTE If the Repository supports the optional “VersionSpecificFiling” capability,
+    // NOTE If the Repository supports the optional “VersionSpecificFiling�? capability,
     //      then the repository SHALL return the document versions filed in the specified folder or its descendant folders.
     //      Otherwise, the latest version of the documents SHALL be returned.
     // TODO FilterNotValidException: The Repository SHALL throw this exception if this property filter input parameter is not valid
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ class CMISNavigationService {
      * @param int $skipCount
      * @return array $descendants
      */
-    // NOTE If the Repository supports the optional “VersionSpecificFiling” capability,
+    // NOTE If the Repository supports the optional “VersionSpecificFiling�? capability,
     //      then the repository SHALL return the document versions filed in the specified folder or its descendant folders.
     //      Otherwise, the latest version of the documents SHALL be returned.
     // TODO FilterNotValidException: The Repository SHALL throw this exception if this property filter input parameter is not valid
@@ -155,9 +155,14 @@ class CMISNavigationService {
      */
     // TODO FilterNotValidException: The Repository SHALL throw this exception if this property filter input parameter is not valid
     // TODO If this service method is invoked on the root folder of the Repository, then the Repository SHALL return an empty result set.
-    // NOTE SHOULD always include the “ObjectId” and “ParentId” properties for all objects returned
+    // NOTE SHOULD always include the “ObjectId�? and “ParentId�? properties for all objects returned
     function getFolderParent($repositoryId, $folderId, $includeAllowableActions, $includeRelationships, $returnToRoot, $filter = '')
     {
+        // NOTE the root folder obviously has no parent, throw an ObjectNotFoundException here if this is the root folder
+        if (CMISUtil::isRootFolder($repositoryId, $folderId, $this->ktapi)) {
+            throw new ObjectNotFoundException('Root folder has no parent');
+        }
+        
         $ancestry = array();
         $repository = new CMISRepository($repositoryId);
 
diff --git a/lib/api/ktcmis/util/CMISUtil.inc.php b/lib/api/ktcmis/util/CMISUtil.inc.php
index f04c79d..765b7c0 100644
--- a/lib/api/ktcmis/util/CMISUtil.inc.php
+++ b/lib/api/ktcmis/util/CMISUtil.inc.php
@@ -614,6 +614,16 @@ class CMISUtil {
         return $tempfilename;
     }
     
+    /**
+     * attempts to fetch the folder id from a name
+     * 
+     * NOTE this won't be reliable if there is more than one folder in the system with the same name
+     *      the only reason this exists is to accomodate the method of browsing used by the drupal module
+     *
+     * @param string $name
+     * @param object $ktapi
+     * @return string
+     */
     static public function getIdFromName($name, &$ktapi)
     {
         $folder = $ktapi->get_folder_by_name($name);
@@ -621,10 +631,22 @@ class CMISUtil {
         return self::encodeObjectId(FOLDER, $folder->get_folderid());
     }
     
+    /**
+     * Checks for the root folder
+     *
+     * @param unknown_type $repositoryId
+     * @param unknown_type $folderId
+     * @param unknown_type $ktapi
+     * @return unknown
+     */
     static public function isRootFolder($repositoryId, $folderId, &$ktapi)
     {
         $repository = new CMISRepository($repositoryId);
         $repositoryInfo = $repository->getRepositoryInfo();
+        
+        // NOTE this call is required to accomodate the definition of the root folder id in the config as required by the drupal module
+        //      we should try to update the drupal module to not require this, but this way is just easier at the moment, and most of
+        //      the code accomodates it without any serious hacks
         $rootFolder = self::getIdFromName($repositoryInfo->getRootFolderId(), $ktapi);
         
         return $folderId == $rootFolder;
diff --git a/webservice/classes/atompub/cmis/NavigationService.inc.php b/webservice/classes/atompub/cmis/NavigationService.inc.php
index fe05697..0be43c9 100644
--- a/webservice/classes/atompub/cmis/NavigationService.inc.php
+++ b/webservice/classes/atompub/cmis/NavigationService.inc.php
@@ -77,6 +77,9 @@ class NavigationService extends KTNavigationService {
         {
             return $result['results'];
         }
+        else {
+            return new PEAR_Error($result['message']);
+        }
     }
 
     /**