diff --git a/gtk2_ardour/editor_audio_import.cc b/gtk2_ardour/editor_audio_import.cc
index cd3c76a4ad..852958b798 100644
--- a/gtk2_ardour/editor_audio_import.cc
+++ b/gtk2_ardour/editor_audio_import.cc
@@ -359,6 +359,7 @@ Editor::do_import (vector<string> paths, ImportDisposition chns, ImportMode mode
 		if (cancel) {
 			ok = false;
 		} else {
+                        ipw.show ();
 			ok = (import_sndfiles (paths, mode, quality, pos, 1, 1, track, false) == 0);
 		}
 
@@ -392,6 +393,8 @@ Editor::do_import (vector<string> paths, ImportDisposition chns, ImportMode mode
                                 pos = -1;
                         }
 
+                        ipw.show ();
+                                
                         switch (chns) {
                         case Editing::ImportDistinctFiles:
                                 
@@ -505,6 +508,41 @@ int
 Editor::import_sndfiles (vector<string> paths, ImportMode mode, SrcQuality quality, framepos_t& pos,
 			 int target_regions, int target_tracks, boost::shared_ptr<Track>& track, bool replace)
 {
+        /* check for existing wholefile regions of the same name,
+           which can happen when we import foo.wav but end up with foo-L.wav 
+           and foo-R.wav inside the session. this case doesn't trigger
+           source name collisions, so we have to catch it at the region
+           name level.
+        */
+        
+        string region_name = region_name_from_path (paths.front(), true, false);
+        
+        if (RegionFactory::wholefile_region_by_name (region_name)) {
+                string message = string_compose ( _("You appear to have already imported this file, since a region called %1 already exists.\nDo you really want to import it again?"),
+                                                  region_name);
+                MessageDialog dialog (message, false, Gtk::MESSAGE_QUESTION, Gtk::BUTTONS_OK_CANCEL, true);
+                int ret;
+                
+                dialog.show ();
+                ret = dialog.run ();
+                dialog.hide ();
+                
+                if (ret != RESPONSE_OK) {
+                        return -1;
+                }
+                
+                int l = 0;
+                
+                while (RegionFactory::region_by_name (region_name) && ++l < 999) {
+                        region_name = bump_name_once (region_name, '.');
+                }
+                
+                if (l == 999) {
+                        error << string_compose (_("Too many regions already named something like \"%1\""), paths.front()) << endmsg;
+                        return -1;
+                }
+        }
+
 	import_status.paths = paths;
 	import_status.done = false;
 	import_status.cancel = false;
@@ -749,6 +787,12 @@ Editor::add_sources (vector<string> paths, SourceList& sources, framepos_t& pos,
 
 		region_name = region_name_from_path (paths.front(), (sources.size() > 1), false);
 
+                /* we checked in import_sndfiles() that there were not too many */
+
+                while (RegionFactory::region_by_name (region_name)) {
+                        region_name = bump_name_once (region_name, '.');
+                }
+
 		PropertyList plist; 
 		
 		plist.add (ARDOUR::Properties::start, 0);
@@ -929,7 +973,7 @@ Editor::finish_bringing_in_material (boost::shared_ptr<Region> region, uint32_t
 
 				existing_track = mt.front();
 			}
-
+                        
 			existing_track->set_name (region->name());
 		}
 
diff --git a/gtk2_ardour/interthread_progress_window.cc b/gtk2_ardour/interthread_progress_window.cc
index 6cd1d8686a..8d446830f3 100644
--- a/gtk2_ardour/interthread_progress_window.cc
+++ b/gtk2_ardour/interthread_progress_window.cc
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ InterthreadProgressWindow::InterthreadProgressWindow (ARDOUR::InterThreadInfo* i
 
 	set_default_size (200, 100);
 	show_all ();
+        hide ();
 
 	Glib::signal_timeout().connect (sigc::mem_fun (*this, &InterthreadProgressWindow::update), 100);
 }
diff --git a/libs/ardour/ardour/region_factory.h b/libs/ardour/ardour/region_factory.h
index e99b9c80df..f9ed868f4f 100644
--- a/libs/ardour/ardour/region_factory.h
+++ b/libs/ardour/ardour/region_factory.h
@@ -42,7 +42,9 @@ class RegionFactory {
   public:
         typedef std::map<PBD::ID,boost::shared_ptr<Region> > RegionMap;
 
+        static boost::shared_ptr<Region> wholefile_region_by_name (const std::string& name);
 	static boost::shared_ptr<Region> region_by_id (const PBD::ID&);
+	static boost::shared_ptr<Region> region_by_name (const std::string& name);
         static const RegionMap all_regions() { return region_map; }
 	static void clear_map ();
 
diff --git a/libs/ardour/region_factory.cc b/libs/ardour/region_factory.cc
index 44615e2182..6f49d8c5b3 100644
--- a/libs/ardour/region_factory.cc
+++ b/libs/ardour/region_factory.cc
@@ -327,13 +327,34 @@ RegionFactory::region_by_id (const PBD::ID& id)
 	RegionMap::iterator i = region_map.find (id);
 
 	if (i == region_map.end()) {
-                cerr << "ID " << id << " not found in region map\n";
 		return boost::shared_ptr<Region>();
 	}
 
 	return i->second;
 }
-	
+
+boost::shared_ptr<Region>
+RegionFactory::wholefile_region_by_name (const std::string& name)
+{
+        for (RegionMap::iterator i = region_map.begin(); i != region_map.end(); ++i) {
+                if (i->second->whole_file() && i->second->name() == name) {
+                        return i->second;
+                }
+        }
+        return boost::shared_ptr<Region>();
+}	
+
+boost::shared_ptr<Region>
+RegionFactory::region_by_name (const std::string& name)
+{
+        for (RegionMap::iterator i = region_map.begin(); i != region_map.end(); ++i) {
+                if (i->second->name() == name) {
+                        return i->second;
+                }
+        }
+        return boost::shared_ptr<Region>();
+}	
+
 void
 RegionFactory::clear_map ()
 {