diff --git a/src/kits/storage/mime/CreateAppMetaMimeThread.cpp b/src/kits/storage/mime/CreateAppMetaMimeThread.cpp
index c7f441ec85..79696e9976 100644
--- a/src/kits/storage/mime/CreateAppMetaMimeThread.cpp
+++ b/src/kits/storage/mime/CreateAppMetaMimeThread.cpp
@@ -67,9 +67,6 @@ CreateAppMetaMimeThread::DoMimeUpdate(const entry_ref* ref, bool* _entryIsDir)
 	if (status < B_OK)
 		return B_BAD_TYPE;
 
-	signature.ToLower();
-		// Signatures and MIME types are case insensitive
-
 	// Init our various objects
 
 	BMimeType mime;
@@ -80,6 +77,9 @@ CreateAppMetaMimeThread::DoMimeUpdate(const entry_ref* ref, bool* _entryIsDir)
 	if (!mime.IsInstalled())
 		mime.Install();
 
+	signature.ToLower();
+		// Signatures and MIME types are case insensitive
+
 	char metaMimePath[B_PATH_NAME_LENGTH];
 	sprintf(metaMimePath, "%s/%s", kDatabaseDir.c_str(), signature.String());
 
diff --git a/src/kits/storage/mime/SupportingApps.cpp b/src/kits/storage/mime/SupportingApps.cpp
index cce6a7f21d..b9609b7450 100644
--- a/src/kits/storage/mime/SupportingApps.cpp
+++ b/src/kits/storage/mime/SupportingApps.cpp
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ SupportingApps::GetSupportingApps(const char *type, BMessage *apps)
 				if (!err)
 					err = superMime.InitCheck();
 				if (!err) {
-					std::set<std::string> &superApps = fSupportingApps[type];
+					std::set<std::string> &superApps = fSupportingApps[superMime.Type()];
 					count = 0;
 					for (i = superApps.begin(); i != superApps.end() && !err; i++) {
 						if (subApps.find(*i) == subApps.end()) {
@@ -263,54 +263,54 @@ SupportingApps::BuildSupportingAppsTable()
 	fStrandedTypes.clear();
 
 	BDirectory dir;
-	status_t err = dir.SetTo(kApplicationDatabaseDir.c_str());
+	status_t status = dir.SetTo(kApplicationDatabaseDir.c_str());
 
 	// Build the supporting apps table based on the mime database
-	if (!err) {
+	if (status == B_OK) {
 		dir.Rewind();
 
 		// Handle each application type
 		while (true) {		
 			entry_ref ref;
-			err = dir.GetNextRef(&ref);
-			if (err) {
+			status = dir.GetNextRef(&ref);
+			if (status < B_OK) {
 				// If we've come to the end of list, it's not an error
-				if (err == B_ENTRY_NOT_FOUND) 
-					err = B_OK;
+				if (status == B_ENTRY_NOT_FOUND) 
+					status = B_OK;
 				break;
-			} else {
-				BPath path;
-				BMessage msg;
-				char appSig[B_PATH_NAME_LENGTH];
-				err = path.SetTo(&ref);
-				if (!err) {
-					// Construct a mime type string
-					const char *appName = path.Leaf();
-					sprintf(appSig, "application/%s", appName);
-
-					// Read in the list of supported types
-					if (read_mime_attr_message(appSig, kSupportedTypesAttr, &msg) == B_OK) {
-						// Iterate through the supported types, adding them to the list of
-						// supported types for the application and adding the application's
-						// signature to the list of supporting apps for each type
-						BString type;
-						std::set<std::string> &supportedTypes = fSupportedTypes[appName];
-						for (int i = 0; msg.FindString(kTypesField, i, &type) == B_OK; i++) {
-							type.ToLower();
-								// MIME types are case insensitive, so we lowercase everything
-							supportedTypes.insert(type.String());
-							AddSupportingApp(type.String(), appSig);						
-						}
-					}
-				}				
 			}
-		}		
+
+			// read application signature from file
+			BString appSignature;
+			BNode node(&ref);
+			if (node.InitCheck() == B_OK && node.ReadAttrString(kTypeAttr,
+					&appSignature) >= B_OK) {
+				// Read in the list of supported types
+				BMessage msg;
+				if (read_mime_attr_message(appSignature.String(), kSupportedTypesAttr,
+						&msg) == B_OK) {
+					// Iterate through the supported types, adding them to the list of
+					// supported types for the application and adding the application's
+					// signature to the list of supporting apps for each type
+					BString type;
+					std::set<std::string> &supportedTypes = fSupportedTypes[appSignature.String()];
+					for (int i = 0; msg.FindString(kTypesField, i, &type) == B_OK; i++) {
+						type.ToLower();
+							// MIME types are case insensitive, so we lowercase everything
+						supportedTypes.insert(type.String());
+						AddSupportingApp(type.String(), appSignature.String());
+					}
+				}
+			}
+		}
 	}
-	if (err)
-		DBG(OUT("Mime::SupportingApps::BuildSupportingAppsTable() failed, error code == 0x%lx\n", err));
-	else
+
+	if (status == B_OK)
 		fHaveDoneFullBuild = true;
-	return err;
+	else
+		DBG(OUT("SupportingApps::BuildSupportingAppsTable() failed: %s\n", strerror(status)));
+
+	return status;
 }
 
 } // namespace Mime
diff --git a/src/kits/storage/mime/database_support.cpp b/src/kits/storage/mime/database_support.cpp
index 881682e840..20caaf74b9 100644
--- a/src/kits/storage/mime/database_support.cpp
+++ b/src/kits/storage/mime/database_support.cpp
@@ -136,10 +136,23 @@ type_to_filename(const char *type)
 status_t
 open_type(const char *type, BNode *result)
 {
-	status_t err = (type && result ? B_OK : B_BAD_VALUE);
-	if (!err) 
-		err = result->SetTo(type_to_filename(type).c_str());		 
-	return err;
+	if (type == NULL || result == NULL)
+		return B_BAD_VALUE;
+
+	status_t status = result->SetTo(type_to_filename(type).c_str());
+	
+	// TODO: this can be removed again later - we just didn't write this
+	//	attribute is before	at all...
+#if 1
+	if (status == B_OK) {
+		// check if the MIME:TYPE attribute exist, and create it if not
+		attr_info info;
+		if (result->GetAttrInfo(kTypeAttr, &info) != B_OK)
+			result->WriteAttr(kTypeAttr, B_STRING_TYPE, 0, type, strlen(type) + 1);
+	}
+#endif
+
+	return status;
 }
 
 // open_or_create_type
@@ -184,9 +197,14 @@ open_or_create_type(const char *type, BNode *result, bool *didCreate)
 				err = parent.CreateFile(sub.c_str(), NULL);
 		}
 		// Now try opening again
-		err = result->SetTo(filename.c_str());
-		if (!err && didCreate)
+		if (err == B_OK)
+			err = result->SetTo(filename.c_str());
+		if (err == B_OK && didCreate)
 			*didCreate = true;
+		if (err == B_OK) {
+			// write META:TYPE attribute
+			result->WriteAttr(kTypeAttr, B_STRING_TYPE, 0, type, strlen(type) + 1);
+		}
 	}
 	return err;	
 }