diff --git a/test/features/support/hooks.js b/test/features/support/hooks.js
index cef1d9bf6..9769a8635 100644
--- a/test/features/support/hooks.js
+++ b/test/features/support/hooks.js
@@ -4,24 +4,60 @@ import { After, Before, Status, Given, When, Then } from 'cucumber'
 import fakeDialog from 'spectron-fake-dialog'
 import { expect, should, assert } from 'chai'
 
-After({timeout: 10000}, async function (testCase) {
-  if (testCase.result.status === Status.FAILED) {
-    const imageBuffer = await this.app.browserWindow.capturePage()
-    await this.attach(imageBuffer, 'image/png')
+async function stopAppRunning(app) {
+  try {
+    if (app && app.isRunning()) {
+    // console.log('Attempting to stop app...')
+      const result = await app.stop()
+    }
+    // this is just in case for slower OS/windows - catch any error and ignore
+    if (app && app.electron) {
+      const forceQuitResult = await this.app.electron.ipcRenderer.sendSync('forceQuit')
+    // console.log(`force quit?`, result3)
+    }
+  } catch (error) {
+    // console.log('error caught when stopping run. ignoring')
   }
-  if (this.app && this.app.isRunning()) {
-    await this.app.stop()
+}
+
+After({timeout: 40000}, async function (testCase) {
+  try {
+    // console.log('Starting after hook....')
+    if (testCase.result.status === Status.FAILED) {
+      if (this.app && this.app.browserWindow) {
+        const imageBuffer = await this.app.browserWindow.capturePage()
+        await this.attach(imageBuffer, 'image/png')
+        // console.log('got attachment in', attachResult)
+      }
+    }
+    // stopAppRunning(this.app)
+  } catch (error) {
+    console.log('error in after hook', error)
+  } finally {
+    await stopAppRunning(this.app)
   }
 })
 
-Before({timeout: 10000}, async function () {
-  this.rowNumber = null
-  this.colNumber = null
-  this.latestFilePath = null
-  this.pageTimeout = 5000
-  fakeDialog.apply(this.app)
-  await this.app.start()
-  // Auto-close message dialog : 1 = Quit (No Cancel No save)
-  fakeDialog.mock([{method: 'showMessageBox', value: 1}])
-  fakeDialog.mock([{method: 'showOpenDialog', value: this.openFileDialogReturned}])
+Before({timeout: 20000}, async function (testCase) {
+  try {
+    // console.log('Starting before hook....')
+    console.log(`Starting test scenario: ${testCase.pickle.name} in: ${testCase.sourceLocation.uri}`)
+    // console.log(testCase.pickle.steps)
+    this.rowNumber = null
+    this.colNumber = null
+    this.latestFilePath = null
+    this.pageTimeout = 5000
+    await fakeDialog.apply(this.app)
+    await this.app.start()
+    await this.app.client.waitUntilWindowLoaded()
+    await this.app.electron.ipcRenderer.sendSync('unlockSingleton')
+    await this.app.client.browserWindow.focus()
+    const result = await this.app.client.browserWindow.isFocused()
+    expect(result).to.be.true
+    await this.app.electron.ipcRenderer.sendSync('SPECTRON_FAKE_DIALOG/SEND', [{method: 'showMessageBox', value: 1}])
+    await this.app.electron.ipcRenderer.sendSync('SPECTRON_FAKE_DIALOG/SEND', [{method: 'showOpenDialog', value: this.openFileDialogReturned}])
+  } catch (error) {
+    console.log('error in before hook', error)
+    await stopAppRunning(this.app)
+  }
 })
diff --git a/test/features/support/world.js b/test/features/support/world.js
index b52b4752b..3d6dc6119 100644
--- a/test/features/support/world.js
+++ b/test/features/support/world.js
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import { setWorldConstructor } from 'cucumber'
 import { Application } from 'spectron'
 import electron from 'electron'
-// import fakeDialog from 'spectron-fake-dialog'
 import chai from 'chai'
 import chaiAsPromised from 'chai-as-promised'
 
@@ -9,21 +8,32 @@ chai.should()
 chai.use(chaiAsPromised)
 
 function CustomWorld ({attach, parameters}) {
+  // console.log('starting world...')
   this.attach = attach
   this.parameters = parameters
-  this.app = new Application({
+  if (!this.app) {
+    this.app = createApp()
+    this.hotParentSelector = '.tab-pane.active .editor.handsontable'
+    this.openFileDialogReturned = ['stubbedFilenameForMenuSteps.txt']
+    chaiAsPromised.transferPromiseness = this.app.transferPromiseness
+  } else {
+    console.log('WARNING: app already created...')
+  }
+}
+
+function createApp() {
+  return new Application({
     path: electron,
     args: ['dist/electron/main.js'],
     startTimeout: 10000,
     waitTimeout: 10000,
+    quitTimeout: 5000,
+    env: {
+      ELECTRON_ENABLE_LOGGING: true,
+      ELECTRON_ENABLE_STACK_DUMPING: true
+    },
     webdriverLogPath: 'webdriver.log'
   })
-  this.rowNumber = null
-  this.colNumber = null
-  this.latestFilePath = null
-  this.hotParentSelector = '.tab-pane.active .editor.handsontable'
-  this.openFileDialogReturned = ['stubbedFilenameForMenuSteps.txt']
-  chaiAsPromised.transferPromiseness = this.app.transferPromiseness
 }
 
 setWorldConstructor(CustomWorld)