diff --git a/runtests.py b/runtests.py
index 2ebb4cc..9fd5f70 100755
--- a/runtests.py
+++ b/runtests.py
@@ -21,6 +21,10 @@ sys.path[0] = os.getcwd()
 # find all of the planet test modules
 modules = map(fullmodname, glob.glob(os.path.join('tests', 'test_*.py')))
 
+# enable warnings
+import planet
+planet.getLogger("WARNING")
+
 # load all of the tests into a suite
 suite = unittest.TestLoader().loadTestsFromNames(modules)
 
diff --git a/tests/test_apply.py b/tests/test_apply.py
index 7fece6d..dce69c1 100644
--- a/tests/test_apply.py
+++ b/tests/test_apply.py
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python
 
 import unittest, os, shutil
-from planet import config, splice
+from planet import config, splice, logger
 from xml.dom import minidom
 
 workdir = 'tests/work/apply'
@@ -62,3 +62,26 @@ class ApplyTest(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertTrue(html.find('<h1>test planet</h1>')>=0)
         self.assertTrue(html.find(
           '<h4><a href="http://example.com/2">Venus</a></h4>')>=0)
+
+try:
+    import libxml2
+except ImportError:
+
+    try:
+        import win32pipe
+        (stdin,stdout) = win32pipe.popen4('xsltproc -V', 't')
+        stdin.close()
+        stdout.read()
+        try:
+            exitcode = stdout.close()
+        except IOError:
+            exitcode = -1
+    except:
+        import commands
+        (exitstatus,output) = commands.getstatusoutput('xsltproc -V')
+        exitcode = ((exitstatus>>8) & 0xFF)
+
+    if exitcode:
+        logger.warn("xsltproc is not available => can't test XSLT templates")
+        for method in dir(ApplyTest):
+            if method.startswith('test_'):  delattr(ApplyTest,method)
diff --git a/tests/test_filters.py b/tests/test_filters.py
index 296e39f..f979946 100644
--- a/tests/test_filters.py
+++ b/tests/test_filters.py
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python
 
 import unittest, xml.dom.minidom
-from planet import shell, config
+from planet import shell, config, logger
 
 class FilterTests(unittest.TestCase):
 
@@ -80,12 +80,10 @@ try:
     from subprocess import Popen, PIPE
     sed=Popen(['sed','--version'],stdout=PIPE,stderr=PIPE)
     sed.communicate()
-    if sed.returncode != 0: raise Exception
-except Exception, expr:
-    # sed is not available
-    del FilterTests.test_stripAd_yahoo
-
-    if isinstance(expr, ImportError):
-        # Popen is not available
-        for method in dir(FilterTests):
-            if method.startswith('test_'):  delattr(FilterTests,method)
+    if sed.returncode != 0:
+        logger.warn("sed is not available => can't test stripAd_yahoo")
+        del FilterTests.test_stripAd_yahoo
+except ImportError:
+    logger.warn("Popen is not available => can't test filters")
+    for method in dir(FilterTests):
+        if method.startswith('test_'):  delattr(FilterTests,method)
diff --git a/tests/test_foaf.py b/tests/test_foaf.py
index 29f6328..ace44c8 100644
--- a/tests/test_foaf.py
+++ b/tests/test_foaf.py
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 import unittest, os, shutil
 from planet.foaf import foaf2config
 from ConfigParser import ConfigParser
-from planet import config
+from planet import config, logger
 
 workdir = 'tests/work/config/cache'
 
@@ -119,6 +119,7 @@ class FoafTest(unittest.TestCase):
 try:
     import RDF
 except:
+    logger.warn("Redland RDF is not available => can't test FOAF reading lists")
     for key in FoafTest.__dict__.keys():
         if key.startswith('test_'): delattr(FoafTest, key)