diff --git a/src/net/java/sip/communicator/impl/protocol/sip/ProtocolProviderFactorySipImpl.java b/src/net/java/sip/communicator/impl/protocol/sip/ProtocolProviderFactorySipImpl.java
index 2c464562f..31e66b51f 100644
--- a/src/net/java/sip/communicator/impl/protocol/sip/ProtocolProviderFactorySipImpl.java
+++ b/src/net/java/sip/communicator/impl/protocol/sip/ProtocolProviderFactorySipImpl.java
@@ -112,6 +112,12 @@ public AccountID installAccount( String userIDStr,
         AccountID accountID =
             new SipAccountID(userIDStr, accountProperties, serverAddress);
 
+        //make sure we haven't seen this account id before.
+        if( registeredAccounts.containsKey(accountID) )
+            throw new IllegalStateException(
+                "An account for id " + userIDStr + " was already installed!");
+
+
         //first store the account and only then load it as the load generates
         //an osgi event, the osgi event triggers (trhgough the UI) a call to
         //the register() method and it needs to acces the configuration service
@@ -160,11 +166,6 @@ protected AccountID loadAccount(String userIDStr, Map accountProperties)
         AccountID accountID =
             new SipAccountID(userIDStr, accountProperties, serverAddress);
 
-        //make sure we haven't seen this account id before.
-        if( registeredAccounts.containsKey(accountID) )
-            throw new IllegalStateException(
-                "An account for id " + userIDStr + " was already installed!");
-
         //get a reference to the configuration service and register whatever
         //properties we have in it.