diff --git a/ccollect.sh b/ccollect.sh
index 9480246..91675b3 100755
--- a/ccollect.sh
+++ b/ccollect.sh
@@ -381,22 +381,14 @@ while [ "$i" -lt "$no_sources" ]; do
    #
    # make an absolute path, perhaps $CCOLLECT_CONF is relative!
    #
-   abs_destination_dir=$(cd $destination_dir; pwd)
+   abs_destination_dir=$(cd $destination_dir; pwd -P)
 
    # only copy if a directory exists
    if [ "$last_dir" ]; then
-      echo "$($DDATE) Hard linking..."
-      #cd "$last_dir"
-      #pax -rwl -p e $VVERBOSE .  "$abs_destination_dir"
+      last_dir=$(cd "$last_dir"; pwd -P)
       rsync_hardlink="--link-dest=\"$last_dir\""
    fi
 
-   if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
-      echo -n "$($DDATE) Creating/cloning backup directory failed."
-      echo " Skipping backup."
-      exit 1
-   fi
-
    #
    # the rsync part
    # options partly stolen from rsnapshot
@@ -404,11 +396,13 @@ while [ "$i" -lt "$no_sources" ]; do
  
    echo "$($DDATE) Transferring files..."
 
+   set -x
+
    rsync -a --delete --numeric-ids --relative --delete-excluded   \
          $rsync_hardlink                                          \
          $VERBOSE $EXCLUDE $SUMMARY $RSYNC_EXTRA                  \
          "$source" "$abs_destination_dir"
-   
+   set +x
    if [ "$?" -ne 0 ]; then
       echo "rsync reported error $?. The backup may be broken (see rsync errors)"
    fi
diff --git a/conf/defaults/post_exec b/conf/defaults/post_exec
index 2192fec..2965574 100755
--- a/conf/defaults/post_exec
+++ b/conf/defaults/post_exec
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 #!/bin/cat
 
 ######################################################################
-If you see this content, post_exec was executed.
+If you see this content, post_exec was executed.  (general post_exec)
 ######################################################################
diff --git a/conf/defaults/pre_exec b/conf/defaults/pre_exec
index eb983c8..09084a6 100755
--- a/conf/defaults/pre_exec
+++ b/conf/defaults/pre_exec
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
 #!/bin/cat
 
 If you see this content, pre_exec was executed.
+(general pre_exec, not source dependent)
diff --git a/conf/sources/testsource1/destination b/conf/sources/testsource1/destination
index 4d5c4a0..8de582a 120000
--- a/conf/sources/testsource1/destination
+++ b/conf/sources/testsource1/destination
@@ -1 +1 @@
-/home/nico/backupdir/testsource1
\ No newline at end of file
+/home/user/nico/backupdir/testsource1
\ No newline at end of file