diff --git a/react/src/PiPedalModel.tsx b/react/src/PiPedalModel.tsx
index 9fc9da2..897d60b 100644
--- a/react/src/PiPedalModel.tsx
+++ b/react/src/PiPedalModel.tsx
@@ -836,7 +836,11 @@ class PiPedalModelImpl implements PiPedalModel {
                     })
                     .then((data) => {
                         this.banks.set(new BankIndex().deserialize(data));
-
+                        if (this.webSocket)
+                        {
+                            // MUST not allow reconnect until at least one complete load has finished.
+                            this.webSocket.canReconnect = true;
+                        }
                         return true;
                     })
                     .catch((error) => {
@@ -848,23 +852,6 @@ class PiPedalModelImpl implements PiPedalModel {
             ;
     }
 
-    // requestPlugins(): Promise<boolean> {
-    //     const myRequest = new Request(this.varRequest('uiplugins.json'));
-    //     return fetch(myRequest)
-    //         .then(
-    //             response => response.json()
-    //         )
-    //         .then(data => {
-    //             let plugins = UiPlugin.deserialize_array(data);
-    //             this.ui_plugins.set(plugins);
-    //             return true;
-    //         })
-    //         .catch((error) => {
-    //             this.setError("Can't contact server.\n\n" + error);
-    //             return false;
-    //         });
-
-    // }
     requestCurrentPedalBoard(): Promise<void> {
         const myRequest = new Request(this.varRequest('current_pedalboard.json'));
         return fetch(myRequest)
diff --git a/react/src/PiPedalSocket.tsx b/react/src/PiPedalSocket.tsx
index 557debc..bfc88ac 100644
--- a/react/src/PiPedalSocket.tsx
+++ b/react/src/PiPedalSocket.tsx
@@ -178,6 +178,9 @@ class PiPedalSocket {
             throw new PiPedalStateError("Server connection lost.");
         }
     }
+
+    canReconnect: boolean = false;
+
     handleClose(_event: any): any {
         if (this.retrying) {
             // treat this as a fatal error.
@@ -189,7 +192,10 @@ class PiPedalSocket {
             return;
 
         }
-        this._reconnect();
+        if (this.canReconnect)
+        {
+            this._reconnect();
+        }
     }
     _reconnect() {
         this._discardReplyReservations();
diff --git a/react/src/SettingsDialog.tsx b/react/src/SettingsDialog.tsx
index 7a5b817..7da42b7 100644
--- a/react/src/SettingsDialog.tsx
+++ b/react/src/SettingsDialog.tsx
@@ -561,6 +561,8 @@ const SettingsDialog = withStyles(styles, { withTheme: true })(
 
                                     </div>
                                 </ButtonBase>
+                                
+                                
                                 <ButtonBase className={classes.setting} disabled={!isConfigValid || disableShutdown}
                                     onClick={() => this.handleRestart()}  >
                                     <SelectHoverBackground selected={false} showHover={true} />
diff --git a/src/BeastServer.cpp b/src/BeastServer.cpp
index 1c3daa8..c4ed56c 100644
--- a/src/BeastServer.cpp
+++ b/src/BeastServer.cpp
@@ -385,11 +385,18 @@ namespace pipedal
             }
             std::shared_ptr<websocketpp::uri> connectionUri = con->get_uri();
 
-            uri requestUri(con->get_uri()->str().c_str());
-
             HttpRequestImpl req(con->get_request());
             HttpResponseImpl res((*con));
 
+            uri requestUri;
+            try {
+                requestUri.set(con->get_uri()->str().c_str());
+            } catch (const std::exception &e)
+            {
+                ServerError(*con, SS("Unexpected error. " <<  e.what()));
+                return;
+            }
+
             if (req.method() == HttpVerb::options)
             {
                 res.set(HttpField::access_control_allow_origin, origin);
diff --git a/src/Ipv6Helpers.cpp b/src/Ipv6Helpers.cpp
index f347426..6bb2f04 100644
--- a/src/Ipv6Helpers.cpp
+++ b/src/Ipv6Helpers.cpp
@@ -85,6 +85,67 @@ static bool IsIpv4OnLocalSubnet(uint32_t ipv4Addres)
     return result;
 }
 
+bool pipedal::ParseHttpAddress(const std::string address,
+        std::string *pUser,
+        std::string *pServer, 
+        int *pPort, 
+        int defaultPort)
+{
+    // strip user.
+    auto start = address.find_first_of('@');
+    if (start != std::string::npos)
+    {
+        if (pUser)
+        {
+            *pUser = address.substr(0,start);
+        }
+        start = start+1;
+    } else {
+        start = 0;
+        if (pUser)
+        {
+            *pUser = "";
+        }
+    }
+    // find the port address.
+    int port = address.length();
+    while (port > 0 && address[port-1] != ':')
+    {
+        if (address[port-1] != ']')
+        {
+            port = address.length();
+            break;
+        }
+        --port;
+    }
+    int portNumber = defaultPort;
+    if (port < address.length() && address[port] == ':')
+    {
+        const char*p = address.c_str()+port+1;
+        if (*p)
+        {
+            portNumber = 0;
+            while (*p)
+            {
+                if (*p >= '0' && *p <= '9')
+                {
+                    portNumber = portNumber*10 + *p -'0';
+                } else {
+                    return false;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    if (pPort)
+    {
+        *pPort = portNumber;
+    }
+    if (pServer)
+    {
+        *pServer = address.substr(start,port-start);
+    }
+    return true;
+}
 static std::string StripPortNumber(const std::string &fromAddress)
 {
     std::string address = fromAddress;
diff --git a/src/Ipv6Helpers.hpp b/src/Ipv6Helpers.hpp
index db8f3ac..d790c2e 100644
--- a/src/Ipv6Helpers.hpp
+++ b/src/Ipv6Helpers.hpp
@@ -27,5 +27,11 @@ namespace pipedal {
 
     bool IsOnLocalSubnet(const std::string&fromAddress);
 
+    bool ParseHttpAddress(const std::string address,
+        std::string *pUser,
+        std::string *pServer, 
+        int *pPort, 
+        int defaultPort);
+
 
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/Uri.cpp b/src/Uri.cpp
index b5a8ed9..1219e56 100644
--- a/src/Uri.cpp
+++ b/src/Uri.cpp
@@ -140,6 +140,9 @@ void uri::set_()
             {
                 authority_end = p;
                 port_start = p+1;
+            } else if (c == ']') // ignore colon inside ipv6 address.
+            {
+                port_start = nullptr;
             }
             if (c == '/' || c == '?' || c == '#')
             {