diff --git a/rc/status b/rc/status
index d38e91b0..9cdb4ee5 100644
--- a/rc/status
+++ b/rc/status
@@ -3,17 +3,20 @@
 
 PIDFILE=/tmp/ns.$USER.$DISPLAY/statuspid
 
-fn xwrite { echo -n $2 | wmiir write $1 }
-
 if(test -r $PIDFILE) {
     kill -2 `{cat $PIDFILE} >[2]/dev/null
 }
+if (~ $1 stop) exit
 echo $pid >$PIDFILE
 
+xwrite /bar/new/colors $WMII_NORMCOLORS
+lab=`{wmiir read /bar|maxlab}
+
 # install signal handler for artificial sigexit:
 fn sigint {
     if(test -f $PIDFILE && ~ `{cat $PIDFILE} $pid)
     	rm -f $PIDFILE
+	wmiir remove /bar/$lab
     exit
 }
 
@@ -22,8 +25,6 @@ fn statustext {
     echo `{date} `{uptime | sed 's/.*://; s/,//g'}
 }
 
-text=`{statustext}
-while(xwrite /bar/3/data $"text) {
+while(text=`{statustext} xwrite /bar/$lab/data $"text){
     sleep 2
-    text=`{statustext}
 }
diff --git a/rc/wmiirc b/rc/wmiirc
index 8f749536..9b7ba35c 100755
--- a/rc/wmiirc
+++ b/rc/wmiirc
@@ -6,6 +6,9 @@ PIDFILE=/tmp/ns.$USER.$DISPLAY/wmiircpid
 fn xwrite {
     echo -n $2 | wmiir write $1
 }
+fn maxlab {
+    awk '/[0-9]+$/ {if($10>max) max=$10} END{print max}'
+}
 
 if(test -r $PIDFILE) {
     kill -2 `{cat $PIDFILE} >[2]/dev/null
@@ -46,11 +49,10 @@ for(page in `{wmiir read / | awk '/^d/ && !/new$/ {print $NF}'}) {
 }
 
 # BAR CONFIGURATION
-for(i in 1 2 3)
+for(i in `{seq 1 `{wmiir read /bar|maxlab}})
     wmiir remove /bar/1 >/dev/null >[2=1]
 xwrite /bar/new/colors $WMII_NORMCOLORS
 xwrite /bar/new/colors $WMII_SELCOLORS
-xwrite /bar/new/colors $WMII_NORMCOLORS
 xwrite /bar/1/data 1
 xwrite /bar/expand 2