diff --git a/org.hl7.fhir.r5/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/r5/test/utils/TestingUtilities.java b/org.hl7.fhir.r5/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/r5/test/utils/TestingUtilities.java
index 7adcb333e..78af02088 100644
--- a/org.hl7.fhir.r5/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/r5/test/utils/TestingUtilities.java
+++ b/org.hl7.fhir.r5/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/r5/test/utils/TestingUtilities.java
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import org.hl7.fhir.r5.context.TerminologyCache;
 import org.hl7.fhir.r5.model.Parameters;
 import org.hl7.fhir.utilities.CSFile;
 import org.hl7.fhir.utilities.TextFile;
+import org.hl7.fhir.utilities.ToolGlobalSettings;
 import org.hl7.fhir.utilities.Utilities;
 import org.hl7.fhir.utilities.VersionUtilities;
 import org.hl7.fhir.utilities.npm.FilesystemPackageCacheManager;
@@ -164,14 +165,10 @@ public class TestingUtilities extends BaseTestingUtilities {
   public static String checkXMLIsSame(String f1, String f2) throws Exception {
     String result = compareXml(f1, f2);
     if (result != null && SHOW_DIFF) {
-      String diff = Utilities.path(System.getenv("ProgramFiles"), "WinMerge", "WinMergeU.exe");
-      if (new File(diff).exists()) {
+      String diff = ToolGlobalSettings.hasComparePath() ? ToolGlobalSettings.getComparePath() : Utilities.path(System.getenv("ProgramFiles"), "WinMerge", "WinMergeU.exe");
+      if (new File(diff).exists() || Utilities.isToken(diff)) {
         List<String> command = new ArrayList<String>();
-        command.add("\"" + diff + "\" \"" + f1 + "\" \"" + f2 + "\"");
-
-        ProcessBuilder builder = new ProcessBuilder(command);
-        builder.directory(new CSFile("c:\\temp"));
-        builder.start();
+        Process p = Runtime.getRuntime().exec(new String[]{diff, f1, f2});
       }
     }
     return result;
@@ -490,6 +487,8 @@ public class TestingUtilities extends BaseTestingUtilities {
       String path = Utilities.path("C:\\temp", name);
       Utilities.createDirectory(path);
       return path;
+    } else if (ToolGlobalSettings.hasTempPath()) {
+      return ToolGlobalSettings.getTempPath();
     } else if (new File("/tmp").exists()) {
       String path = Utilities.path("/tmp", name);
       Utilities.createDirectory(path);
diff --git a/org.hl7.fhir.utilities/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/utilities/ToolGlobalSettings.java b/org.hl7.fhir.utilities/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/utilities/ToolGlobalSettings.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..62cd18975
--- /dev/null
+++ b/org.hl7.fhir.utilities/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/utilities/ToolGlobalSettings.java
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+package org.hl7.fhir.utilities;
+
+import java.io.IOException;
+
+public class ToolGlobalSettings {
+
+  private static boolean inited = false;
+  
+  private static String npmPath;
+  private static String rubyPath;
+  private static String testsPath;
+  private static String comparePath;
+  private static String tempPath;
+  
+  public static String getNpmPath() {
+    init();
+    return npmPath;
+  }
+  public static String getRubyPath() {
+    init();
+    return rubyPath;
+  }
+  public static String getTestsPath() {
+    init();
+    return testsPath;
+  }
+  
+  public static boolean hasNpmPath() {
+    init();
+    return npmPath != null;
+  }
+  public static boolean hasRubyPath() {
+    init();
+    return rubyPath != null;
+  }
+  public static boolean hasTestsPath() {
+    init();
+    return testsPath != null;
+  }
+  
+  public static String getComparePath() {
+    return comparePath;
+  }
+  public static boolean hasComparePath() {
+    return comparePath != null;
+  }
+  public static String getTempPath() {
+    return tempPath;
+  }
+  public static boolean hasTempPath() {
+    return tempPath != null;
+  }
+  private static void init() {
+    if (!inited) {
+      inited = true;
+      IniFile ini;
+      try {
+        ini = new IniFile(Utilities.path(Utilities.path(System.getProperty("user.home"), ".fhir", "fhir-tool-settings.conf")));
+        if (ini.hasSection("paths")) {
+          npmPath = ini.getStringProperty("paths", "npm");
+          rubyPath = ini.getStringProperty("paths", "ruby");
+          testsPath = ini.getStringProperty("paths", "tests");
+          comparePath = ini.getStringProperty("paths", "compare");
+          tempPath = ini.getStringProperty("paths", "temp");
+        }
+      } catch (IOException e) {
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/org.hl7.fhir.utilities/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/utilities/Utilities.java b/org.hl7.fhir.utilities/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/utilities/Utilities.java
index db22d051a..5f9228083 100644
--- a/org.hl7.fhir.utilities/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/utilities/Utilities.java
+++ b/org.hl7.fhir.utilities/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/utilities/Utilities.java
@@ -596,6 +596,8 @@ public class Utilities {
         if ("[tmp]".equals(a)) {
           if (hasCTempDir()) {
             a = "c:\\temp";
+          } else if (ToolGlobalSettings.hasTempPath()) {            
+            a = ToolGlobalSettings.getTempPath();
           } else {
             a = System.getProperty("java.io.tmpdir");
           }
diff --git a/org.hl7.fhir.utilities/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/utilities/npm/FilesystemPackageCacheManager.java b/org.hl7.fhir.utilities/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/utilities/npm/FilesystemPackageCacheManager.java
index a07b631a5..af45003e4 100644
--- a/org.hl7.fhir.utilities/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/utilities/npm/FilesystemPackageCacheManager.java
+++ b/org.hl7.fhir.utilities/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/utilities/npm/FilesystemPackageCacheManager.java
@@ -626,12 +626,12 @@ public class FilesystemPackageCacheManager extends BasePackageCacheManager imple
       JsonObject json = JsonTrackingParser.fetchJson(Utilities.pathURL(url, "package.manifest.json"));
       String currDate = JSONUtil.str(json, "date");
       String packDate = p.date();
-      if (!currDate.equals(packDate))
+      if (!currDate.equals(packDate)) {
         return null; // nup, we need a new copy
-      return p;
+      }
     } catch (Exception e) {
-      return p;
     }
+    return p;
   }
 
   private boolean checkBuildLoaded() {
diff --git a/org.hl7.fhir.utilities/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/utilities/tests/BaseTestingUtilities.java b/org.hl7.fhir.utilities/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/utilities/tests/BaseTestingUtilities.java
index 4ed5ba296..3619d213b 100644
--- a/org.hl7.fhir.utilities/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/utilities/tests/BaseTestingUtilities.java
+++ b/org.hl7.fhir.utilities/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/utilities/tests/BaseTestingUtilities.java
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package org.hl7.fhir.utilities.tests;
 import org.apache.commons.io.IOUtils;
 import org.hl7.fhir.utilities.CSFile;
 import org.hl7.fhir.utilities.TextFile;
+import org.hl7.fhir.utilities.ToolGlobalSettings;
 import org.hl7.fhir.utilities.Utilities;
 
 import java.io.*;
@@ -22,7 +23,11 @@ public class BaseTestingUtilities {
      * the name of the project directory to something other than 'fhir-test-cases', or move it to another location, not
      * at the same directory level as the core project.
      */
+
     String dir = System.getenv("FHIR-TEST-CASES");
+    if (dir == null && ToolGlobalSettings.hasTestsPath()) {
+      dir = ToolGlobalSettings.getTestsPath();
+    }
     if (dir != null && new CSFile(dir).exists()) {
       String n = Utilities.path(dir, Utilities.path(paths));
       // ok, we'll resolve this locally
@@ -44,6 +49,9 @@ public class BaseTestingUtilities {
   
   public static InputStream loadTestResourceStream(String... paths) throws IOException {
     String dir = System.getenv("FHIR-TEST-CASES");
+    if (dir == null && ToolGlobalSettings.hasTestsPath()) {
+      dir = ToolGlobalSettings.getTestsPath();
+    }
     if (dir != null && new File(dir).exists()) {
       String n = Utilities.path(dir, Utilities.path(paths));
       return new FileInputStream(n);
@@ -59,6 +67,9 @@ public class BaseTestingUtilities {
 
   public static byte[] loadTestResourceBytes(String... paths) throws IOException {
     String dir = System.getenv("FHIR-TEST-CASES");
+    if (dir == null && ToolGlobalSettings.hasTestsPath()) {
+      dir = ToolGlobalSettings.getTestsPath();
+    }
     if (dir != null && new File(dir).exists()) {
       String n = Utilities.path(dir, Utilities.path(paths));
       return TextFile.fileToBytes(n);
@@ -74,6 +85,9 @@ public class BaseTestingUtilities {
 
   public static boolean findTestResource(String... paths) throws IOException {
     String dir = System.getenv("FHIR-TEST-CASES");
+    if (dir == null && ToolGlobalSettings.hasTestsPath()) {
+      dir = ToolGlobalSettings.getTestsPath();
+    }
     if (dir != null && new File(dir).exists()) {
       String n = Utilities.path(dir, Utilities.path(paths));
       return new File(n).exists();