diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index a0abaae8..454eb645 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,5 +1,11 @@
 # Clixon Changelog
 
+* Fixed bug that deletes running on startup if backup started with -m running.
+  When clixon starts again, running is lost.
+  The error was that the running (or startup) configuration may fail when
+  clixon backend starts.
+  The fix now makes a copy of running and copies it back on failure
+	
 ## 3.3.3 (25 November 2017)
 
 Thanks to Matthew Smith, Joe Loeliger at Netgate; Fredrik Pettai at
diff --git a/apps/backend/backend_main.c b/apps/backend/backend_main.c
index f65bf6c5..0f80d0d1 100644
--- a/apps/backend/backend_main.c
+++ b/apps/backend/backend_main.c
@@ -536,8 +536,13 @@ startup_mode_running(clicon_handle h,
     if (load_extraxml(h, extraxml_file, "tmp") < 0)   
 	goto done;	    
     /* Commit original running */
-    if (candidate_commit(h, "candidate") < 0)
+    if (candidate_commit(h, "candidate") < 0){
+        clicon_log(LOG_NOTICE, "%s: Commit of saved running failed, exiting.", __FUNCTION__);
+        /* Reinstate original */
+        if (xmldb_copy(h, "candidate", "running") < 0)
+            goto done;
 	goto done;
+    }
     /* Merge user reset state and extra xml file (no commit) */
     if (db_merge(h, "tmp", "running") < 0)
 	goto done;