diff --git a/anki/__init__.py b/anki/__init__.py
index f763d5d70..dde8776d9 100644
--- a/anki/__init__.py
+++ b/anki/__init__.py
@@ -53,6 +53,6 @@ try:
 except ImportError:
     pass
 
-version = "0.9.9.7.5"
+version = "0.9.9.7.6b"
 
 from anki.deck import DeckStorage
diff --git a/anki/features/japanese.py b/anki/features/japanese.py
index 8fce19b78..13d75a6c6 100644
--- a/anki/features/japanese.py
+++ b/anki/features/japanese.py
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 # License: GNU GPL, version 3 or later; http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html
 
 import sys, os
+from subprocess import Popen, PIPE
 from anki.utils import findTag, stripHTML
 from anki.hooks import addHook
 
@@ -45,7 +46,9 @@ class KakasiController(object):
                 from errno import ENOENT
                 raise OSError(ENOENT, 'Kakasi not available')
             # don't convert kana to hiragana
-            (self.kin, self.kout) = os.popen2("kakasi -isjis -osjis -u -JH -p")
+            p = Popen("kakasi -isjis -osjis -u -JH -p", shell=True,
+                      bufsize=-1, stdin=PIPE, stdout=PIPE)
+            (self.kin, self.kout) = (p.stdin, p.stdout)
             self._open = True
 
     def close(self):
diff --git a/anki/importing/__init__.py b/anki/importing/__init__.py
index eb61cfd96..3e13f967f 100644
--- a/anki/importing/__init__.py
+++ b/anki/importing/__init__.py
@@ -260,7 +260,7 @@ from anki.importing.wcu import WCUImporter
 
 Importers = (
     (_("Text separated by tabs or semicolons (*)"), TextImporter),
-    (_("Anki 1.0 deck (*.anki)"), Anki10Importer),
-    (_("Mnemosyne 1.x deck (*.mem)"), Mnemosyne10Importer),
-    (_("CueCard deck (*.wcu)"), WCUImporter),
+    (_("Anki Deck (*.anki)"), Anki10Importer),
+    (_("Mnemosyne Deck (*.mem)"), Mnemosyne10Importer),
+    (_("CueCard Deck (*.wcu)"), WCUImporter),
     )
diff --git a/anki/sound.py b/anki/sound.py
index e9919549b..1205654d9 100644
--- a/anki/sound.py
+++ b/anki/sound.py
@@ -53,12 +53,12 @@ queue = []
 manager = None
 
 if sys.platform.startswith("win32"):
-    externalPlayer = ["mplayer.exe", "-ao", "win32", "-really-quiet"]
+    externalPlayer = ["mplayer.exe", "-ao", "win32", "-really-quiet", "-noconsolecontrols"]
     dir = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(sys.argv[0]))
     os.environ['PATH'] += ";" + dir
     os.environ['PATH'] += ";" + dir + "\\..\\dist" # for testing
 else:
-    externalPlayer = ["mplayer", "-really-quiet"]
+    externalPlayer = ["mplayer", "-really-quiet", "-noconsolecontrols"]
 
 # don't show box on windows
 if sys.platform == "win32":
@@ -121,8 +121,11 @@ class QueueMonitor(threading.Thread):
             time.sleep(0.1)
             if queue:
                 path = queue.pop(0)
-                retryWait(subprocess.Popen(
-                    externalPlayer + [path], startupinfo=si))
+                try:
+                    retryWait(subprocess.Popen(
+                        externalPlayer + [path], startupinfo=si))
+                except OSError:
+                    raise Exception("Audio player not found")
             else:
                 return
 
diff --git a/anki/tags.py b/anki/tags.py
index dd72c7d91..aa68b6766 100644
--- a/anki/tags.py
+++ b/anki/tags.py
@@ -51,10 +51,8 @@ def tagIds(s, tags):
     ids = {}
     s.statements("insert or ignore into tags (tag) values (:tag)",
                 [{'tag': t} for t in tags])
-    tagsD = dict(s.all("""
-select lower(tag), id from tags
+    tagsD = dict([(x.lower(), y) for (x, y) in s.all("""
+select tag, id from tags
 where tag in (%s)""" % ",".join([
-        "'%s'" % t.replace("'", "''") for t in tags])))
-    for tag in tags:
-        ids[tag.lower()] = tagsD[tag.lower()]
-    return ids
+        "'%s'" % t.replace("'", "''") for t in tags]))])
+    return tagsD