diff --git a/extra/cloak/cloak.py b/extra/cloak/cloak.py
index 9d1222e2e..ea25198ac 100755
--- a/extra/cloak/cloak.py
+++ b/extra/cloak/cloak.py
@@ -34,21 +34,21 @@ def hideAscii(data):
             retVal += chr(ord(data[i]) ^ 127)
         else:
             retVal += data[i]
-            
+
     return retVal
 
 def cloak(inputFile):
     f = open(inputFile, 'rb')
     data = bz2.compress(f.read())
     f.close()
-    
+
     return hideAscii(data)
-        
+
 def decloak(inputFile):
     f = open(inputFile, 'rb')
     data = bz2.decompress(hideAscii(f.read()))
     f.close()
-    
+
     return data
 
 def main():
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ def main():
     if not os.path.isfile(args.inputFile):
         print 'ERROR: the provided input file \'%s\' is not a regular file' % args.inputFile
         sys.exit(1)
-    
+
     if not args.decrypt:
         data = cloak(args.inputFile)
     else:
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ def main():
             args.outputFile = args.inputFile + '_'
         else:
             args.outputFile = args.inputFile[:-1]
-        
+
     fpOut      = open(args.outputFile, 'wb')
     sys.stdout = fpOut
     sys.stdout.write(data)
diff --git a/lib/controller/controller.py b/lib/controller/controller.py
index 11895df3b..c7a27e35c 100644
--- a/lib/controller/controller.py
+++ b/lib/controller/controller.py
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ from lib.core.common import getUnicode
 from lib.core.common import paramToDict
 from lib.core.common import parseTargetUrl
 from lib.core.common import readInput
+from lib.core.common import smokeTest
 from lib.core.data import conf
 from lib.core.data import kb
 from lib.core.data import logger
@@ -93,6 +94,9 @@ def start():
     if not conf.start:
         return
 
+    if conf.smokeTest:
+        smokeTest()
+
     if conf.direct:
         initTargetEnv()
         setupTargetEnv()
diff --git a/lib/core/common.py b/lib/core/common.py
index 4b0bebd6d..fff9b57f1 100644
--- a/lib/core/common.py
+++ b/lib/core/common.py
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ from lib.core.data import queries
 from lib.core.data import temp
 from lib.core.convert import urlencode
 from lib.core.exception import sqlmapFilePathException
+from lib.core.exception import sqlmapGenericException
 from lib.core.exception import sqlmapNoneDataException
 from lib.core.exception import sqlmapMissingDependence
 from lib.core.exception import sqlmapSyntaxException
@@ -471,7 +472,7 @@ def readInput(message, default=None):
 
         data = default
     else:
-        data = raw_input(message.encode(conf.dataEncoding))
+        data = raw_input(message.encode(sys.stdout.encoding))
 
         if not data:
             data = default
@@ -1410,3 +1411,18 @@ def longestCommonPrefix(*sequences):
 
 def commonFinderOnly(initial, sequence):
     return longestCommonPrefix(*filter(lambda x: x.startswith(initial), sequence))
+
+def smokeTest():
+    for root, _, files in os.walk(paths.SQLMAP_ROOT_PATH):
+        for file in files:
+            if os.path.splitext(file)[1].lower() == '.py' and file != '__init__.py':
+                path = os.path.join(root, os.path.splitext(file)[0])
+                path = path.replace(paths.SQLMAP_ROOT_PATH, '.')
+                path = path.replace(os.sep, '.').lstrip('.')
+                try:
+                    module = __import__(path)
+                except Exception, msg:
+                    raise sqlmapGenericException, "smoke test failed at importing module '%s' (%s):\n\n%s" % (path, os.path.join(paths.SQLMAP_ROOT_PATH, file), msg)
+
+    infoMsg = "smoke test passed"
+    logger.info(infoMsg)
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/lib/parse/cmdline.py b/lib/parse/cmdline.py
index d5566a84d..8bcfe6b54 100644
--- a/lib/parse/cmdline.py
+++ b/lib/parse/cmdline.py
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ def cmdLineParser():
         request.add_option("--auth-cred", dest="aCred",
                            help="HTTP authentication credentials "
                                 "(name:password)")
-                                
+
         request.add_option("--auth-cert", dest="aCert",
                            help="HTTP authentication certificate ("
                                 "key_file,cert_file)")
@@ -457,6 +457,9 @@ def cmdLineParser():
         parser.add_option("--common-prediction", dest="useCommonPrediction", action="store_true",
                           help=SUPPRESS_HELP)
 
+        parser.add_option("--smoke-test", dest="smokeTest", action="store_true",
+                          help=SUPPRESS_HELP)
+
         parser.add_option_group(target)
         parser.add_option_group(request)
         parser.add_option_group(injection)
@@ -471,7 +474,7 @@ def cmdLineParser():
 
         (args, _) = parser.parse_args([utf8decode(arg) for arg in sys.argv])
 
-        if not args.direct and not args.url and not args.list and not args.googleDork and not args.configFile and not args.requestFile and not args.updateAll:
+        if not args.direct and not args.url and not args.list and not args.googleDork and not args.configFile and not args.requestFile and not args.updateAll and not args.smokeTest:
             errMsg  = "missing a mandatory parameter ('-d', '-u', '-l', '-r', '-g', '-c' or '--update'), "
             errMsg += "-h for help"
             parser.error(errMsg)
diff --git a/sqlmap.py b/sqlmap.py
index c55efa9a0..8f52b8f2a 100755
--- a/sqlmap.py
+++ b/sqlmap.py
@@ -23,7 +23,6 @@ Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA  02110-1301  USA
 """
 
 import codecs
-import locale
 import os
 import sys
 import time
@@ -33,6 +32,7 @@ import warnings
 warnings.filterwarnings(action="ignore", message=".*was already imported", category=UserWarning)
 
 # NOTE: This breaks SQL shell and OS shell history and TAB functionalities
+#import locale
 #sys.stdout = codecs.getwriter(locale.getpreferredencoding())(sys.stdout)
 
 try: