diff --git a/lib/moodlelib.php b/lib/moodlelib.php
index 0eaccf2e2a7..62281911cde 100644
--- a/lib/moodlelib.php
+++ b/lib/moodlelib.php
@@ -500,8 +500,11 @@ function ismoving($courseid) {
 function set_moodle_cookie($thing) {
 /// Sets a moodle cookie with an encrypted string
     global $CFG;
-
-    $cookiename = 'MOODLEID_'.$CFG->sessioncookie;
+    if (isset($CFG->sessioncookie)) {
+        $cookiename = 'MOODLEID_'.$CFG->sessioncookie;
+    } else {
+        $cookiename = 'MOODLEID_';
+    }
 
     $days = 60;
     $seconds = 60*60*24*$days;
@@ -515,7 +518,11 @@ function get_moodle_cookie() {
 /// Gets a moodle cookie with an encrypted string
     global $CFG;
 
-    $cookiename = 'MOODLEID_'.$CFG->sessioncookie;
+    if (isset($CFG->sessioncookie)) {
+        $cookiename = 'MOODLEID_'.$CFG->sessioncookie;
+    } else {
+        $cookiename = 'MOODLEID_';
+    }
 
     if (empty($_COOKIE[$cookiename])) {
         return "";
diff --git a/lib/setup.php b/lib/setup.php
index 1422136504a..673d5dbe1b8 100644
--- a/lib/setup.php
+++ b/lib/setup.php
@@ -171,7 +171,11 @@
     class object {};
     
     if (!isset($nomoodlecookie)) {
-        session_name('MoodleSession'.$CFG->sessioncookie);
+        if (isset($CFG->sessioncookie)) {
+            session_name('MoodleSession'.$CFG->sessioncookie);
+        } else {
+            session_name('MoodleSession');
+        }
         @session_start();
         if (! isset($_SESSION['SESSION'])) { 
             $_SESSION['SESSION'] = new object;