diff --git a/backup/util/settings/base_setting.class.php b/backup/util/settings/base_setting.class.php
index 561e132d6dc..fe711b1355c 100644
--- a/backup/util/settings/base_setting.class.php
+++ b/backup/util/settings/base_setting.class.php
@@ -204,6 +204,34 @@ abstract class base_setting {
         return $dependencies;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Gets an array of properties for all of the dependencies that will affect
+     * this setting.
+     *
+     * This method returns and array rather than the dependencies in order to
+     * minimise the memory footprint of for the potentially huge recursive
+     * dependency structure that we may be dealing with.
+     *
+     * This method also ensures that all dependencies are transmuted to affect
+     * the setting in question and that we don't provide any duplicates.
+     *
+     * @param string|null $settingname
+     * @return array
+     */
+    public function get_my_dependency_properties($settingname=null) {
+        if ($settingname ==  null) {
+            $settingname = $this->get_ui_name();
+        }
+        $dependencies = array();
+        foreach ($this->dependenton as $dependenton) {
+            $properties = $dependenton->get_moodleform_properties();
+            $properties['setting'] = $settingname;
+            $dependencies[$properties['setting'].'-'.$properties['dependenton']] = $properties;
+            $dependencies = array_merge($dependencies, $dependenton->get_setting()->get_my_dependency_properties($settingname));
+        }
+        return $dependencies;
+    }
+
     public function set_ui(backup_setting_ui $ui) {
         $this->uisetting = $ui;
     }
diff --git a/backup/util/ui/backup_moodleform.class.php b/backup/util/ui/backup_moodleform.class.php
index 3922978e8b4..06872ed8631 100644
--- a/backup/util/ui/backup_moodleform.class.php
+++ b/backup/util/ui/backup_moodleform.class.php
@@ -192,7 +192,6 @@ abstract class backup_moodleform extends moodleform {
      */
     function add_fixed_setting(backup_setting $setting) {
         global $OUTPUT;
-
         $settingui = $setting->get_ui();
         if ($setting->get_visibility() == backup_setting::VISIBLE) {
             $this->add_html_formatting($setting);
@@ -209,16 +208,12 @@ abstract class backup_moodleform extends moodleform {
      * Adds dependencies to the form recursively
      * 
      * @param backup_setting $setting
-     * @param backup_setting $basesetting
      */
-    function add_dependencies(backup_setting $setting, $basesetting=null) {
+    function add_dependencies(backup_setting $setting) {
         $mform = $this->_form;
-        if ($basesetting == null) {
-            $basesetting = $setting;
-        }
         // Apply all dependencies for backup
-        foreach ($setting->get_all_dependencies() as $dependency) {
-            call_user_method_array('disabledIf', $this->_form, $dependency->get_moodleform_properties());
+        foreach ($setting->get_my_dependency_properties() as $key=>$dependency) {
+            call_user_method_array('disabledIf', $this->_form, $dependency);
         }
     }
     /**