diff --git a/src/window-bootstrap.coffee b/src/window-bootstrap.coffee
index 60a9a14d5..886ba26dc 100644
--- a/src/window-bootstrap.coffee
+++ b/src/window-bootstrap.coffee
@@ -1,14 +1,3 @@
-# Ensure ATOM_HOME is always set before anything else is required
-unless process.env.ATOM_HOME
-  if process.platform is 'win32'
-    home = process.env.USERPROFILE
-  else
-    home = process.env.HOME
-  atomHome = path.join(home, '.atom')
-  try
-    atomHome = require('fs').realpathSync(atomHome)
-  process.env.ATOM_HOME = atomHome
-
 # Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives.
 require './window'
 
diff --git a/static/index.js b/static/index.js
index 12b149699..e5f84f794 100644
--- a/static/index.js
+++ b/static/index.js
@@ -13,6 +13,23 @@ window.onload = function() {
     var fs = require('fs');
     var path = require('path');
 
+    // Ensure ATOM_HOME is always set before anything else is required
+    if (!process.env.ATOM_HOME) {
+      var home;
+      if (process.platform === 'win32') {
+        home = process.env.USERPROFILE;
+      } else {
+        home = process.env.HOME;
+      }
+      var atomHome = path.join(home, '.atom');
+      try {
+        atomHome = fs.realpathSync(atomHome);
+      } catch (error) {
+        // Ignore since the path might just not exist yet.
+      }
+      process.env.ATOM_HOME = atomHome;
+    }
+
     // Skip "?loadSettings=".
     var rawLoadSettings = decodeURIComponent(location.search.substr(14));
     var loadSettings;