diff --git a/init.c b/init.c
index 574fdb9..00f7069 100644
--- a/init.c
+++ b/init.c
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@
 
 #include "config-stage1.h"
 #include "lomount.h"
+#include "tools.h"
 
 #define MKDEV(ma,mi)    ((ma)<<8 | (mi))
 #define RAMFS_MAGIC 0x858458f6
@@ -350,6 +351,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 	int wait_status;
 	int fd = -1;
 	int fds[2];
+	char *init = NULL;
 
 	if (mount("/proc", "/proc", "proc", 0, NULL))
 		fatal("failed to mount proc filesystem");
@@ -571,7 +573,12 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 		fatal("chroot");
 
 	/* Check for given init */
-	if (stat(STAGE2_BINNAME, &ist) || !S_ISREG(ist.st_mode))
+	init = get_from_env("INIT", myenv);
+	if ( init && ! stat(init, &ist) && S_ISREG(ist.st_mode))
+		argv[0] = init;
+	else if ( ! stat(STAGE2_BINNAME, &ist) && S_ISREG(ist.st_mode))
+		argv[0] = STAGE2_BINNAME;
+	else
 		fatal("can't find init on root fs");
 
 	/* Spawn init */
@@ -580,7 +587,6 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 	/* unblock signals */
 	sigprocmask(SIG_UNBLOCK, &sig, NULL);
 
-	argv[0] = STAGE2_BINNAME;
 	execve(argv[0], argv, myenv);
 	fatal("stage2");			/* Failed to spawn init */
 	return 0;
diff --git a/stage1.c b/stage1.c
index a9dd0e2..efa0251 100644
--- a/stage1.c
+++ b/stage1.c
@@ -329,6 +329,7 @@ void stage1()
 {
 	enum return_type ret;
 	char buf[128];
+    char * init;
 
 	open_log();
 	getversion();
@@ -350,6 +351,10 @@ void stage1()
 				   "your own risk. Alternatively, you may reboot your system now.");
 	}
 
+	init = get_param_valued("init");
+	if (init)
+		add_to_env("INIT", init);
+
 	ret = method_select_and_prepare();
 
 	finish_frontend();
diff --git a/tools.c b/tools.c
index 10ac901..8a204f0 100644
--- a/tools.c
+++ b/tools.c
@@ -472,6 +472,24 @@ void add_to_env(char * name, char * value)
 	my_env[env_size] = NULL;
 }
 
+char * get_from_env(const char * key, const char const ** env)
+{
+	int i=0;
+
+	if (key == NULL || env == NULL)
+		return NULL;
+
+	while(env[i])
+	{
+		if (strncmp(env[i], key, strlen(key)) == 0) {
+			return strdup(env[i]+strlen(key)+1);
+		}
+		i++;
+	}
+
+	return NULL;
+}
+
 int pass_env(int fd)
 {
 	char ** ptr = my_env;
diff --git a/tools.h b/tools.h
index ac469ae..51c429a 100644
--- a/tools.h
+++ b/tools.h
@@ -47,6 +47,8 @@ int set_splash(char *);
 int update_splash(void);
 int prepare_progress(void);
 void close_progress(void);
+char * get_param_valued(char *param_name);
+char * get_from_env(const char * key, const char const ** env);
 
 struct param_elem
 {