diff --git a/import.php b/import.php
index 121d279442..3f0a00595f 100644
--- a/import.php
+++ b/import.php
@@ -358,6 +358,30 @@ if (! empty($local_import_file) && ! empty($cfg['UploadDir'])) {
     $import_file  = 'none';
 }
 
+// This helper function "stops" the import on (mostly upload/file related) error
+// It's more a hack than a solution, the whole import code needs serious revision
+function _pma_stop_import( PMA_Message $error_message ) {
+    global $import_handle, $file_to_unlink;
+
+    // Close open handles
+    if ($import_handle !== false && $import_handle !== null) {
+        fclose($import_handle);
+    }
+
+    // Delete temporary file
+    if ($file_to_unlink != '') {
+        unlink($file_to_unlink);
+    }
+
+    $_SESSION['Import_message']['message'] = $error_message->getDisplay();
+
+    $response = PMA_Response::getInstance();
+    $response->isSuccess(false);
+    $response->addJSON('message', PMA_Message::error($msg));
+
+    exit;
+}
+
 // Do we have file to import?
 
 if ($import_file != 'none' && ! $error) {
@@ -365,16 +389,17 @@ if ($import_file != 'none' && ! $error) {
     $open_basedir = @ini_get('open_basedir');
 
     // If we are on a server with open_basedir, we must move the file
-    // before opening it. The doc explains how to create the "./tmp"
-    // directory
+    // before opening it.
 
     if (! empty($open_basedir)) {
 
-        $tmp_subdir = (PMA_IS_WINDOWS ? '.\\tmp\\' : 'tmp/');
+        /**
+         * @todo make use of the config's temp dir with fallback to the system's tmp dir
+         */
+        $tmp_subdir = sys_get_temp_dir();
 
         if (is_writable($tmp_subdir)) {
 
-
             $import_file_new = $tmp_subdir . basename($import_file) . uniqid();
             if (move_uploaded_file($import_file, $import_file_new)) {
                 $import_file = $import_file_new;
@@ -382,6 +407,19 @@ if ($import_file != 'none' && ! $error) {
             }
 
             $size = filesize($import_file);
+        } else {
+
+            // If the php.ini is misconfigured (eg. there is no /tmp access defined
+            // with open_basedir), $tmp_subdir won't be writable and the user gets 
+            // a 'File could not be read!' error (at PMA_detectCompression), which 
+            // is not too meaningful. Show a meaningful error message to the user 
+            // instead.
+
+            $message = PMA_Message::error(
+                __('Uploaded file cannot be moved, because the server has open_basedir enabled without access to the %s directory (for temporary files).')
+            );
+            $message->addParam($tmp_subdir);
+            _pma_stop_import($message);
         }
     }
 
@@ -392,7 +430,7 @@ if ($import_file != 'none' && ! $error) {
     $compression = PMA_detectCompression($import_file);
     if ($compression === false) {
         $message = PMA_Message::error(__('File could not be read!'));
-        $error = true;
+        _pma_stop_import($message);
     } else {
         switch ($compression) {
         case 'application/bzip2':
@@ -403,7 +441,7 @@ if ($import_file != 'none' && ! $error) {
                     __('You attempted to load file with unsupported compression (%s). Either support for it is not implemented or disabled by your configuration.')
                 );
                 $message->addParam($compression);
-                $error = true;
+                _pma_stop_import($message);
             }
             break;
         case 'application/gzip':
@@ -414,7 +452,7 @@ if ($import_file != 'none' && ! $error) {
                     __('You attempted to load file with unsupported compression (%s). Either support for it is not implemented or disabled by your configuration.')
                 );
                 $message->addParam($compression);
-                $error = true;
+                _pma_stop_import($message);
             }
             break;
         case 'application/zip':
@@ -426,7 +464,7 @@ if ($import_file != 'none' && ! $error) {
                 $zipResult = PMA_getZipContents($import_file);
                 if (! empty($zipResult['error'])) {
                     $message = PMA_Message::rawError($zipResult['error']);
-                    $error = true;
+                    _pma_stop_import($message);
                 } else {
                     $import_text = $zipResult['data'];
                 }
@@ -435,7 +473,7 @@ if ($import_file != 'none' && ! $error) {
                     __('You attempted to load file with unsupported compression (%s). Either support for it is not implemented or disabled by your configuration.')
                 );
                 $message->addParam($compression);
-                $error = true;
+                _pma_stop_import($message);
             }
             break;
         case 'none':
@@ -446,21 +484,21 @@ if ($import_file != 'none' && ! $error) {
                 __('You attempted to load file with unsupported compression (%s). Either support for it is not implemented or disabled by your configuration.')
             );
             $message->addParam($compression);
-            $error = true;
+            _pma_stop_import($message);
             break;
         }
     }
     // use isset() because zip compression type does not use a handle
     if (! $error && isset($import_handle) && $import_handle === false) {
         $message = PMA_Message::error(__('File could not be read!'));
-        $error = true;
+        _pma_stop_import($message);
     }
 } elseif (! $error) {
     if (! isset($import_text) || empty($import_text)) {
         $message = PMA_Message::error(
             __('No data was received to import. Either no file name was submitted, or the file size exceeded the maximum size permitted by your PHP configuration. See [doc@faq1-16]FAQ 1.16[/doc].')
         );
-        $error = true;
+        _pma_stop_import($message);
     }
 }
 
@@ -476,10 +514,10 @@ if ($GLOBALS['PMA_recoding_engine'] != PMA_CHARSET_NONE && isset($charset_of_fil
     if (PMA_DRIZZLE) {
         // Drizzle doesn't support other character sets,
         // so we can't fallback to SET NAMES - throw an error
-        $error = true;
         $message = PMA_Message::error(
             __('Cannot convert file\'s character set without character set conversion library!')
         );
+        _pma_stop_import($message);
     } else {
         $GLOBALS['dbi']->query('SET NAMES \'' . $charset_of_file . '\'');
         // We can not show query in this case, it is in different charset
@@ -514,17 +552,17 @@ if (! $error) {
         $import_type
     );
     if ($import_plugin == null) {
-        $error = true;
         $message = PMA_Message::error(
             __('Could not load import plugins, please check your installation!')
         );
+        _pma_stop_import($message);
     } else {
         // Do the real import
         $import_plugin->doImport($sql_data);
     }
 }
 
-if (! $error && false !== $import_handle && null !== $import_handle) {
+if (false !== $import_handle && null !== $import_handle) {
     fclose($import_handle);
 }