diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/actor/ActorRef.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/actor/ActorRef.scala
index 7a6e493f43..f88f40fecf 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/actor/ActorRef.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/actor/ActorRef.scala
@@ -781,7 +781,6 @@ class LocalActorRef private[akka] (
       "Can't restart an actor that has been shut down with 'stop' or 'exit'")
     if (!isRunning) {
       dispatcher.register(this)
-      dispatcher.start
       if (isTransactor)
         transactorConfig = transactorConfig.copy(factory = Some(TransactionFactory(transactorConfig.config, id)))
 
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/dispatch/ExecutorBasedEventDrivenDispatcher.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/dispatch/ExecutorBasedEventDrivenDispatcher.scala
index 6ec5f6963e..49e94afc6f 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/dispatch/ExecutorBasedEventDrivenDispatcher.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/dispatch/ExecutorBasedEventDrivenDispatcher.scala
@@ -101,8 +101,6 @@ class ExecutorBasedEventDrivenDispatcher(
     registerForExecution(mbox)
   }
 
-  def isShutdown = active.isOff
-
   /**
    * @return the mailbox associated with the actor
    */
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/dispatch/ExecutorBasedEventDrivenWorkStealingDispatcher.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/dispatch/ExecutorBasedEventDrivenWorkStealingDispatcher.scala
index a9ea028210..53296cce71 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/dispatch/ExecutorBasedEventDrivenWorkStealingDispatcher.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/dispatch/ExecutorBasedEventDrivenWorkStealingDispatcher.scala
@@ -94,8 +94,6 @@ class ExecutorBasedEventDrivenWorkStealingDispatcher(
     mailboxWasProcessed
   }
 
-  def isShutdown = active.isOff
-
   /**
    * Process the messages in the mailbox of the given actor.
    * @return
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/dispatch/HawtDispatcher.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/dispatch/HawtDispatcher.scala
index 4ca63f64f2..a5bc315204 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/dispatch/HawtDispatcher.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/dispatch/HawtDispatcher.scala
@@ -150,8 +150,6 @@ class HawtDispatcher(val aggregate: Boolean = true, val parent: DispatchQueue =
 
   def shutdown = active switchOff { releaseNonDaemon }
 
-  def isShutdown = active.isOff
-
   def dispatch(invocation: MessageInvocation) = if (active.isOn) {
     mailbox(invocation.receiver).dispatch(invocation)
   } else {
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/dispatch/MessageHandling.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/dispatch/MessageHandling.scala
index 88d978b311..c84a56e78d 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/dispatch/MessageHandling.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/dispatch/MessageHandling.scala
@@ -4,15 +4,12 @@
 
 package se.scalablesolutions.akka.dispatch
 
-import se.scalablesolutions.akka.actor.{Actor, ActorRef, Uuid, ActorInitializationException}
-import se.scalablesolutions.akka.util.{SimpleLock, Duration, HashCode, Logging}
-import se.scalablesolutions.akka.util.ReflectiveAccess.EnterpriseModule
-import se.scalablesolutions.akka.AkkaException
+import se.scalablesolutions.akka.actor.{ActorRegistry, ActorRef, Uuid, ActorInitializationException}
 
 import org.multiverse.commitbarriers.CountDownCommitBarrier
 
-import java.util.{Queue, List}
 import java.util.concurrent._
+import se.scalablesolutions.akka.util. {Logging, HashCode}
 
 /**
  * @author <a href="http://jonasboner.com">Jonas Bon&#233;r</a>
@@ -61,12 +58,6 @@ final class MessageInvocation(val receiver: ActorRef,
 trait MessageDispatcher extends MailboxFactory with Logging {
   
   protected val uuids = new ConcurrentSkipListSet[Uuid]
-  
-  def dispatch(invocation: MessageInvocation): Unit
-
-  def start: Unit
-
-  def shutdown: Unit
 
   def register(actorRef: ActorRef) {
     start
@@ -77,15 +68,29 @@ trait MessageDispatcher extends MailboxFactory with Logging {
   def unregister(actorRef: ActorRef) = {
     uuids remove actorRef.uuid
     actorRef.mailbox = null
-    if (canBeShutDown) shutdown // shut down in the dispatcher's references is zero
+    if (uuids.isEmpty) shutdown // shut down in the dispatcher's references is zero
+  }
+
+  def stopAllLinkedActors {
+    val i = uuids.iterator
+    while(i.hasNext()) {
+      val uuid = i.next()
+      i.remove()
+      ActorRegistry.actorFor(uuid) match {
+        case Some(actor) => actor.stop
+        case None => log.warn("stopAllLinkedActors couldn't find linked actor: " + uuid)
+      }
+    }
+    if(uuids.isEmpty) shutdown
   }
   
   def suspend(actorRef: ActorRef): Unit
   def resume(actorRef: ActorRef): Unit
-  
-  def canBeShutDown: Boolean = uuids.isEmpty
 
-  def isShutdown: Boolean
+  def dispatch(invocation: MessageInvocation): Unit
+
+  protected def start: Unit
+  protected def shutdown: Unit
 
   /**
    * Returns the size of the mailbox for the specified actor
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/test/scala/actor/supervisor/SupervisorMiscSpec.scala b/akka-actor/src/test/scala/actor/supervisor/SupervisorMiscSpec.scala
index 2ad8ac267b..17cfc94f83 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/test/scala/actor/supervisor/SupervisorMiscSpec.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/test/scala/actor/supervisor/SupervisorMiscSpec.scala
@@ -70,10 +70,10 @@ class SupervisorMiscSpec extends WordSpec with MustMatchers {
       actor4 ! "kill"
 
       countDownLatch.await()
-      assert(!actor1.dispatcher.isShutdown, "dispatcher1 is shutdown")
-      assert(!actor2.dispatcher.isShutdown, "dispatcher2 is shutdown")
-      assert(!actor3.dispatcher.isShutdown, "dispatcher3 is shutdown")
-      assert(!actor4.dispatcher.isShutdown, "dispatcher4 is shutdown")
+      assert(!actor1.isShutdown, "actor1 is shutdown")
+      assert(!actor2.isShutdown, "actor2 is shutdown")
+      assert(!actor3.isShutdown, "actor3 is shutdown")
+      assert(!actor4.isShutdown, "actor4 is shutdown")
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/test/scala/dispatch/ExecutorBasedEventDrivenDispatcherActorSpec.scala b/akka-actor/src/test/scala/dispatch/ExecutorBasedEventDrivenDispatcherActorSpec.scala
index 1c2670da0d..f2f4787070 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/test/scala/dispatch/ExecutorBasedEventDrivenDispatcherActorSpec.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/test/scala/dispatch/ExecutorBasedEventDrivenDispatcherActorSpec.scala
@@ -98,7 +98,6 @@ class ExecutorBasedEventDrivenDispatcherActorSpec extends JUnitSuite {
    val result = latch.await(3,TimeUnit.SECONDS)
    fastOne.stop
    slowOne.stop
-   throughputDispatcher.shutdown
    assert(result === true)
  }