Index: trunk/ippScripts/scripts/chip_imfile.pl
===================================================================
--- trunk/ippScripts/scripts/chip_imfile.pl	(revision 29950)
+++ trunk/ippScripts/scripts/chip_imfile.pl	(revision 29996)
@@ -176,4 +176,7 @@
     $ipprc->delete_destreak_backup_file($outputWeight)
         or &my_die("failed to delete existing destreak backup weight file", $exp_id, $chip_id, $class_id, $PS_EXIT_UNKNOWN_ERROR);
+
+    # don't do binned images when updating unless we are starting from scratch.
+    $do_binned_images = 0 unless $dump_config;
 }
 if ($do_binned_images) {
@@ -490,5 +493,7 @@
         check_output($configuration, 1) if $dump_config;
         check_output($backmdl, 1) if $outputBackmdlExpect;
-        check_output($pattern, 1) if $outputPatternExpect;
+	# allow the pattern file to be missing if run state is update older data doesn't have one
+	# I should parse the config dump file to calculate the 'Expect' variables
+        check_output($pattern, 1, $run_state eq 'update') if $outputPatternExpect;
         if ($do_photom) {
             check_output($outputSources, 1);
@@ -701,4 +706,5 @@
     my $file = shift;
     my $replicate = shift;
+    my $allow_missing = shift;
 
     if (!defined $file) {
@@ -706,5 +712,13 @@
     }
 
-    &my_die("Couldn't find expected output file: $file",  $exp_id, $chip_id, $class_id, $PS_EXIT_SYS_ERROR) unless $ipprc->file_exists($file);
+    my $exists = $ipprc->file_exists($file);
+
+    if (!$exists) {
+        if ($allow_missing) {
+            carp("Couldn't find expected output_file: $file but continuing anyways\n");
+            return 1;
+        }
+        &my_die("Couldn't find expected output file: $file",  $exp_id, $chip_id, $class_id, $PS_EXIT_SYS_ERROR);
+    }
 
     if ($replicate and $neb) {