diff --git a/Source/CTest/cmCTestUpdateHandler.cxx b/Source/CTest/cmCTestUpdateHandler.cxx
index 5ac5ebcd7..5f4dfc078 100644
--- a/Source/CTest/cmCTestUpdateHandler.cxx
+++ b/Source/CTest/cmCTestUpdateHandler.cxx
@@ -296,51 +296,17 @@ int cmCTestUpdateHandler::ProcessHandler()
 //----------------------------------------------------------------------
 bool cmCTestUpdateHandler::InitialCheckout(std::ostream& ofs)
 {
-  const char* sourceDirectory = this->GetOption("SourceDirectory");
-
   // Use the user-provided command to create the source tree.
-  const char* initialCheckoutCommand = this->GetOption("InitialCheckout");
-  if ( initialCheckoutCommand )
+  if(const char* command = this->GetOption("InitialCheckout"))
     {
-    std::string goutput;
-    std::string errors;
-    int retVal = 0;
-    cmCTestLog(this->CTest, HANDLER_OUTPUT,
-      "   First perform the initial checkout: " << initialCheckoutCommand
-      << std::endl);
-    cmStdString parent = cmSystemTools::GetParentDirectory(sourceDirectory);
-    if ( parent.empty() )
+    // Use a generic VC object to run and log the command.
+    cmCTestVC vc(this->CTest, ofs);
+    vc.SetSourceDirectory(this->GetOption("SourceDirectory"));
+    if(!vc.InitialCheckout(command))
       {
-      cmCTestLog(this->CTest, ERROR_MESSAGE,
-        "Something went wrong when trying "
-        "to determine the parent directory of " << sourceDirectory
-        << std::endl);
       return false;
       }
-    cmCTestLog(this->CTest, HANDLER_OUTPUT,
-      "   Perform checkout in directory: " << parent.c_str() << std::endl);
-    if ( !cmSystemTools::MakeDirectory(parent.c_str()) )
-      {
-      cmCTestLog(this->CTest, ERROR_MESSAGE,
-        "Cannot create parent directory: " << parent.c_str()
-        << " of the source directory: " << sourceDirectory << std::endl);
-      return false;
-      }
-    ofs << "* Run initial checkout" << std::endl;
-    ofs << "  Command: " << initialCheckoutCommand << std::endl;
-    cmCTestLog(this->CTest, DEBUG, "   Before: "
-      << initialCheckoutCommand << std::endl);
-    bool retic = this->CTest->RunCommand(initialCheckoutCommand, &goutput,
-      &errors, &retVal, parent.c_str(), 0 /* Timeout */);
-    cmCTestLog(this->CTest, DEBUG, "   After: "
-      << initialCheckoutCommand << std::endl);
-    ofs << "  Output: " << goutput.c_str() << std::endl;
-    ofs << "  Errors: " << errors.c_str() << std::endl;
-    if ( !retic || retVal )
-      {
-      cmCTestLog(this->CTest, ERROR_MESSAGE, "Initial checkout failed:\n"
-                 << goutput << "\n" << errors << "\n");
-      }
+
     if(!this->CTest->InitializeFromCommand(this->Command))
       {
       cmCTestLog(this->CTest, HANDLER_OUTPUT,
diff --git a/Source/CTest/cmCTestVC.cxx b/Source/CTest/cmCTestVC.cxx
index 642a59a8f..9f079af0e 100644
--- a/Source/CTest/cmCTestVC.cxx
+++ b/Source/CTest/cmCTestVC.cxx
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 #include "cmCTestVC.h"
 
 #include "cmCTest.h"
+#include "cmSystemTools.h"
 #include "cmXMLSafe.h"
 
 #include <cmsys/Process.h>
@@ -49,6 +50,47 @@ void cmCTestVC::SetSourceDirectory(std::string const& dir)
   this->SourceDirectory = dir;
 }
 
+//----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+bool cmCTestVC::InitialCheckout(const char* command)
+{
+  cmCTestLog(this->CTest, HANDLER_OUTPUT,
+             "   First perform the initial checkout: " << command << "\n");
+
+  // Make the parent directory in which to perform the checkout.
+  std::string parent = cmSystemTools::GetFilenamePath(this->SourceDirectory);
+  cmCTestLog(this->CTest, HANDLER_OUTPUT,
+             "   Perform checkout in directory: " << parent << "\n");
+  if(!cmSystemTools::MakeDirectory(parent.c_str()))
+    {
+    cmCTestLog(this->CTest, ERROR_MESSAGE,
+               "Cannot create directory: " << parent << std::endl);
+    return false;
+    }
+
+  // Construct the initial checkout command line.
+  std::vector<cmStdString> args = cmSystemTools::ParseArguments(command);
+  std::vector<char const*> vc_co;
+  for(std::vector<cmStdString>::const_iterator ai = args.begin();
+      ai != args.end(); ++ai)
+    {
+    vc_co.push_back(ai->c_str());
+    }
+  vc_co.push_back(0);
+
+  // Run the initial checkout command and log its output.
+  this->Log << "--- Begin Initial Checkout ---\n";
+  OutputLogger out(this->Log, "co-out> ");
+  OutputLogger err(this->Log, "co-err> ");
+  bool result = this->RunChild(&vc_co[0], &out, &err, parent.c_str());
+  this->Log << "--- End Initial Checkout ---\n";
+  if(!result)
+    {
+    cmCTestLog(this->CTest, ERROR_MESSAGE,
+               "Initial checkout failed!" << std::endl);
+    }
+  return result;
+}
+
 //----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 bool cmCTestVC::RunChild(char const* const* cmd, OutputParser* out,
                          OutputParser* err, const char* workDir)
diff --git a/Source/CTest/cmCTestVC.h b/Source/CTest/cmCTestVC.h
index 43ae5b9c4..8f8adf4c1 100644
--- a/Source/CTest/cmCTestVC.h
+++ b/Source/CTest/cmCTestVC.h
@@ -42,6 +42,9 @@ public:
   /** Get the date/time specification for the current nightly start time.  */
   std::string GetNightlyTime();
 
+  /** Prepare the work tree.  */
+  bool InitialCheckout(const char* command);
+
   /** Perform cleanup operations on the work tree.  */
   void Cleanup();