diff --git a/src/sbbs3/main.cpp b/src/sbbs3/main.cpp
index bb2376c377e87f1f4cadffbf1e2f4a756492a1f7..3c35ab537d409c6e774b7aae362b43f4537bef42 100644
--- a/src/sbbs3/main.cpp
+++ b/src/sbbs3/main.cpp
@@ -1282,7 +1282,7 @@ void event_thread(void* arg)
 						// status(str);
 						lastnodechk=0;	 /* really last event time check */
 						while(!sbbs->terminated) {
-							mswait(startup->event_interval*1000);
+							mswait(sbbs->cfg.node_sem_check*1000);
 							now=time(NULL);
 							if(now-lastnodechk<10)
 								continue;
@@ -1318,7 +1318,7 @@ void event_thread(void* arg)
 							"running timed event.");
 						lastnodechk=0;
 						while(!sbbs->terminated) {
-							mswait(startup->event_interval*1000);
+							mswait(sbbs->cfg.node_sem_check*1000);
 							now=time(NULL);
 							if(now-lastnodechk<10)
 								continue;
@@ -1417,7 +1417,7 @@ void event_thread(void* arg)
 		}
 		pthread_mutex_unlock(&event_mutex);
 
-		mswait(startup->event_interval*1000);
+		mswait(sbbs->cfg.node_sem_check*1000);
 	}
 	sbbs->cfg.node_num=0;
     sbbs->event_thread_running = false;
@@ -2945,7 +2945,6 @@ void DLLCALL bbs_thread(void* arg)
 	/* Setup intelligent defaults */
 	if(startup->telnet_port==0)		startup->telnet_port=IPPORT_TELNET;
 	if(startup->rlogin_port==0)		startup->rlogin_port=513;
-	if(startup->event_interval==0)	startup->event_interval=5;
 
 	thread_up();
 
diff --git a/src/sbbs3/startup.h b/src/sbbs3/startup.h
index 6e83ba4f1e83bb9f180221ca0e246d07e935e8fb..e3bce025e1cdaaf421afe12567ffbcd150c94e3a 100644
--- a/src/sbbs3/startup.h
+++ b/src/sbbs3/startup.h
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ typedef struct {
     WORD	last_node;
 	WORD	telnet_port;
 	WORD	rlogin_port;
-	WORD	event_interval;
+	WORD	reserved_word4;
 	WORD	reserved_word3;
 	WORD	reserved_word2;
 	WORD	reserved_word1;