diff --git a/admin/cli/install.php b/admin/cli/install.php
index 1d97e606cd0..0a5ce9be3f5 100644
--- a/admin/cli/install.php
+++ b/admin/cli/install.php
@@ -151,6 +151,7 @@ if (version_compare(phpversion(), "5.3.3") < 0) {
 }
 
 // set up configuration
+global $CFG;
 $CFG = new stdClass();
 $CFG->lang                 = 'en';
 $CFG->dirroot              = dirname(dirname(dirname(__FILE__)));
@@ -200,6 +201,26 @@ if (defined('COMPONENT_CLASSLOADER')) {
 require($CFG->dirroot.'/version.php');
 $CFG->target_release = $release;
 
+$_SESSION = array();
+$_SESSION['SESSION'] = new stdClass();
+$_SESSION['SESSION']->lang = $CFG->lang;
+$_SESSION['USER'] = new stdClass();
+$_SESSION['USER']->id = 0;
+$_SESSION['USER']->mnethostid = 1;
+
+global $SESSION;
+global $USER;
+$SESSION = &$_SESSION['SESSION'];
+$USER    = &$_SESSION['USER'];
+
+global $COURSE;
+$COURSE = new stdClass();
+$COURSE->id = 1;
+
+global $SITE;
+$SITE = $COURSE;
+define('SITEID', 1);
+
 //Database types
 $databases = array('mysqli' => moodle_database::get_driver_instance('mysqli', 'native'),
                    'mariadb'=> moodle_database::get_driver_instance('mariadb', 'native'),
diff --git a/install.php b/install.php
index c1c40ca6823..0c250a05f30 100644
--- a/install.php
+++ b/install.php
@@ -161,6 +161,7 @@ if (!empty($_POST)) {
 }
 
 // Fake some settings so that we can use selected functions from moodlelib.php, weblib.php and filelib.php.
+global $CFG;
 $CFG = new stdClass();
 $CFG->lang                 = $config->lang;
 $CFG->dirroot              = dirname(__FILE__);
@@ -232,17 +233,25 @@ if (defined('COMPONENT_CLASSLOADER')) {
 require('version.php');
 $CFG->target_release = $release;
 
-$SESSION = new stdClass();
-$SESSION->lang = $CFG->lang;
+$_SESSION = array();
+$_SESSION['SESSION'] = new stdClass();
+$_SESSION['SESSION']->lang = $CFG->lang;
+$_SESSION['USER'] = new stdClass();
+$_SESSION['USER']->id = 0;
+$_SESSION['USER']->mnethostid = 1;
 
-$USER = new stdClass();
-$USER->id = 0;
+global $SESSION;
+global $USER;
+$SESSION = &$_SESSION['SESSION'];
+$USER    = &$_SESSION['USER'];
 
+global $COURSE;
 $COURSE = new stdClass();
-$COURSE->id = 0;
+$COURSE->id = 1;
 
+global $SITE;
 $SITE = $COURSE;
-define('SITEID', 0);
+define('SITEID', 1);
 
 $hint_dataroot = '';
 $hint_admindir = '';