diff --git a/django/core/handlers/base.py b/django/core/handlers/base.py
index d735cd7cc5..dac0adfb93 100644
--- a/django/core/handlers/base.py
+++ b/django/core/handlers/base.py
@@ -70,10 +70,10 @@ class BaseHandler(object):
 
         try:
             try:
-                # Reset the urlconf for this thread.
-                urlresolvers.set_urlconf(None)
-                # Obtain a default resolver. It's needed early for handling 404's.
-                resolver = urlresolvers.RegexURLResolver(r'^/', None)
+                # Setup default url resolver for this thread.
+                urlconf = settings.ROOT_URLCONF
+                urlresolvers.set_urlconf(urlconf)
+                resolver = urlresolvers.RegexURLResolver(r'^/', urlconf)
 
                 # Apply request middleware
                 for middleware_method in self._request_middleware:
@@ -81,12 +81,11 @@ class BaseHandler(object):
                     if response:
                         return response
 
-                # Get urlconf from request object, if available.  Otherwise use default.
-                urlconf = getattr(request, "urlconf", settings.ROOT_URLCONF)
-                # Set the urlconf for this thread to the one specified above.
-                urlresolvers.set_urlconf(urlconf)
-                # Reset the resolver with a possibly new urlconf
-                resolver = urlresolvers.RegexURLResolver(r'^/', urlconf)
+                if hasattr(request, "urlconf"):
+                    # Reset url resolver with a custom urlconf.
+                    urlconf = request.urlconf
+                    urlresolvers.set_urlconf(urlconf)
+                    resolver = urlresolvers.RegexURLResolver(r'^/', urlconf)
 
                 callback, callback_args, callback_kwargs = resolver.resolve(
                         request.path_info)
diff --git a/tests/regressiontests/middleware_exceptions/tests.py b/tests/regressiontests/middleware_exceptions/tests.py
index 00c7d8b59f..3d9c5f6e83 100644
--- a/tests/regressiontests/middleware_exceptions/tests.py
+++ b/tests/regressiontests/middleware_exceptions/tests.py
@@ -3,9 +3,12 @@ import sys
 from django.test import TestCase
 from django.core.signals import got_request_exception
 
-class RequestMiddleware(object):
+class TestException(Exception):
+    pass
+
+class TestMiddleware(object):
     def process_request(self, request):
-        raise Exception('Exception')
+        raise TestException('Test Exception')
 
 class MiddlewareExceptionTest(TestCase):
     def setUp(self):
@@ -21,15 +24,17 @@ class MiddlewareExceptionTest(TestCase):
         self.exceptions.append(sys.exc_info())
 
     def test_process_request(self):
-        self.client.handler._request_middleware.insert(0, RequestMiddleware().process_request)
+        self.client.handler._request_middleware.insert(0, TestMiddleware().process_request)
         try:
             response = self.client.get('/')
-        except:
+        except TestException, e:
             # Test client indefinitely re-raises any exceptions being raised
             # during request handling. Hence actual testing that exception was
             # properly handled is done by relying on got_request_exception
             # signal being sent.
             pass
+        except Exception, e:
+            self.fail("Unexpected exception: %s" % e)
         self.assertEquals(len(self.exceptions), 1)
         exception, value, tb = self.exceptions[0]
-        self.assertEquals(value.args, ('Exception', ))
+        self.assertEquals(value.args, ('Test Exception', ))