diff --git a/QtPyLoT.py b/QtPyLoT.py
index 6ce2e9a7..3cbb88fa 100755
--- a/QtPyLoT.py
+++ b/QtPyLoT.py
@@ -495,18 +495,18 @@ class MainWindow(QMainWindow):
             fname = str(action.data().toString())
         return fname
 
-    def get_fnames(self):
-        return self.fname
+    def get_fnames(self, type='manual'):
+        return self.fname[type]
 
     def set_fname(self, fname, type):
-        if self.get_fnames()[type] is not None:
-            self.add_recentfile(self.get_fnames())
+        if self.get_fnames(type) is not None:
+            self.add_recentfile(self.get_fnames(type))
         self.fname[type] = fname
 
-    def getEventFileName(self):
-        if self.get_fnames() is None:
-            self.set_fname(self.get_data().getEventFileName())
-        return self.get_fnames()
+    def getEventFileName(self, type='manual'):
+        if self.get_fnames(type) is None:
+            self.set_fname(self.get_data().getEventFileName(), type)
+        return self.get_fnames(type)
 
     def saveData(self):
 
@@ -553,9 +553,26 @@ class MainWindow(QMainWindow):
             fbasename, exform = getSavePath(e)
         except AttributeError as e:
             fbasename, exform = getSavePath(e)
+
+        # catch all possible cases before going on
         if not fbasename:
             return False
+        # warn overwriting
+        elif os.path.exists(fbasename + exform):
+            ans = QMessageBox.question(self, self.tr("Overwrite file..."),
+                               self.tr("File already exists: {0}\n".format(fbasename + exform) + \
+                                  "Overwrite file anyway?"),
+                               QMessageBox.Cancel, QMessageBox.Yes | QMessageBox.No,
+                               QMessageBox.Cancel)
+            # only negative answers have to be caught
+            if ans == QMessageBox.No:
+                self.saveData()
+            elif ans == QMessageBox.Cancel:
+                return False
+
+        # export to given path
         self.get_data().exportEvent(fbasename, exform)
+        # all files save (ui clean)
         self.setDirty(False)
         self.update_status('Event saved as %s' % (fbasename + exform))
         return True
diff --git a/pylot/core/util/utils.py b/pylot/core/util/utils.py
index 8aafbd9b..259ba91b 100644
--- a/pylot/core/util/utils.py
+++ b/pylot/core/util/utils.py
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import os
 import pwd
 import re
 import subprocess
-from obspy.core import UTCDateTime
+from obspy import UTCDateTime, read
 
 
 def _pickle_method(m):
@@ -354,6 +354,29 @@ def prepTimeAxis(stime, trace):
     return time_ax
 
 
+def find_horizontals(data):
+    """
+    takes `obspy.core.stream.Stream` object and returns a list containing the component labels of the horizontal components available
+    :param data: waveform data
+    :type data: `obspy.core.stream.Stream`
+    :return: components list
+    :rtype: list
+
+    ..example::
+
+    >>> st = read()
+    >>> find_horizontals(st)
+    [u'N', u'E']
+    """
+    rval = []
+    for tr in data:
+        if tr.stats.channel[-1].upper() in ['Z', '3']:
+            continue
+        else:
+            rval.append(tr.stats.channel[-1].upper())
+    return rval
+
+
 def scaleWFData(data, factor=None, components='all'):
     """
     produce scaled waveforms from given waveform data and a scaling factor,
diff --git a/pylot/core/util/widgets.py b/pylot/core/util/widgets.py
index 0139e457..b0c1a741 100644
--- a/pylot/core/util/widgets.py
+++ b/pylot/core/util/widgets.py
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ from pylot.core.pick.compare import Comparison
 from pylot.core.util.defaults import OUTPUTFORMATS, FILTERDEFAULTS, LOCTOOLS, \
     COMPPOSITION_MAP
 from pylot.core.util.utils import prepTimeAxis, getGlobalTimes, scaleWFData, \
-    demeanTrace, isSorted, findComboBoxIndex, clims
+    demeanTrace, isSorted, findComboBoxIndex, clims, find_horizontals
 
 
 def getDataType(parent):
@@ -779,7 +779,7 @@ class PickDlg(QDialog):
                 trace = selectTrace(trace, '12')
                 if trace:
                     wfdata.append(trace)
-        elif component == 'Z':
+        else:
             wfdata = self.getWFData().select(component=component)
         return wfdata
 
@@ -898,14 +898,9 @@ class PickDlg(QDialog):
             inoise = getnoisewin(t, ini_pick, noise_win, gap_win)
             trace = demeanTrace(trace, inoise)
 
-        # account for non-oriented horizontal waveforms
-        try:
-            horiz_comp = ('n', 'e')
-            data = scaleWFData(data, noiselevel * 2.5, horiz_comp)
-        except IndexError as e:
-            print('warning: {0}'.format(e))
-            horiz_comp = ('1', '2')
-            data = scaleWFData(data, noiselevel * 2.5, horiz_comp)
+        # scale waveform for plotting
+        horiz_comp = find_horizontals(data)
+        data = scaleWFData(data, noiselevel * 2.5, horiz_comp)
 
         x_res = getResolutionWindow(snr)
 
@@ -942,7 +937,8 @@ class PickDlg(QDialog):
 
         # copy and filter data for earliest and latest possible picks
         wfdata = self.getWFData().copy().select(channel=channel)
-        wfdata.filter(**filteroptions)
+        if filteroptions:
+            wfdata.filter(**filteroptions)
 
         # get earliest and latest possible pick and symmetric pick error
         [epp, lpp, spe] = earllatepicker(wfdata, 1.5, (5., .5, 2.), pick)