diff --git a/lib/main_common.pm b/lib/main_common.pm
index 94fdca70..86cbabeb 100644
--- a/lib/main_common.pm
+++ b/lib/main_common.pm
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ use base 'Exporter';
 use Exporter;
 
 use testapi;
-our @EXPORT = qw/run_with_error_check type_safely type_very_safely desktop_vt boot_to_login_screen console_login console_switch_layout/;
+our @EXPORT = qw/run_with_error_check type_safely type_very_safely desktop_vt boot_to_login_screen console_login console_switch_layout console_loadkeys_us/;
 
 sub run_with_error_check {
     my ($func, $error_screen) = @_;
@@ -133,3 +133,10 @@ sub console_login {
     # make sure we reached the console
     assert_screen($good, 30);
 }
+
+# load US layout (from a root console)
+sub console_loadkeys_us {
+    if (get_var('LANGUAGE') eq 'french') {
+        script_run "loqdkeys us", 0;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/main.pm b/main.pm
index 0d19e884..1e36d550 100644
--- a/main.pm
+++ b/main.pm
@@ -204,8 +204,14 @@ sub load_postinstall_tests() {
         autotest::loadtest "tests/uefi_postinstall.pm";
     }
 
-    # console avc / crash check (desktops have specific tests for this)
-    if (!get_var("DESKTOP")) {
+    # console avc / crash check
+    # it makes no sense to run this after logging in on most post-
+    # install tests (hence ! BOOTFROM) but we *do* want to run it on
+    # upgrade tests after upgrading (hence UPGRADE)
+    # desktops have specific tests for this (hence !DESKTOP). For
+    # desktop upgrades we should really upload a disk image at the end
+    # of upgrade and run all the desktop post-install tests on that
+    if (!get_var("DESKTOP") && (!get_var("BOOTFROM") || get_var("UPGRADE"))) {
         autotest::loadtest "tests/_console_avc_crash.pm";
     }
 
diff --git a/tests/_console_wait_login.pm b/tests/_console_wait_login.pm
index 79c712a6..801b8cef 100644
--- a/tests/_console_wait_login.pm
+++ b/tests/_console_wait_login.pm
@@ -24,6 +24,10 @@ sub run {
     }
     if (get_var("ROOT_PASSWORD")) {
         console_login(user=>"root", password=>get_var("ROOT_PASSWORD"));
+        # if this is a non-English, non-switched layout, load US layout
+        # at this point as we've already checked the default layout is
+        # the native one, and we might want to run other commands now
+        console_loadkeys_us;
     }
 }