diff --git a/test/acceptance/base.rb b/test/acceptance/base.rb
index 23f704258..16645256f 100644
--- a/test/acceptance/base.rb
+++ b/test/acceptance/base.rb
@@ -36,8 +36,8 @@ class AcceptanceTest < Test::Unit::TestCase
   # is just a shortcut to IsolatedEnvironment#execute.
   #
   # @return [Object]
-  def execute(*args)
-    @environment.execute(*args)
+  def execute(*args, &block)
+    @environment.execute(*args, &block)
   end
 
   # This is a shortcut method to instantiate an Output matcher.
@@ -47,6 +47,15 @@ class AcceptanceTest < Test::Unit::TestCase
     Acceptance::Output.new(text)
   end
 
+  # This method is an assertion helper for asserting that a process
+  # succeeds. It is a wrapper around `execute` that asserts that the
+  # exit status was successful.
+  def assert_execute(*args, &block)
+    result = execute(*args, &block)
+    assert(result.success?, "expected '#{args.join(" ")}' to succeed")
+    result
+  end
+
   setup do
     # Setup the environment so that we have an isolated area
     # to run Vagrant. We do some configuration here as well in order
diff --git a/test/acceptance/helpers/isolated_environment.rb b/test/acceptance/helpers/isolated_environment.rb
index e23b0b9e2..58cde9022 100644
--- a/test/acceptance/helpers/isolated_environment.rb
+++ b/test/acceptance/helpers/isolated_environment.rb
@@ -41,7 +41,10 @@ module Acceptance
       @homedir.mkdir
       @workdir.mkdir
 
+      # Set the home directory and virtualbox home directory environmental
+      # variables so that Vagrant and VirtualBox see the proper paths here.
       @env["HOME"] = @homedir.to_s
+      @env["VBOX_USER_HOME"] = @homedir.to_s
     end
 
     # Executes a command in the context of this isolated environment.
@@ -57,26 +60,48 @@ module Acceptance
       # return the IO streams.
       @logger.info("Executing: #{command} #{argN.inspect}. Output will stream in...")
       pid, stdin, stdout, stderr = popen4(@env, command, *argN)
+      status = nil
 
       io_data = {
         stdout => "",
         stderr => ""
       }
 
-      while results = IO.select([stdout, stderr], nil, nil, 5)
-        rs = results[0]
-        next if rs.empty?
+      while results = IO.select([stdout, stderr], [stdin], nil, 5)
+        # Check the readers first to see if they're ready
+        readers = results[0]
+        if !readers.empty?
+          begin
+            readers.each do |r|
+              data = r.readline
+              io_data[r] += data
 
-        rs.each do |r|
-          data = r.readline
-          io_data[r] += data
+              io_name = r == stdout ? "stdout" : "stderr"
+              @logger.debug("[#{io_name}] #{data.chomp}")
+              yield io_name.to_sym, data if block_given?
+            end
+          rescue EOFError
+            # Process exited, so break out of this while loop
+            break
+          end
+        end
 
-          io_name = r == stdout ? "stdout" : "stderr"
-          @logger.debug("[#{io_name}] #{data.chomp}")
+        # Check here if the process has exited, and if so, exit the
+        # loop.
+        exit_pid, status = Process.waitpid2(pid, Process::WNOHANG)
+        break if exit_pid
+
+        # Check the writers to see if they're ready, and notify any
+        # listeners...
+        if !results[1].empty?
+          yield :stdin, stdin if block_given?
         end
       end
 
-      _pid, status = Process.waitpid2(pid)
+      # Only load the exit status if we don't already have it, since
+      # it is possible that it could've been obtained in the above
+      # while loop.
+      _pid, status = Process.waitpid2(pid) if !status
       @logger.debug("Exit status: #{status.exitstatus}")
 
       return ExecuteProcess.new(status.exitstatus, io_data[stdout], io_data[stderr])
diff --git a/test/acceptance/helpers/output.rb b/test/acceptance/helpers/output.rb
index 176d337aa..524bfb98e 100644
--- a/test/acceptance/helpers/output.rb
+++ b/test/acceptance/helpers/output.rb
@@ -32,5 +32,11 @@ module Acceptance
     def is_version?(version)
       @text =~ /^Vagrant version #{version}$/
     end
+
+    # This checks that the VM with the given `vm_name` has the
+    # status of `status`.
+    def status(vm_name, status)
+      @text =~ /^#{vm_name}\s+#{status}$/
+    end
   end
 end
diff --git a/test/acceptance/up/basic_test.rb b/test/acceptance/up/basic_test.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..611f88cd1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/acceptance/up/basic_test.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+require File.expand_path("../../base", __FILE__)
+
+class BasicUpTest < AcceptanceTest
+  should "bring up a running virtual machine" do
+    assert_execute("vagrant", "box", "add", "base", config.boxes["default"])
+    assert_execute("vagrant", "init")
+    assert_execute("vagrant", "up")
+    result = assert_execute("vagrant", "status")
+
+    assert(output(result.stdout).status("default", "running"),
+           "Virtual machine should be running")
+  end
+
+=begin
+
+This shows how we can test that SSH is working. We'll use
+this code later, but for now have no test that exercises it.
+
+    outputted = false
+    result = assert_execute("vagrant", "ssh") do |io_type, data|
+      if io_type == :stdin and !outputted
+        data.puts("echo hello")
+        data.puts("exit")
+        outputted = true
+      end
+    end
+
+    assert_equal("hello", result.stdout.chomp,
+                 "Vagrant should bring up a virtual machine and be able to SSH in."
+=end
+end