diff --git a/app/models/user.rb b/app/models/user.rb
index 44206d1c41f..a84a02b0c61 100644
--- a/app/models/user.rb
+++ b/app/models/user.rb
@@ -693,14 +693,12 @@ class User < ActiveRecord::Base
     if email_token = self.email_tokens.active.where(email: self.email).first
       EmailToken.confirm(email_token.token)
     else
-      self.active = true
-      save
+      self.update!(active: true)
     end
   end
 
   def deactivate
-    self.active = false
-    save
+    self.update!(active: false)
   end
 
   def change_trust_level!(level, opts = nil)
diff --git a/script/bench.rb b/script/bench.rb
index db0746c7403..8668cbd986c 100644
--- a/script/bench.rb
+++ b/script/bench.rb
@@ -188,7 +188,7 @@ begin
   append = "?api_key=#{api_key}&api_username=admin1"
 
   # asset precompilation is a dog, wget to force it
-  run "wget http://127.0.0.1:#{@port}/ -O /dev/null"
+  run "wget http://127.0.0.1:#{@port}/ -o /dev/null -O /dev/null"
 
   tests = [
     ["categories", "/categories"],
@@ -197,7 +197,13 @@ begin
     # ["user", "/u/admin1/activity"],
   ]
 
-  tests = tests.map { |k, url| ["#{k}_admin", "#{url}#{append}"] } + tests
+  tests.concat(tests.map { |k, url| ["#{k}_admin", "#{url}#{append}"] })
+
+  tests.each do |_, path|
+    if `curl -s -I "http://127.0.0.1:#{@port}#{path}"` !~ /200 OK/
+      raise "#{path} returned non 200 response code"
+    end
+  end
 
   # NOTE: we run the most expensive page first in the bench
 
diff --git a/script/profile_db_generator.rb b/script/profile_db_generator.rb
index c5ac79e05de..18cf34b5f68 100644
--- a/script/profile_db_generator.rb
+++ b/script/profile_db_generator.rb
@@ -46,10 +46,10 @@ def create_admin(seq)
     admin.email = "admin@localhost#{seq}.fake"
     admin.username = "admin#{seq}"
     admin.password = "password"
-    admin.save
+    admin.save!
     admin.grant_admin!
     admin.change_trust_level!(TrustLevel[4])
-    admin.email_tokens.update_all(confirmed: true)
+    admin.activate
   }
 end