diff --git a/Modules/IGT/IGTToolManagement/mitkNavigationToolStorageSerializer.cpp b/Modules/IGT/IGTToolManagement/mitkNavigationToolStorageSerializer.cpp
index 9524f98a9c..2da85d35f9 100644
--- a/Modules/IGT/IGTToolManagement/mitkNavigationToolStorageSerializer.cpp
+++ b/Modules/IGT/IGTToolManagement/mitkNavigationToolStorageSerializer.cpp
@@ -1,99 +1,102 @@
 /*===================================================================
 
 The Medical Imaging Interaction Toolkit (MITK)
 
 Copyright (c) German Cancer Research Center, 
 Division of Medical and Biological Informatics.
 All rights reserved.
 
 This software is distributed WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without 
 even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR 
 A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
 
 See LICENSE.txt or http://www.mitk.org for details.
 
 ===================================================================*/
 
 //Poco headers
 #include "Poco/Zip/Compress.h"
 #include "Poco/Path.h"
 #include "Poco/File.h"
 
 #include "mitkNavigationToolStorageSerializer.h"
 #include "mitkNavigationToolWriter.h"
+#include "mitkIGTException.h"
+#include "mitkIGTIOException.h"
 #include <mitkStandaloneDataStorage.h>
 #include <mitkSceneIO.h>
 #include <mitkStandardFileLocations.h>
 
 #include <sstream>
-//for exceptions
-#include "mitkIGTException.h"
-#include "mitkIGTIOException.h"
+
+
 
 mitk::NavigationToolStorageSerializer::NavigationToolStorageSerializer()
 {
   //create temp directory
   mitk::UIDGenerator myUIDGen = mitk::UIDGenerator("",16);
   m_tempDirectory = mitk::StandardFileLocations::GetInstance()->GetOptionDirectory() + Poco::Path::separator() + "tempNavigationToolSerializer_" + myUIDGen.GetUID();
   Poco::File myFile(m_tempDirectory);  
   myFile.createDirectory();
 }
 
 mitk::NavigationToolStorageSerializer::~NavigationToolStorageSerializer()
 {
  //remove temp directory
  Poco::File myFile(m_tempDirectory);
  try
-{
- if (myFile.exists()) myFile.remove(true);
-}
-catch(...)
-{
+  {
+  if (myFile.exists()) myFile.remove(true);
+  }
+ catch(...)
+  {
    MITK_ERROR << "Can't remove temp directory " << m_tempDirectory << "!";
+  }
 }
- }
 
 bool mitk::NavigationToolStorageSerializer::Serialize(std::string filename, mitk::NavigationToolStorage::Pointer storage)
 {
   //save every tool to temp directory
   mitk::NavigationToolWriter::Pointer myToolWriter = mitk::NavigationToolWriter::New();
   for(int i=0; i<storage->GetToolCount();i++)
- {   
-  std::string fileName = m_tempDirectory + Poco::Path::separator() + "NavigationTool" + convertIntToString(i) + ".tool";
-  if (!myToolWriter->DoWrite(fileName,storage->GetTool(i))) return false;
- }
+  {   
+    std::string fileName = m_tempDirectory + Poco::Path::separator() + "NavigationTool" + convertIntToString(i) + ".tool";
+    if (!myToolWriter->DoWrite(fileName,storage->GetTool(i))) 
+      {
+        mitkThrowException(mitk::IGTIOException) << "Could not write tool to tempory directory: " << filename;
+      }
+  }
   //add all files to zip archive
   std::ofstream file( filename.c_str(), std::ios::binary | std::ios::out);
-  if (!file.good())
- {
-   //Exception if cannot open a zip file for writing
-   mitkThrowException(mitk::IGTException)<<"Could not open a zip file for writing: '" + filename + "'";
-   for (int i=0; i<storage->GetToolCount();i++)
- {
-   std::string fileName = m_tempDirectory + Poco::Path::separator() + "NavigationTool" + convertIntToString(i) + ".tool";
-   std::remove(fileName.c_str());
- }
-    return false;
- }
+  if (!file.good()) //test if the zip archive is ready for writing
+  {
+    //first: clean up
+    for (int i=0; i<storage->GetToolCount();i++)
+    {
+      std::string fileName = m_tempDirectory + Poco::Path::separator() + "NavigationTool" + convertIntToString(i) + ".tool";
+      std::remove(fileName.c_str());
+    }
+    //then: throw an exception
+    mitkThrowException(mitk::IGTIOException) << "Could not open a file for writing: " << filename;
+  }
   Poco::Zip::Compress zipper( file, true );
   for (int i=0; i<storage->GetToolCount();i++)
- {
-   std::string fileName = m_tempDirectory + Poco::Path::separator() + "NavigationTool" + convertIntToString(i) + ".tool";
-   zipper.addFile(fileName,myToolWriter->GetFileWithoutPath(fileName));
-   //delete file:
-   std::remove(fileName.c_str());
- }
+  {
+    std::string fileName = m_tempDirectory + Poco::Path::separator() + "NavigationTool" + convertIntToString(i) + ".tool";
+    zipper.addFile(fileName,myToolWriter->GetFileWithoutPath(fileName));
+    std::remove(fileName.c_str()); //delete file
+  }
  zipper.close();
  file.close();
   
  return true;
  }
 
 std::string mitk::NavigationToolStorageSerializer::convertIntToString(int i)
  {
   std::string s;
   std::stringstream out;
   out << i;
   s = out.str();
   return s;
  }
diff --git a/Modules/IGT/IGTToolManagement/mitkNavigationToolStorageSerializer.h b/Modules/IGT/IGTToolManagement/mitkNavigationToolStorageSerializer.h
index 8924e80fe4..e1aa9389c9 100644
--- a/Modules/IGT/IGTToolManagement/mitkNavigationToolStorageSerializer.h
+++ b/Modules/IGT/IGTToolManagement/mitkNavigationToolStorageSerializer.h
@@ -1,61 +1,68 @@
 /*===================================================================
 
 The Medical Imaging Interaction Toolkit (MITK)
 
 Copyright (c) German Cancer Research Center, 
 Division of Medical and Biological Informatics.
 All rights reserved.
 
 This software is distributed WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without 
 even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR 
 A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
 
 See LICENSE.txt or http://www.mitk.org for details.
 
 ===================================================================*/
 
 #ifndef NAVIGATIONTOOLSTORAGESERIALIZER_H_INCLUDED
 #define NAVIGATIONTOOLSTORAGESERIALIZER_H_INCLUDED
 
 //itk headers
 #include <itkObjectFactory.h>
 
 //mitk headers
 #include <mitkCommon.h>
 #include "mitkNavigationToolStorage.h"
 #include <MitkIGTExports.h>
 
 namespace mitk {
   /**Documentation
   * \brief This class offers methods to save an object of the class NavigationToolStorage
   *        to the harddisc.
   *
   * \ingroup IGT
   */  
   class MitkIGT_EXPORT NavigationToolStorageSerializer : public itk::Object
   {
   public:
     mitkClassMacro(NavigationToolStorageSerializer,itk::Object);
     itkNewMacro(Self);
 
     /**
      * @brief  Saves a mitk navigation tool storage to a file.
-     * @return Returns true if the file was saved successfully. False if not.
-     * @throws Throws mitk::IGTException if zip-file cannot be opened for writing
+     * @return Returns true always true since error handling was converted to exception handling.
+     *         The return value is decrepated. Will be changed to void.
+     * @throw mitk::IGTIOException Throws an exception if the given filename cannot be opened for writing or
+     *                             if the temp directory is not accessible.
      */
     bool Serialize(std::string filename, mitk::NavigationToolStorage::Pointer storage);
     
+    /**
+     * @brief This method is decrepated. Exceptions are used for error handling now!
+     * @return Returns always an empty string since error handling was converted to exception handling.
+     */
     itkGetMacro(ErrorMessage,std::string);
+
   protected:
     NavigationToolStorageSerializer();
     ~NavigationToolStorageSerializer();
 
    std::string m_ErrorMessage;
 
    std::string convertIntToString(int i);
 
    std::string m_tempDirectory;
 
   };
 } // namespace mitk
 #endif //NAVIGATIONTOOLSTORAGESERIALIZER