diff --git a/elements/spark/README.md b/elements/spark/README.md
index e5f22a8c..34ed8da5 100644
--- a/elements/spark/README.md
+++ b/elements/spark/README.md
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 Installs Spark on Ubuntu. Requires Hadoop CDH 4 (hadoop-cdh element).
 
-It tries to choose the right version of the Spark binaries to install based on the
-Hadoop version defined in 'DIB_HADOOP_VERSION'.
+It will install a version of Spark known to be compatible with CDH 4
 This behaviour can be controlled also by using 'DIB_SPARK_VERSION' or directly with
 'SPARK_DOWNLOAD_URL'
 
diff --git a/elements/spark/install.d/60-spark b/elements/spark/install.d/60-spark
index 1e8f16ae..343b6a87 100755
--- a/elements/spark/install.d/60-spark
+++ b/elements/spark/install.d/60-spark
@@ -8,21 +8,14 @@ tmp_dir=/tmp/spark
 mkdir -p $tmp_dir
 pushd $tmp_dir
 
-echo "Creating spark user & group"
-addgroup spark
-adduser --ingroup spark --disabled-password --gecos GECOS spark
-adduser spark sudo
-
 # The user is not providing his own Spark distribution package
 if [ -z "$SPARK_DOWNLOAD_URL" ]; then
   # Check hadoop version
-  # pietro: we know for sure that spark 0.8.1 works on CDH 4.5.0 mr1,
-  # other combinations need testing
   # INFO on hadoop versions: http://spark.incubator.apache.org/docs/latest/hadoop-third-party-distributions.html
   if [ -z "$DIB_SPARK_VERSION" ]; then
     case "$DIB_HADOOP_VERSION" in
-      2.0.0-mr1-cdh4.5.0)
-        DIB_SPARK_VERSION=0.8.1
+      CDH4)
+        DIB_SPARK_VERSION=0.9.1
         SPARK_HADOOP_DL=cdh4
         ;;
       *)
@@ -32,30 +25,27 @@ if [ -z "$SPARK_DOWNLOAD_URL" ]; then
     esac
   fi
 
-  SPARK_DOWNLOAD_URL="http://www.apache.org/dist/incubator/spark/spark-$DIB_SPARK_VERSION-incubating/spark-$DIB_SPARK_VERSION-incubating-bin-$SPARK_HADOOP_DL.tgz"
+  SPARK_DOWNLOAD_URL="http://www.apache.org/dist/incubator/spark/spark-$DIB_SPARK_VERSION/spark-$DIB_SPARK_VERSION-bin-$SPARK_HADOOP_DL.tgz"
 fi
 
+echo "Downloading SPARK"
 wget "$SPARK_DOWNLOAD_URL"
 if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
    echo -e "Could not download spark.\nAborting"
    exit 1
 fi
 
+echo "Extracting SPARK"
 spark_file=$(basename "$SPARK_DOWNLOAD_URL")
 extract_folder=$(tar tzf $spark_file | sed -e 's@/.*@@' | uniq)
 echo "Decompressing Spark..."
 tar xzf $spark_file
 rm $spark_file
-echo "$SPARK_DOWNLOAD_URL" > ~spark/spark_url.txt
 
-if [ -z "$SPARK_CUSTOM_DISTRO" ]; then
-  mv $extract_folder ~spark/spark-bin
-  chown -R spark:spark ~spark/spark-bin
-else
-  mv $extract_folder/dist ~spark/spark-dist
-  rm -Rf $extract_folder
-  chown -R spark:spark ~spark/spark-dist
-fi
+echo "Moving SPARK to /opt/"
+# Placing spark in /opt/spark
+mv $extract_folder /opt/spark
+echo "$SPARK_DOWNLOAD_URL" > /opt/spark/spark_url.txt
 
 popd
 rm -Rf $tmp_dir
diff --git a/elements/spark/post-install.d/20-spark b/elements/spark/post-install.d/20-spark
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5b08e8ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/elements/spark/post-install.d/20-spark
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# We have to chown the Spark directories to make it usable for the default user
+# Unfortunately the Ubuntu user does not exists when DIB is creating the image
+# and we need to execute this code the first time the VM boots.
+
+sed -i -e 's,^exit 0$,[ -f /opt/spark/firstboot.sh ] \&\& sh /opt/spark/firstboot.sh; exit 0,' /etc/rc.local
+
+cat >> /opt/spark/firstboot.sh <<EOF
+#!/bin/sh
+chown -R ubuntu:ubuntu /opt/spark
+chown -R ubuntu:ubuntu /etc/hadoop
+rm $0
+EOF
+