diff --git a/install.sh b/install.sh
index 66850e5..4655a67 100755
--- a/install.sh
+++ b/install.sh
@@ -304,7 +304,9 @@ if [[ ! -d $BASEDIR ]] ; then
 fi
 
 if which dpkg-query > /dev/null 2>&1 ; then
-  HAVE_X=`dpkg-query -s xserver-xorg 2>/dev/null | grep -c 'Status.*installed'`
+  HAVE_X=$(dpkg-query -s xserver-xorg 2>/dev/null | \
+    grep -c 'Status.*installed' \
+    || true)
 else
   HAVE_X=0
 fi