diff --git a/PROMS/VEPROMS.CSLA.Library/Config/SectionConfig.cs b/PROMS/VEPROMS.CSLA.Library/Config/SectionConfig.cs
index d0ac6973..c49aa1c3 100644
--- a/PROMS/VEPROMS.CSLA.Library/Config/SectionConfig.cs
+++ b/PROMS/VEPROMS.CSLA.Library/Config/SectionConfig.cs
@@ -470,7 +470,9 @@ namespace VEPROMS.CSLA.Library
 						rval = (int)MyDefaultFormat.MyStepSectionLayoutData.PMode;
 						//return (SectionColumnMode)rval;
 					}
-					if (rval == 0) rval = 2;
+					// if no pmode is defined, i.e. rval = 0, then default to single column
+					// this is what 16bit ve-proms did.
+					if (rval == 0) rval = 1;
 					return (SectionColumnMode)rval;
 				}
 				else