diff --git a/brightray/browser/win/notification_presenter_win.cc b/brightray/browser/win/notification_presenter_win.cc
index 8d4fe8bace04..447125f39117 100644
--- a/brightray/browser/win/notification_presenter_win.cc
+++ b/brightray/browser/win/notification_presenter_win.cc
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@
 
 #include "base/win/windows_version.h"
 #include "browser/win/windows_toast_notification.h"
-#include "common/application_info.h"
 #include "content/public/browser/desktop_notification_delegate.h"
 #include "content/public/common/platform_notification_data.h"
 #include "third_party/skia/include/core/SkBitmap.h"
@@ -27,7 +26,10 @@ void RemoveNotification(base::WeakPtr<WindowsToastNotification> notification) {
 
 // static
 NotificationPresenter* NotificationPresenter::Create() {
-  return new NotificationPresenterWin;
+  if (WindowsToastNotification::Initialize())
+    return new NotificationPresenterWin;
+  else
+    return nullptr;
 }
 
 NotificationPresenterWin::NotificationPresenterWin() {
diff --git a/brightray/browser/win/scoped_hstring.cc b/brightray/browser/win/scoped_hstring.cc
index e3f5cbd29bbb..082ebe762270 100644
--- a/brightray/browser/win/scoped_hstring.cc
+++ b/brightray/browser/win/scoped_hstring.cc
@@ -8,26 +8,34 @@
 
 ScopedHString::ScopedHString(const wchar_t* source)
     : str_(nullptr) {
-  Set(source);
+  Reset(source);
 }
 
 ScopedHString::ScopedHString(const std::wstring& source)
     : str_(nullptr) {
-  WindowsCreateString(source.c_str(), source.length(), &str_);
+  Reset(source);
 }
 
 ScopedHString::ScopedHString() : str_(nullptr) {
 }
 
 ScopedHString::~ScopedHString() {
-  if (str_)
-    WindowsDeleteString(str_);
+  Reset();
 }
 
-void ScopedHString::Set(const wchar_t* source) {
+void ScopedHString::Reset() {
   if (str_) {
     WindowsDeleteString(str_);
     str_ = nullptr;
   }
+}
+
+void ScopedHString::Reset(const wchar_t* source) {
+  Reset();
   WindowsCreateString(source, wcslen(source), &str_);
 }
+
+void ScopedHString::Reset(const std::wstring& source) {
+  Reset();
+  WindowsCreateString(source.c_str(), source.length(), &str_);
+}
diff --git a/brightray/browser/win/scoped_hstring.h b/brightray/browser/win/scoped_hstring.h
index de03c0469b3a..5494df2fc5ce 100644
--- a/brightray/browser/win/scoped_hstring.h
+++ b/brightray/browser/win/scoped_hstring.h
@@ -22,7 +22,9 @@ class ScopedHString {
   ~ScopedHString();
 
   // Sets to |source|.
-  void Set(const wchar_t* source);
+  void Reset();
+  void Reset(const wchar_t* source);
+  void Reset(const std::wstring& source);
 
   // Returns string.
   operator HSTRING() const { return str_; }
diff --git a/brightray/browser/win/windows_toast_notification.cc b/brightray/browser/win/windows_toast_notification.cc
index 60a20dc329f5..58b4756fed91 100644
--- a/brightray/browser/win/windows_toast_notification.cc
+++ b/brightray/browser/win/windows_toast_notification.cc
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 
 #include "base/strings/utf_string_conversions.h"
 #include "browser/win/scoped_hstring.h"
+#include "common/application_info.h"
 #include "content/public/browser/desktop_notification_delegate.h"
 
 using namespace ABI::Windows::Data::Xml::Dom;
@@ -19,37 +20,50 @@ namespace {
 
 bool GetAppUserModelId(ScopedHString* app_id) {
   PWSTR current_app_id;
-  if (FAILED(GetCurrentProcessExplicitAppUserModelID(&current_app_id)))
-    return false;
-
-  app_id->Set(current_app_id);
-  CoTaskMemFree(current_app_id);
+  if (SUCCEEDED(GetCurrentProcessExplicitAppUserModelID(&current_app_id))) {
+    app_id->Reset(current_app_id);
+    CoTaskMemFree(current_app_id);
+  } else {
+    app_id->Reset(base::UTF8ToUTF16(GetApplicationName()));
+  }
   return app_id->success();
 }
 
 }  // namespace
 
-WindowsToastNotification::WindowsToastNotification(
-    scoped_ptr<content::DesktopNotificationDelegate> delegate)
-    : delegate_(delegate.Pass()),
-      weak_factory_(this) {
-  // If it wasn't for Windows 7, we could do this statically
-  HRESULT init = Windows::Foundation::Initialize(RO_INIT_MULTITHREADED);
+// static
+ComPtr<ABI::Windows::UI::Notifications::IToastNotificationManagerStatics>
+    WindowsToastNotification::toast_manager_;
+
+// static
+ComPtr<ABI::Windows::UI::Notifications::IToastNotifier>
+    WindowsToastNotification::toast_notifier_;
+
+// static
+bool WindowsToastNotification::Initialize() {
+  // Just initialize, don't care if it fails or already initialized.
+  Windows::Foundation::Initialize(RO_INIT_MULTITHREADED);
 
   ScopedHString toast_manager_str(
       RuntimeClass_Windows_UI_Notifications_ToastNotificationManager);
   if (!toast_manager_str.success())
-    return;
-  HRESULT hr = Windows::Foundation::GetActivationFactory(
-      toast_manager_str, &toast_manager_);
-  if (FAILED(hr))
-    return;
+    return false;
+  if (FAILED(Windows::Foundation::GetActivationFactory(toast_manager_str,
+                                                       &toast_manager_)))
+    return false;
 
   ScopedHString app_id;
   if (!GetAppUserModelId(&app_id))
-    return;
+    return false;
 
-  toast_manager_->CreateToastNotifierWithId(app_id, &toast_notifier_);
+  return SUCCEEDED(
+      toast_manager_->CreateToastNotifierWithId(app_id, &toast_notifier_));
+}
+
+WindowsToastNotification::WindowsToastNotification(
+    scoped_ptr<content::DesktopNotificationDelegate> delegate)
+    : delegate_(delegate.Pass()),
+      weak_factory_(this) {
 }
 
 WindowsToastNotification::~WindowsToastNotification() {
@@ -217,7 +231,7 @@ bool WindowsToastNotification::GetTextNodeList(
     IXmlDocument* doc,
     IXmlNodeList** node_list,
     UINT32 req_length) {
-  tag->Set(L"text");
+  tag->Reset(L"text");
   if (!tag->success())
     return false;
 
diff --git a/brightray/browser/win/windows_toast_notification.h b/brightray/browser/win/windows_toast_notification.h
index 87dffae438b2..acae591bc478 100644
--- a/brightray/browser/win/windows_toast_notification.h
+++ b/brightray/browser/win/windows_toast_notification.h
@@ -33,6 +33,9 @@ using DesktopToastFailedEventHandler =
 
 class WindowsToastNotification {
  public:
+  // Should be called before using this class.
+  static bool Initialize();
+
   WindowsToastNotification(
       scoped_ptr<content::DesktopNotificationDelegate> delegate);
   ~WindowsToastNotification();
@@ -74,10 +77,11 @@ class WindowsToastNotification {
                        const std::wstring& text);
   bool SetupCallbacks(ABI::Windows::UI::Notifications::IToastNotification* toast);
 
+  static ComPtr<ABI::Windows::UI::Notifications::IToastNotificationManagerStatics> toast_manager_;
+  static ComPtr<ABI::Windows::UI::Notifications::IToastNotifier> toast_notifier_;
+
   scoped_ptr<content::DesktopNotificationDelegate> delegate_;
   ComPtr<ToastEventHandler> event_handler_;
-  ComPtr<ABI::Windows::UI::Notifications::IToastNotificationManagerStatics> toast_manager_;
-  ComPtr<ABI::Windows::UI::Notifications::IToastNotifier> toast_notifier_;
   ComPtr<ABI::Windows::UI::Notifications::IToastNotification> toast_notification_;
 
   base::WeakPtrFactory<WindowsToastNotification> weak_factory_;