diff --git a/appvm/copy_file.c b/appvm/copy_file.c
index 5f7fc793..9e65c652 100644
--- a/appvm/copy_file.c
+++ b/appvm/copy_file.c
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
 #include <unistd.h>
 #include <ioall.h>
+#include "filecopy.h"
+
 extern void notify_progress(int, int);
 
-char * copy_file(int outfd, int infd, long long size)
+int copy_file(int outfd, int infd, long long size)
 {
 	char buf[4096];
 	long long written = 0;
@@ -15,14 +17,24 @@ char * copy_file(int outfd, int infd, long long size)
 			count = size - written;
 		ret = read(infd, buf, count);
 		if (!ret)
-			return("EOF while reading file");
+			return COPY_FILE_READ_EOF;
 		if (ret < 0)
-			return("error reading file");
+			return COPY_FILE_READ_ERROR;
 		if (!write_all(outfd, buf, ret))
-			return("error writing file content");
+			return COPY_FILE_WRITE_ERROR;
 		notify_progress(ret, 0);
 		written += ret;
 	}
-	return NULL;
+	return COPY_FILE_OK;
 }
 
+char * copy_file_status_to_str(int status)
+{
+	switch (status) {
+		case COPY_FILE_OK: return "OK";
+		case COPY_FILE_READ_EOF: return "Unexpected end of data while reading";
+		case COPY_FILE_READ_ERROR: return "Error reading";
+		case COPY_FILE_WRITE_ERROR: return "Error writing";
+		default: return "????????";
+	}
+} 
diff --git a/appvm/filecopy.h b/appvm/filecopy.h
index b4f6638c..1fcd2d04 100644
--- a/appvm/filecopy.h
+++ b/appvm/filecopy.h
@@ -6,13 +6,21 @@
 #define LEGAL_EOF 31415926
 
 struct file_header {
-unsigned int namelen;
-unsigned int mode;
-unsigned long long filelen;
-unsigned int atime;
-unsigned int atime_nsec;
-unsigned int mtime;
-unsigned int mtime_nsec;
+	unsigned int namelen;
+	unsigned int mode;
+	unsigned long long filelen;
+	unsigned int atime;
+	unsigned int atime_nsec;
+	unsigned int mtime;
+	unsigned int mtime_nsec;
 };
 
-char * copy_file(int outfd, int infd, long long size);
+enum {
+	COPY_FILE_OK,
+	COPY_FILE_READ_EOF,
+	COPY_FILE_READ_ERROR,
+	COPY_FILE_WRITE_ERROR
+};
+
+int copy_file(int outfd, int infd, long long size);
+char *copy_file_status_to_str(int status);
diff --git a/appvm/qfile-agent.c b/appvm/qfile-agent.c
index f7e27a98..e33b61c6 100644
--- a/appvm/qfile-agent.c
+++ b/appvm/qfile-agent.c
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ void write_headers(struct file_header *hdr, char *filename)
 {
 	if (!write_all(1, hdr, sizeof(*hdr))
 	    || !write_all(1, filename, hdr->namelen))
-		gui_fatal("writing file headers to remove AppVM");
+		exit(1);
 }
 
 int single_file_processor(char *filename, struct stat *st)
@@ -67,15 +67,21 @@ int single_file_processor(char *filename, struct stat *st)
 	hdr.mtime_nsec = st->st_mtim.tv_nsec;
 
 	if (S_ISREG(mode)) {
-		char *ret;
+		int ret;
 		fd = open(filename, O_RDONLY);
 		if (!fd)
 			gui_fatal("open %s", filename);
 		hdr.filelen = st->st_size;
 		write_headers(&hdr, filename);
 		ret = copy_file(1, fd, hdr.filelen);
-		if (ret)
-			gui_fatal("Copying file %s: %s", filename, ret);
+		// if COPY_FILE_WRITE_ERROR, hopefully remote will produce a message
+		if (ret != COPY_FILE_OK) {
+			if (ret != COPY_FILE_WRITE_ERROR)
+				gui_fatal("Copying file %s: %s", filename,
+					  copy_file_status_to_str(ret));
+			else
+				exit(1);
+		}
 		close(fd);
 	}
 	if (S_ISDIR(mode)) {
@@ -89,7 +95,7 @@ int single_file_processor(char *filename, struct stat *st)
 		hdr.filelen = st->st_size + 1;
 		write_headers(&hdr, filename);
 		if (!write_all(1, name, st->st_size + 1))
-			gui_fatal("write to remote VM");
+			exit(1);
 	}
 	return 0;
 }
@@ -130,7 +136,7 @@ void send_vmname(char *vmname)
 	memset(buf, 0, sizeof(buf));
 	strncat(buf, vmname, sizeof(buf) - 1);
 	if (!write_all(1, buf, sizeof buf))
-		gui_fatal("writing vmname to remote VM");
+		exit(1);
 }
 
 char *get_item(char *data, char **current, int size)
diff --git a/appvm/qvm-copy-to-vm2.kde b/appvm/qvm-copy-to-vm2.kde
index 879279be..de28feec 100755
--- a/appvm/qvm-copy-to-vm2.kde
+++ b/appvm/qvm-copy-to-vm2.kde
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ done
 
 qdbus $REF close
 rm -f $PROGRESS_FILE
-if ! [ "x"$agentstatus = xDONE ] ; then 
-	kdialog --sorry 'Abnormal file copy termination; see /var/log/qubes/qrexec.xid.log in dom0 for more details'
-fi
+# we do not want a dozen error messages, do we
+# if ! [ "x"$agentstatus = xDONE ] ; then 
+# 	kdialog --sorry 'Abnormal file copy termination; see /var/log/qubes/qrexec.xid.log in dom0 for more details'
+# fi
diff --git a/appvm/unpack.c b/appvm/unpack.c
index ad53ebf5..eaa1744c 100644
--- a/appvm/unpack.c
+++ b/appvm/unpack.c
@@ -38,14 +38,19 @@ void fix_times_and_perms(struct file_header *hdr, char *name)
 
 void process_one_file_reg(struct file_header *hdr, char *name)
 {
-	char *ret;
+	int ret;
 	int fdout =
 	    open(name, O_WRONLY | O_CREAT | O_EXCL | O_NOFOLLOW, 0700);
 	if (fdout < 0)
 		do_exit(errno);
 	ret = copy_file(fdout, 0, hdr->filelen);
-	if (ret)
-		do_exit(errno);
+	if (ret != COPY_FILE_OK) {
+		if (ret == COPY_FILE_READ_EOF
+		    || ret == COPY_FILE_READ_ERROR)
+			do_exit(LEGAL_EOF);	// hopefully remote will produce error message
+		else
+			do_exit(errno);
+	}
 	close(fdout);
 	fix_times_and_perms(hdr, name);
 }
@@ -68,7 +73,7 @@ void process_one_file_link(struct file_header *hdr, char *name)
 	if (hdr->filelen > MAX_PATH_LENGTH - 1)
 		do_exit(ENAMETOOLONG);
 	if (!read_all(0, content, hdr->filelen))
-		do_exit(errno);
+		do_exit(LEGAL_EOF);	// hopefully remote has produced error message
 	content[hdr->filelen] = 0;
 	if (symlink(content, name))
 		do_exit(errno);
@@ -80,7 +85,7 @@ void process_one_file(struct file_header *hdr)
 	if (hdr->namelen > MAX_PATH_LENGTH - 1)
 		do_exit(ENAMETOOLONG);
 	if (!read_all(0, namebuf, hdr->namelen))
-		do_exit(errno);
+		do_exit(LEGAL_EOF);	// hopefully remote has produced error message
 	namebuf[hdr->namelen] = 0;
 	if (S_ISREG(hdr->mode))
 		process_one_file_reg(hdr, namebuf);