diff --git a/src/system/kernel/vm/vm.cpp b/src/system/kernel/vm/vm.cpp
index b2e00a2ff2..49a4b4c16b 100644
--- a/src/system/kernel/vm/vm.cpp
+++ b/src/system/kernel/vm/vm.cpp
@@ -529,7 +529,7 @@ map_backing_store(vm_address_space *addressSpace, vm_store *store, void **_virtu
 
 		// create an anonymous store object
 		newStore = vm_store_create_anonymous_noswap((protection & B_STACK_AREA) != 0,
-			USER_STACK_GUARD_PAGES);
+			0, USER_STACK_GUARD_PAGES);
 		if (newStore == NULL) {
 			status = B_NO_MEMORY;
 			goto err1;
@@ -784,8 +784,9 @@ vm_create_anonymous_area(team_id aid, const char *name, void **address,
 	}
 
 	// create an anonymous store object
-	store = vm_store_create_anonymous_noswap(canOvercommit, isStack ?
-		((protection & B_USER_PROTECTION) != 0 ? 
+	// if it's a stack, make sure that two pages are available at least
+	store = vm_store_create_anonymous_noswap(canOvercommit, isStack ? 2 : 0,
+		isStack ? ((protection & B_USER_PROTECTION) != 0 ? 
 			USER_STACK_GUARD_PAGES : KERNEL_STACK_GUARD_PAGES) : 0);
 	if (store == NULL) {
 		status = B_NO_MEMORY;
@@ -1461,7 +1462,7 @@ vm_copy_on_write_area(vm_area *area)
 	lowerCache = upperCacheRef->cache;
 
 	// create an anonymous store object
-	store = vm_store_create_anonymous_noswap(false, 0);
+	store = vm_store_create_anonymous_noswap(false, 0, 0);
 	if (store == NULL)
 		return B_NO_MEMORY;
 
@@ -2456,8 +2457,8 @@ vm_page_fault(addr_t address, addr_t fault_address, bool is_write, bool is_user,
 
 	err = vm_soft_fault(address, is_write, is_user);
 	if (err < 0) {
-		dprintf("vm_page_fault: vm_soft_fault returned error %d on fault at 0x%lx, ip 0x%lx, write %d, user %d, thread 0x%lx\n",
-			err, address, fault_address, is_write, is_user, thread_get_current_thread_id());
+		dprintf("vm_page_fault: vm_soft_fault returned error '%s' on fault at 0x%lx, ip 0x%lx, write %d, user %d, thread 0x%lx\n",
+			strerror(err), address, fault_address, is_write, is_user, thread_get_current_thread_id());
 		if (!is_user) {
 			struct thread *t = thread_get_current_thread();
 			if (t && t->fault_handler != 0) {
@@ -2542,8 +2543,8 @@ vm_soft_fault(addr_t originalAddress, bool isWrite, bool isUser)
 	vm_page dummyPage;
 	vm_page *page = NULL;
 	addr_t address;
-	int change_count;
-	int err;
+	int32 changeCount;
+	status_t status;
 
 	FTRACE(("vm_soft_fault: thid 0x%lx address 0x%lx, isWrite %d, isUser %d\n",
 		thread_get_current_thread_id(), originalAddress, isWrite, isUser));
@@ -2604,7 +2605,7 @@ vm_soft_fault(addr_t originalAddress, bool isWrite, bool isUser)
 	topCacheRef = area->cache_ref;
 	cacheOffset = address - area->base + area->cache_offset;
 	vm_cache_acquire_ref(topCacheRef);
-	change_count = addressSpace->change_count;
+	changeCount = addressSpace->change_count;
 	release_sem_etc(addressSpace->sem, READ_COUNT, 0);
 
 	// See if this cache has a fault handler - this will do all the work for us
@@ -2687,8 +2688,10 @@ vm_soft_fault(addr_t originalAddress, bool isWrite, bool isUser)
 
 			addressSpace->translation_map.ops->get_physical_page(page->physical_page_number * B_PAGE_SIZE, (addr_t *)&vec.iov_base, PHYSICAL_PAGE_CAN_WAIT);
 			// ToDo: handle errors here
-			err = cacheRef->cache->store->ops->read(cacheRef->cache->store,
+			status = cacheRef->cache->store->ops->read(cacheRef->cache->store,
 				cacheOffset, &vec, 1, &bytesRead, false);
+			if (status < B_OK)
+				panic("hello, dudes!");
 			addressSpace->translation_map.ops->put_physical_page((addr_t)vec.iov_base);
 
 			mutex_lock(&cacheRef->lock);
@@ -2783,8 +2786,8 @@ vm_soft_fault(addr_t originalAddress, bool isWrite, bool isUser)
 		// try to get a mapping for the src and dest page so we can copy it
 		for (;;) {
 			(*addressSpace->translation_map.ops->get_physical_page)(src_page->physical_page_number * B_PAGE_SIZE, (addr_t *)&src, PHYSICAL_PAGE_CAN_WAIT);
-			err = (*addressSpace->translation_map.ops->get_physical_page)(page->physical_page_number * B_PAGE_SIZE, (addr_t *)&dest, PHYSICAL_PAGE_NO_WAIT);
-			if (err == B_NO_ERROR)
+			status = (*addressSpace->translation_map.ops->get_physical_page)(page->physical_page_number * B_PAGE_SIZE, (addr_t *)&dest, PHYSICAL_PAGE_NO_WAIT);
+			if (status == B_NO_ERROR)
 				break;
 
 			// it couldn't map the second one, so sleep and retry
@@ -2822,20 +2825,20 @@ vm_soft_fault(addr_t originalAddress, bool isWrite, bool isUser)
 		}
 	}
 
-	err = B_OK;
+	status = B_OK;
 	acquire_sem_etc(addressSpace->sem, READ_COUNT, 0, 0);
-	if (change_count != addressSpace->change_count) {
+	if (changeCount != addressSpace->change_count) {
 		// something may have changed, see if the address is still valid
 		area = vm_area_lookup(addressSpace, address);
 		if (area == NULL
 			|| area->cache_ref != topCacheRef
 			|| (address - area->base + area->cache_offset) != cacheOffset) {
 			dprintf("vm_soft_fault: address space layout changed effecting ongoing soft fault\n");
-			err = B_BAD_ADDRESS;
+			status = B_BAD_ADDRESS;
 		}
 	}
 
-	if (err == B_OK) {
+	if (status == B_OK) {
 		// All went fine, all there is left to do is to map the page into the address space
 
 		// If the page doesn't reside in the area's cache, we need to make sure it's
@@ -2868,7 +2871,7 @@ vm_soft_fault(addr_t originalAddress, bool isWrite, bool isUser)
 	vm_cache_release_ref(topCacheRef);
 	vm_put_address_space(addressSpace);
 
-	return err;
+	return status;
 }
 
 
diff --git a/src/system/kernel/vm/vm_store_anonymous_noswap.c b/src/system/kernel/vm/vm_store_anonymous_noswap.c
index 66cd029e6b..3a7213ed6f 100644
--- a/src/system/kernel/vm/vm_store_anonymous_noswap.c
+++ b/src/system/kernel/vm/vm_store_anonymous_noswap.c
@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@
 typedef struct anonymous_store {
 	vm_store	vm;
 	bool		can_overcommit;
+	bool		has_precommitted;
+	uint8		precommitted_pages;
 	int32		guarded_size;
 } anonymous_store;
 
@@ -49,8 +51,15 @@ anonymous_commit(struct vm_store *_store, off_t size)
 	anonymous_store *store = (anonymous_store *)_store;
 
 	// if we can overcommit, we don't commit here, but in anonymous_fault()
-	if (store->can_overcommit)
-		return B_OK;
+	if (store->can_overcommit) {
+		if (store->has_precommitted)
+			return B_OK;
+
+		// pre-commit some pages to make a later failure less probable
+		store->has_precommitted = true;
+		if (size > store->vm.cache->virtual_base + store->precommitted_pages)
+			size = store->vm.cache->virtual_base + store->precommitted_pages;
+	}
 
 	size -= store->vm.cache->virtual_base;
 		// anonymous stores don't need to span over their whole source
@@ -61,7 +70,7 @@ anonymous_commit(struct vm_store *_store, off_t size)
 		// try to commit
 		if (vm_try_reserve_memory(size - store->vm.committed_size) != B_OK)
 			return B_NO_MEMORY;
-		
+
 		store->vm.committed_size = size;
 	} else {
 		// we can release some
@@ -121,9 +130,12 @@ anonymous_fault(struct vm_store *_store, struct vm_address_space *aspace, off_t
 			}
 		}
 
-		// try to commit additional memory
-		if (vm_try_reserve_memory(B_PAGE_SIZE) != B_OK)
-			return B_NO_MEMORY;
+		if (store->precommitted_pages == 0) {
+			// try to commit additional memory
+			if (vm_try_reserve_memory(B_PAGE_SIZE) != B_OK)
+				return B_NO_MEMORY;
+		} else
+			store->precommitted_pages--;
 
 		store->vm.committed_size += B_PAGE_SIZE;
 	}
@@ -150,7 +162,7 @@ static vm_store_ops anonymous_ops = {
  */
 
 vm_store *
-vm_store_create_anonymous_noswap(bool canOvercommit, int32 numGuardPages)
+vm_store_create_anonymous_noswap(bool canOvercommit, int32 numPrecommittedPages, int32 numGuardPages)
 {
 	anonymous_store *store = malloc(sizeof(anonymous_store));
 	if (store == NULL)
@@ -163,6 +175,8 @@ vm_store_create_anonymous_noswap(bool canOvercommit, int32 numGuardPages)
 	store->vm.cache = NULL;
 	store->vm.committed_size = 0;
 	store->can_overcommit = canOvercommit;
+	store->has_precommitted = numPrecommittedPages != 0;
+	store->precommitted_pages = min(numPrecommittedPages, 255);
 	store->guarded_size = numGuardPages * B_PAGE_SIZE;
 
 	return &store->vm;
diff --git a/src/system/kernel/vm/vm_store_anonymous_noswap.h b/src/system/kernel/vm/vm_store_anonymous_noswap.h
index 58f30a4e35..f8bde0e20e 100644
--- a/src/system/kernel/vm/vm_store_anonymous_noswap.h
+++ b/src/system/kernel/vm/vm_store_anonymous_noswap.h
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2004-2005, Axel Dörfler, axeld@pinc-software.de.
+ * Copyright 2004-2007, Axel Dörfler, axeld@pinc-software.de.
  * Distributed under the terms of the MIT License.
  *
  * Copyright 2001-2002, Travis Geiselbrecht. All rights reserved.
@@ -13,8 +13,14 @@
 
 
 #ifdef __cplusplus
-extern "C"
+extern "C" {
+#endif
+
+vm_store *vm_store_create_anonymous_noswap(bool canOvercommit,
+	int32 numPrecommittedPages, int32 numGuardPages);
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+}
 #endif
-vm_store *vm_store_create_anonymous_noswap(bool canOvercommit, int32 numGuardPages);
 
 #endif	/* _KERNEL_VM_STORE_ANONYMOUS_H */