diff --git a/ometastore.ml b/ometastore.ml
index 9107e9c..2193a62 100644
--- a/ometastore.ml
+++ b/ometastore.ml
@@ -273,7 +273,9 @@ let apply_change = function
         printf "%s: file type of changed (nothing done)\n" e1.path;
       if !use_mtime && e1.mtime <> e2.mtime then begin
         out "%s: mtime set to %.0f\n" e1.path e2.mtime;
-        utime e2.path (Nativeint.of_float e2.mtime)
+        try 
+          utime e2.path (Nativeint.of_float e2.mtime)
+        with Failure _ -> ( out "utime failed: %s\n" e1.path )
       end;
       if !use_xattrs && e1.xattrs <> e2.xattrs then fix_xattrs e1 e2
 
diff --git a/ometastore_stub.c b/ometastore_stub.c
index c9c6e41..016d62d 100644
--- a/ometastore_stub.c
+++ b/ometastore_stub.c
@@ -46,8 +46,10 @@ CAMLprim value perform_utime(value file, value time)
 
 	tbuf.actime = Nativeint_val(time);
 	tbuf.modtime = Nativeint_val(time);
-	if(utime(String_val(file), &tbuf))
-		caml_failwith("utime");
+	if(utime(String_val(file), &tbuf)) {
+	    printf("utime on %s to %d failed, error %i: %s\n", file, Nativeint_val(time), errno, strerror(errno));
+        caml_failwith("utime");
+    }
 
 	return(Val_int(0));
 }
@@ -65,17 +67,7 @@ CAMLprim value perform_llistxattr(value file)
  if (siz == 0 || errno == EPERM || errno == EACCES)
      CAMLreturn(Val_int(0));
  if(siz < 0) {   
-     printf("Running llistxattr on %s failed, error %i\n", file, errno);
-     if (errno == ENOTSUP) printf("Not supported on file system.\n");
-     if (errno == ERANGE) printf("Namebuf too small.\n");    
-     if (errno == EPERM) printf("Not supported on file.\n"); 
-     if (errno == ENOTDIR) printf("Path not a directory.\n");
-     if (errno == ENAMETOOLONG) printf("Name too long.\n");
-     if (errno == EACCES) printf("Permission denied.\n");
-     if (errno == ELOOP) printf("Too many symbolic links.  Loop?\n");
-     if (errno == EFAULT) printf("Inavlid address.\n");
-     if (errno == EIO) printf("I/O error occured.\n"); 
-     if (errno == EINVAL) printf("Options invalid.\n");
+     printf("llistxattr on %s failed, error %i: %s\n", file, errno, strerror(errno));
      caml_failwith("llistxattr");
 }