diff --git a/src/pow.c b/src/pow.c
index cc63517e5..928e39db8 100644
--- a/src/pow.c
+++ b/src/pow.c
@@ -45,9 +45,22 @@ dogecoin_bool check_pow(uint256_t* hash, unsigned int nbits, const dogecoin_chai
     arith_uint256* target = init_arith_uint256();
     target = set_compact(target, nbits, &f_negative, &f_overflow);
     const uint8_t* target_bytes = (const uint8_t*)target->pn;
-    if (f_negative || arith_uint256_is_zero(target) || f_overflow || uint256_cmp(target_bytes, params->pow_limit)) {
-        printf("%d:%s: f_negative: %d target == 0: %d f_overflow: %d\n",
-        __LINE__, __func__, f_negative, (const uint8_t*)target == 0, f_overflow);
+    /* Report which rejection condition actually fired. The previous printf passed
+       "(const uint8_t*)target == 0", a NULL test on the pointer just returned by
+       init_arith_uint256(), so the "target == 0" column read 0 unconditionally and
+       never reported arith_uint256_is_zero(). The above-pow-limit term was not
+       printed at all, so a rejection could show every printed field as 0. */
+    if (f_negative || arith_uint256_is_zero(target) || f_overflow
+        || uint256_cmp(target_bytes, params->pow_limit)) {
+        /* Evaluate the individual terms only here, on the failure path. Hoisting
+           them above the condition would report all four but destroy the
+           short-circuit, so uint256_cmp would run against a target that
+           set_compact had already flagged as overflowed. Defined behaviour, but
+           there is no reason to compare a target we have already rejected. */
+        dogecoin_bool target_is_zero  = arith_uint256_is_zero(target);
+        dogecoin_bool above_pow_limit = uint256_cmp(target_bytes, params->pow_limit);
+        printf("%d:%s: nbits: 0x%08x f_negative: %d target_is_zero: %d f_overflow: %d above_pow_limit: %d\n",
+        __LINE__, __func__, nbits, f_negative, target_is_zero, f_overflow, above_pow_limit);
         dogecoin_free(target);
         return false;
     }
diff --git a/src/validation.c b/src/validation.c
index 56f30b860..0578484e7 100644
--- a/src/validation.c
+++ b/src/validation.c
@@ -71,9 +71,9 @@ dogecoin_bool check_auxpow(dogecoin_auxpow_block* block, dogecoin_chainparams* p
        where the height is known.  */
     if (!is_legacy(block->header->version) && params->strict_id && get_chainid(block->header->version) != params->auxpow_id) {
         printf("%s:%d:%s : block does not have our chain ID"
-                " (got %d, expected %d, full nVersion %d) : %s\n",
+                " (got %d, expected %d, full nVersion %d)\n",
                 __FILE__, __LINE__, __func__, get_chainid(block->header->version),
-                params->auxpow_id, block->header->version, strerror(errno));
+                params->auxpow_id, block->header->version);
         return false;
     }
 
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ dogecoin_bool check_auxpow(dogecoin_auxpow_block* block, dogecoin_chainparams* p
         cstr_free(s, true);
 
         if (!check_pow(&hash, block->header->bits, params, chainwork)) {
-            printf("%s:%d:%s : non-AUX proof of work failed : %s\n", __FILE__, __LINE__, __func__, strerror(errno));
+            printf("%s:%d:%s : non-AUX proof of work failed\n", __FILE__, __LINE__, __func__);
             return false;
         }
 
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ dogecoin_bool check_auxpow(dogecoin_auxpow_block* block, dogecoin_chainparams* p
     dogecoin_block_header_scrypt_hash(s2, &parent_hash);
     cstr_free(s2, true);
     if (!check_pow(&parent_hash, block->header->bits, params, chainwork)) {
-        printf("%s:%d:%s : AUX proof of work failed: %s\n", __FILE__, __LINE__, __func__, strerror(errno));
+        printf("%s:%d:%s : AUX proof of work failed\n", __FILE__, __LINE__, __func__);
         return false;
     }
 
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ dogecoin_bool check_auxpow(dogecoin_auxpow_block* block, dogecoin_chainparams* p
     dogecoin_block_header_hash(block->header, block_header_hash);
     uint32_t chainid = get_chainid(block->header->version);
     if (!block->header->auxpow->check(block, &block_header_hash, chainid, params)) {
-        printf("%s:%d:%s : AUX POW is not valid : %s\n", __FILE__, __LINE__, __func__, strerror(errno));
+        printf("%s:%d:%s : AUX POW is not valid\n", __FILE__, __LINE__, __func__);
         return false;
     }