diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 26d254ffc9..207854eab5 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,10 @@
+Wed Feb 4 22:22:34 +0100 2009 Jim Meyering <meyering@redhat.com>
+
+	lxc_container: Don't dereference NULL upon failure
+	* src/lxc_container.c (lxcContainerPivotRoot): Free and zero
+	oldroot *after* printing the diagnostic, both for virFileMakePath
+	and pivot_root failure.
+
 Tue Feb  3 14:06:06 +0100 2009 Jim Meyering <meyering@redhat.com>
 
 	avoid a format-related warning
diff --git a/src/lxc_container.c b/src/lxc_container.c
index ea52eed93e..90c70d5367 100644
--- a/src/lxc_container.c
+++ b/src/lxc_container.c
@@ -284,20 +284,20 @@ static int lxcContainerPivotRoot(virDomainFSDefPtr root)
     }
 
     if ((rc = virFileMakePath(oldroot)) < 0) {
-        VIR_FREE(oldroot);
         virReportSystemError(NULL, rc,
                              _("failed to create %s"),
                              oldroot);
+        VIR_FREE(oldroot);
         return -1;
     }
 
     /* The old root directory will live at /.oldroot after
      * this and will soon be unmounted completely */
     if (pivot_root(root->src, oldroot) < 0) {
-        VIR_FREE(oldroot);
         virReportSystemError(NULL, errno,
                              _("failed to pivot root %s to %s"),
                              oldroot, root->src);
+        VIR_FREE(oldroot);
         return -1;
     }
     VIR_FREE(oldroot);
@@ -677,4 +677,3 @@ int lxcContainerAvailable(int features)
 
     return 0;
 }
-