diff --git a/src/restore.c b/src/restore.c
index a7883a0a1..b11c31793 100644
--- a/src/restore.c
+++ b/src/restore.c
@@ -1060,8 +1060,10 @@ getlev(NHFILE *nhfp, int pid, xint8 lev)
         if (gd.doors)
             free(gd.doors);
         Mread(nhfp->fd, &gd.doors_alloc, sizeof gd.doors_alloc);
-        gd.doors = (coord *) alloc(gd.doors_alloc * sizeof (coord));
-        Mread(nhfp->fd, gd.doors, gd.doors_alloc * sizeof (coord));
+        if (gd.doors_alloc) { /* avoid pointless alloc(0) */
+            gd.doors = (coord *) alloc(gd.doors_alloc * sizeof (coord));
+            Mread(nhfp->fd, gd.doors, gd.doors_alloc * sizeof (coord));
+        }
     }
     rest_rooms(nhfp); /* No joke :-) */
     if (gn.nroom)
diff --git a/src/save.c b/src/save.c
index 044036ffe..148f2d630 100644
--- a/src/save.c
+++ b/src/save.c
@@ -533,7 +533,11 @@ savelev_core(NHFILE *nhfp, xint8 lev)
         bwrite(nhfp->fd, (genericptr_t) &gd.dndest, sizeof (dest_area));
         bwrite(nhfp->fd, (genericptr_t) &gl.level.flags, sizeof gl.level.flags);
         bwrite(nhfp->fd, (genericptr_t) &gd.doors_alloc, sizeof gd.doors_alloc);
-        bwrite(nhfp->fd, (genericptr_t) gd.doors, gd.doors_alloc * sizeof (coord));
+        /* don't rely on underlying write() behavior to write
+         *  nothing if count arg is 0, just skip it */
+        if (gd.doors_alloc)
+            bwrite(nhfp->fd, (genericptr_t) gd.doors,
+                   gd.doors_alloc * sizeof (coord));
     }
     save_rooms(nhfp); /* no dynamic memory to reclaim */