diff --git a/basis/io/backend/unix/unix-tests.factor b/basis/io/backend/unix/unix-tests.factor
index 5417b9b178..2e94d7a2df 100644
--- a/basis/io/backend/unix/unix-tests.factor
+++ b/basis/io/backend/unix/unix-tests.factor
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 USING: io.files io.files.temp io.directories io.sockets io kernel threads
 namespaces tools.test continuations strings byte-arrays
 sequences prettyprint system io.encodings.binary io.encodings.ascii
-io.streams.duplex destructors make ;
+io.streams.duplex destructors make io.launcher ;
 IN: io.backend.unix.tests
 
 ! Unix domain stream sockets
@@ -138,3 +138,13 @@ datagram-client delete-file
         input-stream get send
     ] with-file-reader
 ] must-fail
+
+! closing stdin caused some problems
+[ ] [
+    [
+        vm ,
+        "-i=" image append ,
+        "-run=none" ,
+        "-e=USING: destructors namespaces io calendar threads ; input-stream get dispose 1 seconds sleep" ,
+    ] { } make try-process
+] unit-test
diff --git a/vm/os-unix.c b/vm/os-unix.c
index 952d2683cf..97c29d8c6e 100755
--- a/vm/os-unix.c
+++ b/vm/os-unix.c
@@ -216,18 +216,21 @@ void safe_write(int fd, void *data, size_t size)
 		fatal_error("error writing fd",errno);
 }
 
-void safe_read(int fd, void *data, size_t size)
+bool safe_read(int fd, void *data, size_t size)
 {
 	ssize_t bytes = read(fd,data,size);
 	if(bytes < 0)
 	{
 		if(errno == EINTR)
-			safe_read(fd,data,size);
+			return safe_read(fd,data,size);
 		else
+		{
 			fatal_error("error reading fd",errno);
+			return false;
+		}
 	}
-	else if(bytes != size)
-		fatal_error("unexpected eof on fd",bytes);
+	else
+		return (bytes == size);
 }
 
 void *stdin_loop(void *arg)
@@ -237,7 +240,9 @@ void *stdin_loop(void *arg)
 
 	while(loop_running)
 	{
-		safe_read(control_read,buf,1);
+		if(!safe_read(control_read,buf,1))
+			break;
+
 		if(buf[0] != 'X')
 			fatal_error("stdin_loop: bad data on control fd",buf[0]);
 
@@ -258,16 +263,15 @@ void *stdin_loop(void *arg)
 			{
 				safe_write(size_write,&bytes,sizeof(bytes));
 
-				if(write(stdin_write,buf,bytes) != bytes)
+				if(!check_write(stdin_write,buf,bytes))
 					loop_running = false;
 				break;
 			}
 		}
 	}
 
-
 	safe_close(stdin_write);
-	safe_close(control_write);
+	safe_close(control_read);
 
 	return NULL;
 }