diff --git a/stepmania/src/arch/ArchHooks/ArchHooks_Unix.cpp b/stepmania/src/arch/ArchHooks/ArchHooks_Unix.cpp
index c57a531104..63ecedc785 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/arch/ArchHooks/ArchHooks_Unix.cpp
+++ b/stepmania/src/arch/ArchHooks/ArchHooks_Unix.cpp
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ ArchHooks_Unix::ArchHooks_Unix()
 
 static CString LibcVersion()
 {	
-	char buf[1024];
+	char buf[1024] = "(error)";
 	int ret = confstr( _CS_GNU_LIBC_VERSION, buf, sizeof(buf) );
 	if( ret == -1 )
 		return "(unknown)";
diff --git a/stepmania/src/archutils/Unix/LinuxThreadHelpers.cpp b/stepmania/src/archutils/Unix/LinuxThreadHelpers.cpp
index a90fd2e04b..5a88f48234 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/archutils/Unix/LinuxThreadHelpers.cpp
+++ b/stepmania/src/archutils/Unix/LinuxThreadHelpers.cpp
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ static int PtraceDetach( int ThreadID )
 
 CString ThreadsVersion()
 {
-	char buf[1024];
+	char buf[1024] = "(error)";
 	int ret = confstr( _CS_GNU_LIBPTHREAD_VERSION, buf, sizeof(buf) );
 	if( ret == -1 )
 		return "(unknown)";