diff --git a/stepmania/src/BannerCache.cpp b/stepmania/src/BannerCache.cpp
index 5bc22786ac..d877219d73 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/BannerCache.cpp
+++ b/stepmania/src/BannerCache.cpp
@@ -301,10 +301,11 @@ void BannerCache::CacheBanner( CString BannerPath )
 
 void BannerCache::CacheBannerInternal( CString BannerPath )
 {
-	RageSurface *img = RageSurfaceUtils::LoadFile( BannerPath );
+	CString error;
+	RageSurface *img = RageSurfaceUtils::LoadFile( BannerPath, error );
 	if( img == NULL )
 	{
-		LOG->Warn( "BannerCache::CacheBanner: Couldn't load %s: %s", BannerPath.c_str(), SDL_GetError() );
+		LOG->Warn( "BannerCache::CacheBanner: Couldn't load %s: %s", BannerPath.c_str(), error.c_str() );
 		return;
 	}
 
diff --git a/stepmania/src/RageBitmapTexture.cpp b/stepmania/src/RageBitmapTexture.cpp
index 4363faf283..722ad2eab2 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/RageBitmapTexture.cpp
+++ b/stepmania/src/RageBitmapTexture.cpp
@@ -11,9 +11,7 @@
 #include "RageSurface.h"
 #include "RageSurfaceUtils.h"
 
-#include "SDL.h"
 #include "SDL_rotozoom.h"
-#include "SDL_utils.h"
 #include "SDL_dither.h"
 #include "RageSurface_Load.h"
 
@@ -69,12 +67,13 @@ void RageBitmapTexture::Create()
 
 	/* Create (and return) a surface ready to be loaded to OpenGL */
 	/* Load the image into an SDL surface. */
-	RageSurface *img = RageSurfaceUtils::LoadFile( actualID.filename );
+	CString error;
+	RageSurface *img = RageSurfaceUtils::LoadFile( actualID.filename, error );
 
 	/* Tolerate corrupt/unknown images. */
 	if( img == NULL )
 	{
-		LOG->Warn( "RageBitmapTexture: Couldn't load %s: %s", actualID.filename.c_str(), SDL_GetError() );
+		LOG->Warn( "RageBitmapTexture: Couldn't load %s: %s", actualID.filename.c_str(), error.c_str() );
 		img = RageSurfaceUtils::MakeDummySurface( 64, 64 );
 		ASSERT( img != NULL );
 	}
diff --git a/stepmania/src/RageSurface_Load.cpp b/stepmania/src/RageSurface_Load.cpp
index 1fad08b182..a658dd1d76 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/RageSurface_Load.cpp
+++ b/stepmania/src/RageSurface_Load.cpp
@@ -97,13 +97,13 @@ static RageSurface *TryOpenFile( CString sPath, bool bHeaderOnly, CString &error
 	return NULL;
 }
 
-RageSurface *RageSurfaceUtils::LoadFile( const CString &sPath, bool bHeaderOnly )
+RageSurface *RageSurfaceUtils::LoadFile( const CString &sPath, CString &error, bool bHeaderOnly )
 {
 	{
 		RageFile TestOpen;
 		if( !TestOpen.Open( sPath ) )
 		{
-			SDL_SetError( "%s", TestOpen.GetError().c_str() );
+			error = TestOpen.GetError();
 			return NULL;
 		}
 	}
@@ -117,8 +117,6 @@ RageSurface *RageSurfaceUtils::LoadFile( const CString &sPath, bool bHeaderOnly
 	CString format = GetExtension(sPath);
 	format.MakeLower();
 
-	CString error = "";
-
 	bool bKeepTrying = true;
 
 	/* If the extension matches a format, try that first. */
@@ -140,7 +138,6 @@ RageSurface *RageSurfaceUtils::LoadFile( const CString &sPath, bool bHeaderOnly
 		}
 	}
 
-	SDL_SetError( "%s", error.c_str() );
 	return NULL;
 }
 
diff --git a/stepmania/src/RageSurface_Load.h b/stepmania/src/RageSurface_Load.h
index 1867a9b412..dc326041f3 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/RageSurface_Load.h
+++ b/stepmania/src/RageSurface_Load.h
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ namespace RageSurfaceUtils
 
 	/* If bHeaderOnly is true, the loader is only required to return a surface
 	 * with the width and height set (but may return a complete surface). */
-	RageSurface *LoadFile( const CString &sPath, bool bHeaderOnly=false );
+	RageSurface *LoadFile( const CString &sPath, CString &error, bool bHeaderOnly=false );
 }
 
 #endif
diff --git a/stepmania/src/Song.cpp b/stepmania/src/Song.cpp
index b6d1b3c861..41c730ad28 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/Song.cpp
+++ b/stepmania/src/Song.cpp
@@ -697,11 +697,13 @@ void Song::TidyUpData()
 			continue;	// skip
 
 		CString sPath = m_sSongDir + arrayImages[i];
+
 		/* We only care about the dimensions. */
-		RageSurface *img = RageSurfaceUtils::LoadFile( sPath, true );
+		CString error;
+		RageSurface *img = RageSurfaceUtils::LoadFile( sPath, error, true );
 		if( !img )
 		{
-			LOG->Trace("Couldn't load '%s': %s", sPath.c_str(), SDL_GetError());
+			LOG->Trace( "Couldn't load '%s': %s", sPath.c_str(), error.c_str() );
 			continue;
 		}
 
diff --git a/stepmania/src/arch/LoadingWindow/LoadingWindow_Win32.cpp b/stepmania/src/arch/LoadingWindow/LoadingWindow_Win32.cpp
index 461d18ada1..e7ea6776ca 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/arch/LoadingWindow/LoadingWindow_Win32.cpp
+++ b/stepmania/src/arch/LoadingWindow/LoadingWindow_Win32.cpp
@@ -14,7 +14,8 @@ static HBITMAP g_hBitmap = NULL;
 /* Load a file into a GDI surface. */
 HBITMAP LoadWin32Surface( CString fn )
 {
-	RageSurface *s = RageSurfaceUtils::LoadFile( fn );
+	CString error;
+	RageSurface *s = RageSurfaceUtils::LoadFile( fn, error );
 	if( s == NULL )
 		return NULL;