diff --git a/src/server/distrend.c b/src/server/distrend.c
--- a/src/server/distrend.c
+++ b/src/server/distrend.c
@@ -797,8 +797,11 @@ int restore_distrenjob(struct general_in
     return tmp;
 
   tmp = distrenjob_unserialize(distrenjob, file_name);
+  if(tmp)
+    fprintf(stderr, "failed to load job %d from ``%s''\n",
+	    jobnum, file_name);
+  
   free(file_name);
-  
   return tmp;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/server/distrenjob.c b/src/server/distrenjob.c
--- a/src/server/distrenjob.c
+++ b/src/server/distrenjob.c
@@ -88,8 +88,12 @@ int _distrenjob_xml_readuint(xmlNodePtr 
 
   string = xmlGetProp(xmlnode, propname);
   if(!string)
-    return 1;
-
+    {
+      fprintf(stderr, "_distrenjob_xml_readuint(): warning: unable to get property ``%s''\n",
+	      propname);
+      return 1;
+    }
+  
   *num = (unsigned int)strtoul((char *)string, (char **)NULL, 10);
 #ifndef NDEBUG
   fprintf(stderr, "_distrenjob_xml_readuint(%zx, \"%s\", *(%zx)=%u): read %s=\"%d\"\n",
@@ -221,6 +225,9 @@ int distrenjob_unserialize(struct distre
   xmlXPathFreeContext(xmlxpathcontext);
   xmlFreeDoc(xmldoc);
 
+#ifndef NDEBUG
+  fprintf(stderr, "distrenjob_unserialize(): restoring %d frames\n", dj->total_frames);
+#endif
   /**
      reconstruct the frameset
   */
@@ -243,7 +250,7 @@ int distrenjob_unserialize(struct distre
  
 #ifndef NDEBUG
   fprintf(stderr, "distrenjob_unserialize(): finished loading ``%s''\n", pathtoxml);
-#endif NDEBUG
+#endif
 
   return 0;
 }