diff --git a/.github/travis_build.sh b/.github/travis_build.sh
index 9ccdc10b..9d207fa6 100644
--- a/.github/travis_build.sh
+++ b/.github/travis_build.sh
@@ -6,9 +6,9 @@ set -e; set -o pipefail
 # Copyright (C) Markus Franz Xaver Johannes Oberhumer
 
 if [[ $TRAVIS_OS_NAME == osx ]]; then
-argv0="$0"; argv0dir=$(greadlink -en -- "$0"); argv0dir=$(dirname "$argv0dir")
+argv0=$0; argv0abs=$(greadlink -en -- "$0"); argv0dir=$(dirname "$argv0abs")
 else
-argv0="$0"; argv0dir=$(readlink -en -- "$0"); argv0dir=$(dirname "$argv0dir")
+argv0=$0; argv0abs=$(readlink -en -- "$0"); argv0dir=$(dirname "$argv0abs")
 fi
 source "$argv0dir/travis_init.sh" || exit 1
 
diff --git a/.github/travis_init.sh b/.github/travis_init.sh
index 8b99cb82..d5038892 100644
--- a/.github/travis_init.sh
+++ b/.github/travis_init.sh
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ unset CROSS C B T
 [[ -z $BM_B ]] && BM_B=release
 
 # just in case, unset variable for passing extra UPX options
-UPX=
+export UPX=
 
 # compatibility wrappers
 if [[ $TRAVIS_OS_NAME == osx ]]; then
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ sort() {
 }
 fi
 
-# set CC and CXX from BM_C
+# set CC and CXX from BM_C and BM_CROSS
 if [[ -z $CC_OVERRIDE ]]; then
 CC=false CXX=false SCAN_BUILD=false
 AR=ar SIZE=size
@@ -102,6 +102,7 @@ esac
 if [[ $BM_C =~ (^|\-)(clang|gcc)($|\-) ]]; then
     CC="$CC -std=gnu89"
 fi
+unset v x
 export AR CC CXX
 fi # CC_OVERRIDE
 
@@ -119,25 +120,25 @@ mkbuilddirs() {
         [[ -f "$d/.mfxnobackup" ]] || touch "$d/.mfxnobackup"
     done
 }
-# search for an existing toptop builddir
-for d in . ..;  do
-    for subdir in "local" appveyor circle gitlab travis .; do
-        dd=$d/build/$subdir
-        if [[ -z $toptop_builddir && -d $dd ]]; then
-            toptop_builddir=$(readlink -en -- "$dd")
-            break 2
-        fi
+# search for an existing $toptop_builddir
+if [[ -z $toptop_builddir ]]; then
+    for d in . ..;  do
+        for subdir in "local" appveyor circle gitlab travis .; do
+            dd=$d/build/$subdir
+            if [[ -d $dd ]]; then
+                toptop_builddir=$(readlink -en -- "$dd")
+                break 2
+            fi
+        done
     done
-done
-unset d subdir dd
+    unset d subdir dd
+fi
 [[ -z $toptop_builddir ]] && toptop_builddir=$(readlink -mn -- ./build)
 [[ -z $toptop_bdir ]] && toptop_bdir=$(readlink -mn -- "$toptop_builddir/$BM_C/$BM_B")
-
 [[ -z $upx_BUILDDIR ]] && upx_BUILDDIR=$(readlink -mn -- "$toptop_bdir/upx")
 [[ -z $ucl_BUILDDIR ]] && ucl_BUILDDIR=$(readlink -mn -- "$toptop_bdir/ucl-1.03")
 [[ -z $upx_testsuite_BUILDDIR ]] && upx_testsuite_BUILDDIR=$(readlink -mn -- "$toptop_bdir/upx-testsuite")
 [[ -z $zlib_BUILDDIR ]] && zlib_BUILDDIR=$(readlink -mn -- "$toptop_bdir/zlib-1.2.8")
-
 [[ -z $lcov_OUTPUTDIR ]] && lcov_OUTPUTDIR=$(readlink -mn -- "$toptop_bdir/.lcov-results")
 unset toptop_builddir toptop_bdir
 
diff --git a/.github/travis_testsuite_1.sh b/.github/travis_testsuite_1.sh
index 81c0966b..df9cb9e1 100644
--- a/.github/travis_testsuite_1.sh
+++ b/.github/travis_testsuite_1.sh
@@ -10,9 +10,9 @@ set -e; set -o pipefail
 #
 
 if [[ $TRAVIS_OS_NAME == osx ]]; then
-argv0="$0"; argv0dir=$(greadlink -en -- "$0"); argv0dir=$(dirname "$argv0dir")
+argv0=$0; argv0abs=$(greadlink -en -- "$0"); argv0dir=$(dirname "$argv0abs")
 else
-argv0="$0"; argv0dir=$(readlink -en -- "$0"); argv0dir=$(dirname "$argv0dir")
+argv0=$0; argv0abs=$(readlink -en -- "$0"); argv0dir=$(dirname "$argv0abs")
 fi
 source "$argv0dir/travis_init.sh" || exit 1
 
@@ -53,10 +53,11 @@ testsuite_check_sha() {
     echo
     cat $1/.sha256sums.current
     if ! cmp -s $1/.sha256sums.expected $1/.sha256sums.current; then
-        echo "UPX-ERROR: checksum mismatch"
+        echo "UPX-ERROR: $1 FAILED: checksum mismatch"
         diff -u $1/.sha256sums.expected $1/.sha256sums.current || true
         exit_code=1
         let num_errors+=1 || true
+        all_errors="${all_errors} $1"
         #exit 1
     fi
     echo
@@ -66,18 +67,25 @@ testsuite_check_sha_decompressed() {
     (cd "$1" && sha256sum -b */* | LC_ALL=C sort -k2) > $1/.sha256sums.current
     if ! cmp -s $1/.sha256sums.expected $1/.sha256sums.current; then
         cat $1/.sha256sums.current
-        echo "UPX-ERROR: decompressed checksum mismatch"
+        echo "UPX-ERROR: FATAL: $1 FAILED: decompressed checksum mismatch"
         diff -u $1/.sha256sums.expected $1/.sha256sums.current || true
         exit 1
     fi
 }
 
+testsuite_use_canonicalized=0
 testsuite_run_compress() {
     testsuite_header $testdir
-    local f
-    for f in t01_canonicalized/*/*; do
+    local files f
+    if [[ $testsuite_use_canonicalized == 1 ]]; then
+        files=t01_canonicalized/*/*
+    else
+        files=t01_decompressed/*/*
+    fi
+    for f in $files; do
         testsuite_split_f $f
         [[ -z $fb ]] && continue
+        echo "# $f"
         mkdir -p $testdir/$fsubdir $testdir/.decompressed/$fsubdir
         $upx_run --prefer-ucl "$@" $f -o $testdir/$fsubdir/$fb
         $upx_run -qq -d $testdir/$fsubdir/$fb -o $testdir/.decompressed/$fsubdir/$fb
@@ -86,10 +94,12 @@ testsuite_run_compress() {
     $upx_run -l $testdir/*/*
     $upx_run --file-info $testdir/*/*
     $upx_run -t $testdir/*/*
-    # check that after decompression the file matches the canonicalized version
-    cp t01_canonicalized/.sha256sums.expected $testdir/.decompressed/
-    testsuite_check_sha_decompressed $testdir/.decompressed
-    rm -rf ./$testdir/.decompressed
+    if [[ $testsuite_use_canonicalized == 1 ]]; then
+        # check that after decompression the file matches the canonicalized version
+        cp t01_canonicalized/.sha256sums.expected $testdir/.decompressed/
+        testsuite_check_sha_decompressed $testdir/.decompressed
+        rm -rf ./$testdir/.decompressed
+    fi
 }
 
 # /***********************************************************************
@@ -99,6 +109,7 @@ testsuite_run_compress() {
 #set -x # debug
 exit_code=0
 num_errors=0
+all_errors=
 
 if [[ $BM_T =~ (^|\+)ALLOW_FAIL($|\+) ]]; then
     echo "ALLOW_FAIL"
@@ -134,7 +145,10 @@ fi
 export UPX="--prefer-ucl --no-color --no-progress"
 
 # let's go
-if ! $upx_run --version >/dev/null; then exit 1; fi
+if ! $upx_run --version; then
+    echo "UPX-ERROR: FATAL: upx --version FAILED"
+    exit 1;
+fi
 rm -rf ./testsuite_1
 mkbuilddirs testsuite_1
 cd testsuite_1 || exit 1
@@ -298,6 +312,8 @@ time testsuite_run_compress --all-methods --no-lzma -5 --no-filter
 
 
 testsuite_header "UPX testsuite summary"
+$upx_run --version || echo "UPX-ERROR: upx --version FAILED"
+echo
 echo "upx_exe='$upx_exe'"
 if [[ $upx_run != $upx_exe ]]; then
     echo "upx_run='$upx_run'"
@@ -315,6 +331,7 @@ echo
 if [[ $exit_code == 0 ]]; then
     echo "UPX testsuite passed. All done."
 else
+    echo "UPX-ERROR: UPX testsuite FAILED:${all_errors}"
     echo "UPX-ERROR: UPX testsuite FAILED with $num_errors error(s). See log file."
 fi
 exit $exit_code