diff --git a/server/context_i386.c b/server/context_i386.c
index 50deb049fe7..87d1da1c7c6 100644
--- a/server/context_i386.c
+++ b/server/context_i386.c
@@ -150,11 +150,10 @@ static void set_thread_context( struct thread *thread, unsigned int flags, CONTE
     if (flags & CONTEXT_FULL)
     {
         struct kernel_user_regs_struct regs;
-        if (((flags | CONTEXT_i386) & CONTEXT_FULL) != CONTEXT_FULL)
-        {
-            /* need to preserve some registers */
-            if (ptrace( PTRACE_GETREGS, pid, 0, &regs ) == -1) goto error;
-        }
+
+        /* need to preserve some registers (at a minimum orig_eax must always be preserved) */
+        if (ptrace( PTRACE_GETREGS, pid, 0, &regs ) == -1) goto error;
+
         if (flags & CONTEXT_INTEGER)
         {
             regs.eax = context->Eax;
diff --git a/server/debugger.c b/server/debugger.c
index eb86efebdd8..377b4b30dbf 100644
--- a/server/debugger.c
+++ b/server/debugger.c
@@ -411,13 +411,12 @@ static int debugger_attach( struct process *process, struct thread *debugger )
     for (thread = debugger; thread; thread = thread->process->debugger)
         if (thread->process == process) goto error;
 
-    suspend_process( process );
+    suspend_process_for_ptrace( process );
 
     /* we must have been able to attach all threads */
     for (thread = process->thread_list; thread; thread = thread->proc_next)
         if (!thread->attached)
         {
-            fprintf( stderr, "%p not attached\n", thread );
             resume_process( process );
             goto error;
         }
diff --git a/server/process.c b/server/process.c
index 39f40e6f301..fbead288ab4 100644
--- a/server/process.c
+++ b/server/process.c
@@ -491,6 +491,21 @@ void suspend_process( struct process *process )
     }
 }
 
+/* suspend all the threads of a process to allow using ptrace on it*/
+void suspend_process_for_ptrace( struct process *process )
+{
+    if (!process->suspend++)
+    {
+        struct thread *thread = process->thread_list;
+        for (; thread; thread = thread->proc_next)
+        {
+            if (thread->suspend) continue;
+            if (suspend_for_ptrace( thread ))
+                thread->suspend--;  /* since the process is suspended, not the thread */
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 /* resume all the threads of a process */
 void resume_process( struct process *process )
 {
diff --git a/server/process.h b/server/process.h
index fb272c79339..6d4a57a8a64 100644
--- a/server/process.h
+++ b/server/process.h
@@ -81,6 +81,7 @@ extern void add_process_thread( struct process *process,
 extern void remove_process_thread( struct process *process,
                                    struct thread *thread );
 extern void suspend_process( struct process *process );
+extern void suspend_process_for_ptrace( struct process *process );
 extern void resume_process( struct process *process );
 extern void kill_process( struct process *process, struct thread *skip, int exit_code );
 extern void kill_debugged_processes( struct thread *debugger, int exit_code );