diff --git a/test/setup_transfer.cpp b/test/setup_transfer.cpp
index 5761a1597..c0205c5df 100644
--- a/test/setup_transfer.cpp
+++ b/test/setup_transfer.cpp
@@ -653,10 +653,11 @@ void create_random_files(std::string const& path, const int file_sizes[], int nu
 
 		std::string full_path = combine_path(path, dirname);
 		lt::create_directories(full_path, ec);
-		if (ec) fprintf(stderr, "create_directory(%s) failed: (%d) %s\n"
+		if (ec) std::printf("create_directory(%s) failed: (%d) %s\n"
 			, full_path.c_str(), ec.value(), ec.message().c_str());
 
 		full_path = combine_path(full_path, filename);
+		std::printf("creating file: %s\n", full_path.c_str());
 
 		int to_write = file_sizes[i];
 		if (fs) fs->add_file(full_path, to_write);
diff --git a/test/test_checking.cpp b/test/test_checking.cpp
index c0a3a1577..0db9a6052 100644
--- a/test/test_checking.cpp
+++ b/test/test_checking.cpp
@@ -320,6 +320,8 @@ TORRENT_TEST(discrete_checking)
 
 	file_storage fs;
 	create_random_files("test_torrent_dir", file_sizes, num_files, &fs);
+	TEST_EQUAL(fs.num_files(), 2);
+
 	lt::create_torrent t(fs, piece_size, 1, lt::create_torrent::optimize_alignment);
 	set_piece_hashes(t, ".", ec);
 	if (ec) printf("ERROR: set_piece_hashes: (%d) %s\n", ec.value(), ec.message().c_str());
@@ -328,7 +330,10 @@ TORRENT_TEST(discrete_checking)
 	bencode(std::back_inserter(buf), t.generate());
 	auto ti = std::make_shared<torrent_info>(buf, ec, from_span);
 	printf("generated torrent: %s test_torrent_dir\n", aux::to_hex(ti->info_hash().to_string()).c_str());
+
+	// we have two files, but there's a padfile now too
 	TEST_EQUAL(ti->num_files(), 3);
+
 	{
 		session ses1(settings());
 		add_torrent_params p;