diff --git a/test/setup_transfer.cpp b/test/setup_transfer.cpp
index 4779171ed..f535d1d26 100644
--- a/test/setup_transfer.cpp
+++ b/test/setup_transfer.cpp
@@ -335,14 +335,22 @@ bool downloading_alert(libtorrent::alert const* a)
 
 void wait_for_downloading(lt::session& ses, char const* name)
 {
+	time_point start = clock_type::now();
 	downloading_done = false;
 	alert const* a = 0;
 	do
 	{
 		print_alerts(ses, name, true, true, true, &downloading_alert, false);
 		if (downloading_done) break;
-		a = ses.wait_for_alert(milliseconds(500));
+		if (total_seconds(clock_type::now() - start) > 10) break;
+		a = ses.wait_for_alert(seconds(2));
 	} while (a);
+	if (!downloading_done)
+	{
+		fprintf(stderr, "did not receive a state_changed_alert indicating "
+			"the torrent is downloading. waited: %d ms\n"
+			, int(total_milliseconds(clock_type::now() - start)));
+	}
 }
 
 void print_ses_rate(float time
diff --git a/test/swarm_suite.cpp b/test/swarm_suite.cpp
index 1535f00d9..d8c781443 100644
--- a/test/swarm_suite.cpp
+++ b/test/swarm_suite.cpp
@@ -212,7 +212,7 @@ void test_swarm(int flags)
 	while ((ret = ses1.wait_for_alert(seconds(2))))
 	{
 		fprintf(stderr, "wait returned: %d ms\n"
-			, total_milliseconds(clock_type::now() - start));
+			, int(total_milliseconds(clock_type::now() - start)));
 		std::vector<alert*> alerts;
 		ses1.pop_alerts(&alerts);
 		for (std::vector<alert*>::iterator i = alerts.begin()
@@ -224,7 +224,7 @@ void test_swarm(int flags)
 	}
 
 	fprintf(stderr, "loop returned: %d ms\n"
-		, total_milliseconds(clock_type::now() - start));
+		, int(total_milliseconds(clock_type::now() - start)));
 
 	// this allows shutting down the sessions in parallel
 	p1 = ses1.abort();
@@ -233,7 +233,7 @@ void test_swarm(int flags)
 
 	time_point end = clock_type::now();
 
-	fprintf(stderr, "time: %d ms\n", total_milliseconds(end - start));
+	fprintf(stderr, "time: %d ms\n", int(total_milliseconds(end - start)));
 	TEST_CHECK(end - start < seconds(3));
 	TEST_CHECK(end - start >= seconds(2));