diff --git a/headers/private/kernel/vfs.h b/headers/private/kernel/vfs.h
index 5c84264d3a..039452018e 100644
--- a/headers/private/kernel/vfs.h
+++ b/headers/private/kernel/vfs.h
@@ -81,7 +81,8 @@ int vfs_setrlimit(int resource, const struct rlimit * rlp);
 int vfs_get_vnode_from_fd(int fd, bool kernel, struct vnode **_vnode);
 status_t vfs_get_vnode_from_path(const char *path, bool kernel,
 			struct vnode **_vnode);
-status_t vfs_get_vnode(dev_t mountID, ino_t vnodeID, struct vnode **_vnode);
+status_t vfs_get_vnode(dev_t mountID, ino_t vnodeID, bool canWait,
+			struct vnode **_vnode);
 status_t vfs_entry_ref_to_vnode(dev_t mountID, ino_t directoryID,
 			const char *name, struct vnode **_vnode);
 void vfs_vnode_to_node_ref(struct vnode *vnode, dev_t *_mountID,
diff --git a/src/system/kernel/cache/file_cache.cpp b/src/system/kernel/cache/file_cache.cpp
index 5f64e7619a..12f6b80d92 100644
--- a/src/system/kernel/cache/file_cache.cpp
+++ b/src/system/kernel/cache/file_cache.cpp
@@ -518,13 +518,13 @@ pages_io(file_cache_ref *ref, off_t offset, const iovec *vecs, size_t count,
 	The cache_ref lock must be hold when calling this function; during
 	operation it will unlock the cache, though.
 */
-static inline status_t
+static status_t
 read_into_cache(file_cache_ref *ref, off_t offset, size_t numBytes,
 	int32 pageOffset, addr_t buffer, size_t bufferSize,
 	size_t lastReservedPages, size_t reservePages)
 {
 	TRACE(("read_into_cache(offset = %Ld, size = %lu, pageOffset = %ld, buffer "
-		"= %#lx, bufferSize = %lu\n", offset, size, pageOffset, buffer,
+		"= %#lx, bufferSize = %lu\n", offset, numBytes, pageOffset, buffer,
 		bufferSize));
 
 	vm_cache *cache = ref->cache;
@@ -630,7 +630,7 @@ read_into_cache(file_cache_ref *ref, off_t offset, size_t numBytes,
 	though, if only a partial page gets written.
 	The same restrictions apply.
 */
-static inline status_t
+static status_t
 write_to_cache(file_cache_ref *ref, off_t offset, size_t numBytes,
 	int32 pageOffset, addr_t buffer, size_t bufferSize,
 	size_t lastReservedPages, size_t reservePages)
@@ -1086,7 +1086,7 @@ cache_prefetch(dev_t mountID, ino_t vnodeID, off_t offset, size_t size)
 
 	// get the vnode for the object, this also grabs a ref to it
 	struct vnode *vnode;
-	if (vfs_get_vnode(mountID, vnodeID, &vnode) != B_OK)
+	if (vfs_get_vnode(mountID, vnodeID, true, &vnode) != B_OK)
 		return;
 
 	cache_prefetch_vnode(vnode, offset, size);
diff --git a/src/system/kernel/cache/vnode_store.cpp b/src/system/kernel/cache/vnode_store.cpp
index c17af2f97e..0380ff50e4 100644
--- a/src/system/kernel/cache/vnode_store.cpp
+++ b/src/system/kernel/cache/vnode_store.cpp
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ store_acquire_unreferenced_ref(struct vm_store *_store)
 {
 	vnode_store *store = (vnode_store *)_store;
 	struct vnode *vnode;
-	return vfs_get_vnode(store->device, store->inode, &vnode);
+	return vfs_get_vnode(store->device, store->inode, false, &vnode);
 }
 
 
diff --git a/src/system/kernel/fs/vfs.cpp b/src/system/kernel/fs/vfs.cpp
index d40331aa85..5d19405ebd 100644
--- a/src/system/kernel/fs/vfs.cpp
+++ b/src/system/kernel/fs/vfs.cpp
@@ -825,21 +825,22 @@ lookup_vnode(dev_t mountID, ino_t vnodeID)
 	\return \c B_OK, if everything when fine, an error code otherwise.
 */
 static status_t
-get_vnode(dev_t mountID, ino_t vnodeID, struct vnode **_vnode, int reenter)
+get_vnode(dev_t mountID, ino_t vnodeID, struct vnode **_vnode, bool canWait,
+	int reenter)
 {
 	FUNCTION(("get_vnode: mountid %ld vnid 0x%Lx %p\n", mountID, vnodeID, _vnode));
 
 	mutex_lock(&sVnodeMutex);
 
-	int32 tries = 300;
-		// try for 3 secs
+	int32 tries = 1000;
+		// try for 10 secs
 restart:
 	struct vnode *vnode = lookup_vnode(mountID, vnodeID);
 	if (vnode && vnode->busy) {
 		mutex_unlock(&sVnodeMutex);
-		if (--tries < 0) {
+		if (!canWait || --tries < 0) {
 			// vnode doesn't seem to become unbusy
-			panic("vnode %ld:%Ld is not becoming unbusy!\n", mountID, vnodeID);
+			dprintf("vnode %ld:%Ld is not becoming unbusy!\n", mountID, vnodeID);
 			return B_BUSY;
 		}
 		snooze(10000); // 10 ms
@@ -867,7 +868,8 @@ restart:
 		vnode->busy = true;
 		mutex_unlock(&sVnodeMutex);
 
-		status = FS_CALL(vnode, get_vnode)(vnode->mount->cookie, vnodeID, &vnode->private_node, reenter);
+		status = FS_CALL(vnode, get_vnode)(vnode->mount->cookie, vnodeID,
+			&vnode->private_node, reenter);
 		if (status == B_OK && vnode->private_node == NULL)
 			status = B_BAD_VALUE;
 
@@ -1422,7 +1424,7 @@ resolve_mount_point_to_volume_root(dev_t mountID, ino_t nodeID,
 {
 	// get the node
 	struct vnode *node;
-	status_t error = get_vnode(mountID, nodeID, &node, false);
+	status_t error = get_vnode(mountID, nodeID, &node, true, false);
 	if (error != B_OK)
 		return error;
 
@@ -1534,7 +1536,7 @@ entry_ref_to_vnode(dev_t mountID, ino_t directoryID, const char *name,
 	// get the directory vnode and let vnode_path_to_vnode() do the rest
 	struct vnode *directory;
 
-	status_t status = get_vnode(mountID, directoryID, &directory, false);
+	status_t status = get_vnode(mountID, directoryID, &directory, true, false);
 	if (status < 0)
 		return status;
 
@@ -2532,7 +2534,7 @@ dump_vnode_usage(int argc, char **argv)
 #endif	// ADD_DEBUGGER_COMMANDS
 
 
-//	#pragma mark - public VFS API
+//	#pragma mark - public API for file systems
 
 
 extern "C" status_t
@@ -2603,7 +2605,7 @@ get_vnode(dev_t mountID, ino_t vnodeID, fs_vnode *_fsNode)
 {
 	struct vnode *vnode;
 
-	status_t status = get_vnode(mountID, vnodeID, &vnode, true);
+	status_t status = get_vnode(mountID, vnodeID, &vnode, true, true);
 	if (status < B_OK)
 		return status;
 
@@ -2771,11 +2773,11 @@ vfs_get_vnode_from_path(const char *path, bool kernel, struct vnode **_vnode)
 
 
 extern "C" status_t
-vfs_get_vnode(dev_t mountID, ino_t vnodeID, struct vnode **_vnode)
+vfs_get_vnode(dev_t mountID, ino_t vnodeID, bool canWait, struct vnode **_vnode)
 {
 	struct vnode *vnode;
 
-	status_t status = get_vnode(mountID, vnodeID, &vnode, false);
+	status_t status = get_vnode(mountID, vnodeID, &vnode, canWait, false);
 	if (status < B_OK)
 		return status;
 
@@ -3068,7 +3070,7 @@ vfs_disconnect_vnode(dev_t mountID, ino_t vnodeID)
 {
 	struct vnode *vnode;
 
-	status_t status = get_vnode(mountID, vnodeID, &vnode, true);
+	status_t status = get_vnode(mountID, vnodeID, &vnode, true, true);
 	if (status < B_OK)
 		return status;
 
@@ -3697,7 +3699,7 @@ file_create_entry_ref(dev_t mountID, ino_t directoryID, const char *name,
 	FUNCTION(("file_create_entry_ref: name = '%s', omode %x, perms %d, kernel %d\n", name, openMode, perms, kernel));
 
 	// get directory to put the new file in	
-	status = get_vnode(mountID, directoryID, &directory, false);
+	status = get_vnode(mountID, directoryID, &directory, true, false);
 	if (status < B_OK)
 		return status;
 
@@ -3938,7 +3940,7 @@ dir_create_entry_ref(dev_t mountID, ino_t parentID, const char *name, int perms,
 
 	FUNCTION(("dir_create_entry_ref(dev = %ld, ino = %Ld, name = '%s', perms = %d)\n", mountID, parentID, name, perms));
 	
-	status = get_vnode(mountID, parentID, &vnode, kernel);
+	status = get_vnode(mountID, parentID, &vnode, true, false);
 	if (status < B_OK)
 		return status;
 
@@ -3991,7 +3993,7 @@ dir_open_entry_ref(dev_t mountID, ino_t parentID, const char *name, bool kernel)
 	if (name)
 		status = entry_ref_to_vnode(mountID, parentID, name, &vnode);
 	else
-		status = get_vnode(mountID, parentID, &vnode, false);
+		status = get_vnode(mountID, parentID, &vnode, true, false);
 	if (status < B_OK)
 		return status;
 
@@ -4088,7 +4090,8 @@ fix_dirent(struct vnode *parent, struct dirent *entry)
 	} else {
 		// resolve mount points
 		struct vnode *vnode = NULL;
-		status_t status = get_vnode(entry->d_dev, entry->d_ino, &vnode, false);
+		status_t status = get_vnode(entry->d_dev, entry->d_ino, &vnode, true,
+			false);
 		if (status != B_OK)
 			return;
 
@@ -5725,7 +5728,7 @@ fs_sync(dev_t device)
 
 		// acquire a reference to the vnode
 
-		if (get_vnode(mount->id, id, &vnode, true) == B_OK) {
+		if (get_vnode(mount->id, id, &vnode, true, false) == B_OK) {
 			if (previousVnode != NULL)
 				put_vnode(previousVnode);
 
@@ -6773,7 +6776,7 @@ _user_entry_ref_to_path(dev_t device, ino_t inode, const char *leaf,
 		status = entry_ref_to_vnode(device, inode, leaf, &vnode);
 		leaf = NULL;
 	} else
-		status = get_vnode(device, inode, &vnode, false);
+		status = get_vnode(device, inode, &vnode, true, false);
 	if (status < B_OK)
 		return status;