diff --git a/src/kits/storage/Node.cpp b/src/kits/storage/Node.cpp
index 5ecc21fe30..86b401533e 100644
--- a/src/kits/storage/Node.cpp
+++ b/src/kits/storage/Node.cpp
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ node_ref::node_ref(const node_ref& other)
 bool
 node_ref::operator==(const node_ref& other) const
 {
-	return (device == other.device && node == other.node);
+	return device == other.device && node == other.node;
 }
 
 
@@ -235,7 +235,10 @@ BNode::Unlock()
 status_t
 BNode::Sync()
 {
-	return (fCStatus != B_OK) ? B_FILE_ERROR : _kern_fsync(fFd);
+	if (fCStatus != B_OK)
+		return B_FILE_ERROR;
+
+	return _kern_fsync(fFd);
 }
 
 
@@ -244,14 +247,15 @@ BNode::WriteAttr(const char* attr, type_code type, off_t offset,
 	const void* buffer, size_t length)
 {
 	if (fCStatus != B_OK)
-		return B_FILE_ERROR;
+		return (ssize_t)B_FILE_ERROR;
 
 	if (attr == NULL || buffer == NULL)
-		return B_BAD_VALUE;
+		return (ssize_t)B_BAD_VALUE;
 
-	ssize_t result = fs_write_attr(fFd, attr, type, offset, buffer, length);
+	ssize_t bytesWritten = fs_write_attr(fFd, attr, type, offset, buffer,
+		length);
 
-	return result < 0 ? errno : result;
+	return bytesWritten < 0 ? (ssize_t)errno : bytesWritten;
 }
 
 
@@ -260,14 +264,14 @@ BNode::ReadAttr(const char* attr, type_code type, off_t offset,
 	void* buffer, size_t length) const
 {
 	if (fCStatus != B_OK)
-		return B_FILE_ERROR;
+		return (ssize_t)B_FILE_ERROR;
 
 	if (attr == NULL || buffer == NULL)
-		return B_BAD_VALUE;
+		return (ssize_t)B_BAD_VALUE;
 
-	ssize_t result = fs_read_attr(fFd, attr, type, offset, buffer, length);
+	ssize_t bytesRead = fs_read_attr(fFd, attr, type, offset, buffer, length);
 
-	return result == -1 ? errno : result;
+	return bytesRead == -1 ? (ssize_t)errno : bytesRead;
 }
 
 
@@ -297,7 +301,7 @@ BNode::GetAttrInfo(const char* name, struct attr_info* info) const
 	if (name == NULL || info == NULL)
 		return B_BAD_VALUE;
 
-	return fs_stat_attr(fFd, name, info) < 0 ? errno : B_OK ;
+	return fs_stat_attr(fFd, name, info) < 0 ? errno : B_OK;
 }
 
 
@@ -342,16 +346,23 @@ BNode::RewindAttrs()
 status_t
 BNode::WriteAttrString(const char* name, const BString* data)
 {
-	status_t error = (!name || !data)  ? B_BAD_VALUE : B_OK;
-	if (error == B_OK) {
+	status_t result = (name == NULL || data == NULL) ? B_BAD_VALUE : B_OK;
+	if (result == B_OK) {
 		int32 length = data->Length() + 1;
-		ssize_t sizeWritten = WriteAttr(name, B_STRING_TYPE, 0, data->String(),
+		ssize_t bytesWritten = WriteAttr(name, B_STRING_TYPE, 0, data->String(),
 			length);
-		if (sizeWritten != length)
-			error = sizeWritten;
+		if (bytesWritten < 0) {
+			// error code returned by WriteAttr()
+			result = (status_t)bytesWritten;
+		} else if (bytesWritten != length) {
+			// attribute partially written
+			result = B_FILE_ERROR;
+		}
+
+		// wrote exactly what we were supposed to, nothing more to do
 	}
 
-	return error;
+	return result;
 }
 
 
@@ -401,10 +412,11 @@ BNode::operator=(const BNode& node)
 
 	// Close down out current state
 	Unset();
+
 	// We have to manually dup the node, because R5::BNode::Dup()
 	// is not declared to be const (which IMO is retarded).
 	fFd = _kern_dup(node.fFd);
-	fCStatus = (fFd < 0) ? B_NO_INIT : B_OK ;
+	fCStatus = fFd < 0 ? B_NO_INIT : B_OK;
 
 	return *this;
 }
@@ -521,7 +533,7 @@ BNode::set_status(status_t newStatus)
 
 
 /*!	Initializes the BNode's file descriptor to the node referred to
-	by the given FD and path combo.
+	by the given \a fd and \a path combo.
 
 	\a path must either be \c NULL, an absolute or a relative path.
 	In the first case, \a fd must not be \c NULL; the node it refers to will
@@ -550,8 +562,8 @@ BNode::_SetTo(int fd, const char* path, bool traverse)
 {
 	Unset();
 
-	status_t error = (fd >= 0 || path ? B_OK : B_BAD_VALUE);
-	if (error == B_OK) {
+	status_t result = (fd >= 0 || path != NULL) ? B_OK : B_BAD_VALUE;
+	if (result == B_OK) {
 		int traverseFlag = (traverse ? 0 : O_NOTRAVERSE);
 		fFd = _kern_open(fd, path, O_RDWR | O_CLOEXEC | traverseFlag, 0);
 		if (fFd < B_OK && fFd != B_ENTRY_NOT_FOUND) {
@@ -559,10 +571,10 @@ BNode::_SetTo(int fd, const char* path, bool traverse)
 			fFd = _kern_open(fd, path, O_RDONLY | O_CLOEXEC | traverseFlag, 0);
 		}
 		if (fFd < 0)
-			error = fFd;
+			result = fFd;
 	}
 
-	return fCStatus = error;
+	return result;
 }
 
 
@@ -586,9 +598,9 @@ BNode::_SetTo(const entry_ref* ref, bool traverse)
 {
 	Unset();
 
-	status_t result = (ref ? B_OK : B_BAD_VALUE);
+	status_t result = ref != NULL ? B_OK : B_BAD_VALUE;
 	if (result == B_OK) {
-		int traverseFlag = (traverse ? 0 : O_NOTRAVERSE);
+		int traverseFlag = traverse ? 0 : O_NOTRAVERSE;
 		fFd = _kern_open_entry_ref(ref->device, ref->directory, ref->name,
 			O_RDWR | O_CLOEXEC | traverseFlag, 0);
 		if (fFd < B_OK && fFd != B_ENTRY_NOT_FOUND) {
@@ -600,7 +612,7 @@ BNode::_SetTo(const entry_ref* ref, bool traverse)
 			result = fFd;
 	}
 
-	return fCStatus = result;
+	return result;
 }
 
 
@@ -620,8 +632,7 @@ BNode::set_stat(struct stat& stat, uint32 what)
 	if (fCStatus != B_OK)
 		return B_FILE_ERROR;
 
-	return _kern_write_stat(fFd, NULL, false, &stat, sizeof(struct stat),
-		what);
+	return _kern_write_stat(fFd, NULL, false, &stat, sizeof(struct stat), what);
 }
 
 
@@ -651,9 +662,10 @@ BNode::InitAttrDir()
 status_t
 BNode::_GetStat(struct stat* stat) const
 {
-	return fCStatus != B_OK
-		? fCStatus
-		: _kern_read_stat(fFd, NULL, false, stat, sizeof(struct stat));
+	if (fCStatus != B_OK)
+		return fCStatus;
+
+	return _kern_read_stat(fFd, NULL, false, stat, sizeof(struct stat));
 }
 
 
@@ -661,9 +673,9 @@ status_t
 BNode::_GetStat(struct stat_beos* stat) const
 {
 	struct stat newStat;
-	status_t error = _GetStat(&newStat);
-	if (error != B_OK)
-		return error;
+	status_t result = _GetStat(&newStat);
+	if (result != B_OK)
+		return result;
 
 	convert_to_stat_beos(&newStat, stat);