diff --git a/src/bin/strace/Context.cpp b/src/bin/strace/Context.cpp
index 301990dba2..0c81b1b1d7 100644
--- a/src/bin/strace/Context.cpp
+++ b/src/bin/strace/Context.cpp
@@ -9,19 +9,41 @@
 
 #include "Context.h"
 
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <string.h>
+
 
 string
-Context::FormatSigned(int64 value, const char *type) const
+Context::FormatSigned(int64 value, int bytes) const
 {
-	char modifier[16], tmp[32];
+	char tmp[32];
 
-	if (fDecimal)
-		snprintf(modifier, sizeof(modifier), "%%%si", type);
-	else
-		snprintf(modifier, sizeof(modifier), "0x%%%sx", type);
+	// decimal
 
-	snprintf(tmp, sizeof(tmp), modifier, value);
-	return tmp;
+	if (fDecimal) {
+		snprintf(tmp, sizeof(tmp), "%lld", value);
+		return tmp;
+	}
+
+	// hex
+
+	snprintf(tmp, sizeof(tmp), "0x%llx", value);
+
+	// Negative numbers are expanded when being converted to int64. Hence
+	// we skip all but the last 2 * bytes hex digits to retain the original
+	// type's width.
+	int len = strlen(tmp);
+	int offset = len - min_c(len, bytes * 2);
+
+	// use the existing "0x" prefix or prepend it again
+	if (offset <= 2) {
+		offset = 0;
+	} else {
+		tmp[--offset] = 'x';
+		tmp[--offset] = '0';
+	}
+	
+	return tmp + offset;
 }
 
 string
diff --git a/src/bin/strace/Context.h b/src/bin/strace/Context.h
index ba766a9698..c61a02fa8d 100644
--- a/src/bin/strace/Context.h
+++ b/src/bin/strace/Context.h
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ public:
 	MemoryReader &Reader() { return fReader; }
 	bool GetContents(uint32 what) const { return fFlags & what; }
 
-	string FormatSigned(int64 value, const char *modifier = "ll") const;
+	string FormatSigned(int64 value, int bytes = 8) const;
 	string FormatUnsigned(uint64 value) const;
 	string FormatFlags(uint64 value) const;
 
diff --git a/src/bin/strace/TypeHandler.cpp b/src/bin/strace/TypeHandler.cpp
index ebe887453a..5121be9c32 100644
--- a/src/bin/strace/TypeHandler.cpp
+++ b/src/bin/strace/TypeHandler.cpp
@@ -441,22 +441,16 @@ format_pointer(Context &context, msghdr *h)
 template<typename Type>
 class SignedIntegerTypeHandler : public TypeHandler {
 public:
-	SignedIntegerTypeHandler(const char *modifier)
-		: fModifier(modifier) {}
-
 	string GetParameterValue(Context &context, Parameter *,
 				 const void *address)
 	{
-		return context.FormatSigned(get_value<Type>(address), fModifier);
+		return context.FormatSigned(get_value<Type>(address), sizeof(Type));
 	}
 
 	string GetReturnValue(Context &context, uint64 value)
 	{
-		return context.FormatSigned(value, fModifier);
+		return context.FormatSigned(value, sizeof(Type));
 	}
-
-private:
-	const char *fModifier;
 };
 
 template<typename Type>
@@ -494,12 +488,12 @@ class SpecializedPointerTypeHandler : public TypeHandler {
 		return new TypeHandlerImpl<type>(); \
 	}
 
-#define SIGNED_INTEGER_TYPE(type, modifier) \
+#define SIGNED_INTEGER_TYPE(type) \
 	template<> \
 	TypeHandler * \
 	TypeHandlerFactory<type>::Create() \
 	{ \
-		return new SignedIntegerTypeHandler<type>(modifier); \
+		return new SignedIntegerTypeHandler<type>(); \
 	}
 
 #define UNSIGNED_INTEGER_TYPE(type) \
@@ -516,11 +510,11 @@ class SpecializedPointerTypeHandler : public TypeHandler {
 		return new SpecializedPointerTypeHandler<type>(); \
 	}
 
-SIGNED_INTEGER_TYPE(char, "hh");
-SIGNED_INTEGER_TYPE(short, "h");
-SIGNED_INTEGER_TYPE(int, "");
-SIGNED_INTEGER_TYPE(long, "l");
-SIGNED_INTEGER_TYPE(long long, "ll");
+SIGNED_INTEGER_TYPE(char);
+SIGNED_INTEGER_TYPE(short);
+SIGNED_INTEGER_TYPE(int);
+SIGNED_INTEGER_TYPE(long);
+SIGNED_INTEGER_TYPE(long long);
 
 UNSIGNED_INTEGER_TYPE(unsigned char);
 UNSIGNED_INTEGER_TYPE(unsigned short);