diff --git a/libdevcore/CommonData.h b/libdevcore/CommonData.h
index 2573995c5..dada9dd5d 100644
--- a/libdevcore/CommonData.h
+++ b/libdevcore/CommonData.h
@@ -124,6 +124,10 @@ inline bytes toCompactBigEndian(_T _val, unsigned _min = 0)
 	toBigEndian(_val, ret);
 	return ret;
 }
+inline bytes toCompactBigEndian(byte _val, unsigned _min = 0)
+{
+	return (_min || _val) ? bytes{ _val } : bytes{};
+}
 
 /// Convenience function for toBigEndian.
 /// @returns a string just big enough to represent @a _val.
diff --git a/libethcore/Exceptions.cpp b/libethcore/Exceptions.cpp
index b0aff4551..b5d01d3fc 100644
--- a/libethcore/Exceptions.cpp
+++ b/libethcore/Exceptions.cpp
@@ -27,16 +27,12 @@ using namespace std;
 using namespace dev;
 using namespace dev::eth;
 
-#if ALL_COMPILERS_ARE_CPP11_COMPLIANT
-#define ETH_RETURN_STRING(S) thread_local static string s_what; s_what = S; return s_what.c_str();
-#else
-#define ETH_RETURN_STRING(S) \
-	static boost::thread_specific_ptr<string> s_what; \
-	if (!s_what.get()) \
-		s_what.reset(new string); \
-	*s_what = S; return s_what->c_str();
+#if _MSC_VER
+#define thread_local __declspec( thread )
 #endif
 
+#define ETH_RETURN_STRING(S) thread_local static string s_what; s_what = S; return s_what.c_str();
+
 const char* InvalidBlockFormat::what() const noexcept { ETH_RETURN_STRING("Invalid block format: Bad field " + toString(m_f) + " (" + toHex(m_d) + ")"); }
 const char* UncleInChain::what() const noexcept { ETH_RETURN_STRING("Uncle in block already mentioned: Uncles " + toString(m_uncles) + " (" + m_block.abridged() + ")"); }
 const char* InvalidTransactionsHash::what() const noexcept { ETH_RETURN_STRING("Invalid transactions hash:  header says: " + toHex(m_head.ref()) + " block is:" + toHex(m_real.ref())); }
diff --git a/libevm/VM.cpp b/libevm/VM.cpp
index aa3caff44..45017db9c 100644
--- a/libevm/VM.cpp
+++ b/libevm/VM.cpp
@@ -38,10 +38,12 @@ bytesConstRef VM::go(ExtVMFace& _ext, OnOpFunc const& _onOp, uint64_t _steps)
 
 	if (m_jumpDests.empty())
 		for (unsigned i = 0; i < _ext.code.size(); ++i)
+		{
 			if (_ext.code[i] == (byte)Instruction::JUMPDEST)
 				m_jumpDests.insert(i);
 			else if (_ext.code[i] >= (byte)Instruction::PUSH1 && _ext.code[i] <= (byte)Instruction::PUSH32)
 				i += _ext.code[i] - (unsigned)Instruction::PUSH1 + 1;
+		}
 	u256 nextPC = m_curPC + 1;
 	auto osteps = _steps;
 	for (bool stopped = false; !stopped && _steps--; m_curPC = nextPC, nextPC = m_curPC + 1)