--- a/syscall.c
+++ b/syscall.c
@@ -174,6 +174,64 @@ int do_chmod(const char *path, mode_t mode)
 }
 #endif
 
+#ifdef HAVE_UTIMES
+int do_utimes(const char *fname, time_t modtime)
+{
+	struct timeval t[2];
+
+	if (dry_run) return 0;
+	RETURN_ERROR_IF_RO_OR_LO;
+
+	t[0].tv_sec = time(NULL);
+	t[0].tv_usec = 0;
+	t[1].tv_sec = modtime;
+	t[1].tv_usec = 0;
+
+	return utimes(fname, t);
+}
+#endif
+
+#ifdef HAVE_LUTIMES
+int do_lutimes(const char *fname, time_t modtime)
+{
+	struct timeval t[2];
+
+	if (dry_run) return 0;
+	RETURN_ERROR_IF_RO_OR_LO;
+
+	t[0].tv_sec = time(NULL);
+	t[0].tv_usec = 0;
+	t[1].tv_sec = modtime;
+	t[1].tv_usec = 0;
+
+	return lutimes(fname, t);
+}
+#endif
+
+#ifdef HAVE_UTIME
+int do_utime(const char *fname, time_t modtime)
+{
+#ifdef HAVE_STRUCT_UTIMBUF
+	struct utimbuf tbuf;
+#else
+	time_t t[2];
+#endif
+
+	if (dry_run) return 0;
+	RETURN_ERROR_IF_RO_OR_LO;
+
+#ifdef HAVE_STRUCT_UTIMBUF
+	tbuf.actime = time(NULL);
+	tbuf.modtime = modtime;
+	return utime(fname, &tbuf);
+#else
+	t[0] = time(NULL);
+	t[1] = modtime;
+	return utime(fname, t);
+#endif
+}
+#endif
+
 int do_rename(const char *fname1, const char *fname2)
 {
 	if (dry_run) return 0;
--- a/util.c
+++ b/util.c
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@
 #include "ifuncs.h"
 
 extern int verbose;
-extern int dry_run;
 extern int module_id;
 extern int modify_window;
 extern int relative_paths;
@@ -123,51 +122,64 @@ NORETURN void overflow_exit(const char *str)
 	exit_cleanup(RERR_MALLOC);
 }
 
-int set_modtime(const char *fname, time_t modtime, mode_t mode)
+#if defined HAVE_UTIMES || defined HAVE_UTIME
+static inline void mention_modtime(const char *fname, time_t modtime)
 {
-#if !defined HAVE_LUTIMES || !defined HAVE_UTIMES
-	if (S_ISLNK(mode))
-		return 1;
-#endif
-
 	if (verbose > 2) {
-		rprintf(FINFO, "set modtime of %s to (%ld) %s",
-			fname, (long)modtime,
-			asctime(localtime(&modtime)));
+		rprintf(FINFO, "set modtime of %s to (%.0f) %s",
+			fname, (double)modtime, asctime(localtime(&modtime)));
 	}
+}
+#else
+#error No file-time-modification routine found!
+#endif
 
-	if (dry_run)
-		return 0;
+/* This returns 0 for success, 1 for a symlink if symlink time-setting
+ * is not possible, or -1 for any other error. */
+int set_modtime(const char *fname, time_t modtime, mode_t mode)
+{
+#if defined HAVE_UTIMES && defined HAVE_UTIME
+	static int try_utimes = 1;
 
-	{
+	if (try_utimes)
+#endif
 #ifdef HAVE_UTIMES
-		struct timeval t[2];
-		t[0].tv_sec = time(NULL);
-		t[0].tv_usec = 0;
-		t[1].tv_sec = modtime;
-		t[1].tv_usec = 0;
-# ifdef HAVE_LUTIMES
+	{
 		if (S_ISLNK(mode)) {
-			if (lutimes(fname, t) < 0)
-				return errno == ENOSYS ? 1 : -1;
+# ifdef HAVE_LUTIMES
+			if (do_lutimes(fname, modtime) == 0) {
+				mention_modtime(fname, modtime);
+				return 0;
+			}
+			if (errno != ENOSYS)
+				return -1;
+# endif
+			return 1;
+		}
+
+		if (do_utimes(fname, modtime) == 0) {
+			mention_modtime(fname, modtime);
 			return 0;
 		}
+# ifdef HAVE_UTIME
+		if (errno != ENOSYS)
+			return -1;
+		if (S_ISREG(mode) || S_ISDIR(mode))
+			try_utimes = 0;
 # endif
-		return utimes(fname, t);
-#elif defined HAVE_STRUCT_UTIMBUF
-		struct utimbuf tbuf;
-		tbuf.actime = time(NULL);
-		tbuf.modtime = modtime;
-		return utime(fname,&tbuf);
-#elif defined HAVE_UTIME
-		time_t t[2];
-		t[0] = time(NULL);
-		t[1] = modtime;
-		return utime(fname,t);
-#else
-#error No file-time-modification routine found!
+	}
 #endif
+
+#ifdef HAVE_UTIME
+	if (S_ISLNK(mode))
+		return 1;
+	if (do_utime(fname, modtime) == 0) {
+		mention_modtime(fname, modtime);
+		return 0;
 	}
+#endif
+
+	return -1;
 }
 
 /* This creates a new directory with default permissions.  Since there