diff --git a/src/ubik/recovery.c b/src/ubik/recovery.c
index c48a1746a9..b0b8e9c83c 100644
--- a/src/ubik/recovery.c
+++ b/src/ubik/recovery.c
@@ -432,6 +432,7 @@ urecovery_Interact(void)
 #ifndef OLD_URECOVERY
     char pbuffer[1028];
     int flen, fd = -1;
+    afs_int32 epoch, pass;
 #endif
 
     /* otherwise, begin interaction */
@@ -566,16 +567,16 @@ urecovery_Interact(void)
 		ubik_dprint("truncate io error=%d\n", code);
 		goto FetchEndCall;
 	    }
-
+	    tversion.counter = 0;
+#endif
 	    /* give invalid label during file transit */
 	    tversion.epoch = 0;
-	    tversion.counter = 0;
 	    code = (*ubik_dbase->setlabel) (ubik_dbase, file, &tversion);
 	    if (code) {
 		ubik_dprint("setlabel io error=%d\n", code);
 		goto FetchEndCall;
 	    }
-#else
+#ifndef OLD_URECOVERY
 	    flen = length;
 	    afs_snprintf(pbuffer, sizeof(pbuffer), "%s.DB0.TMP", ubik_dbase->pathName);
 	    fd = open(pbuffer, O_CREAT | O_RDWR | O_TRUNC, 0600);
@@ -592,6 +593,10 @@ urecovery_Interact(void)
 
 	    while (length > 0) {
 		tlen = (length > sizeof(tbuffer) ? sizeof(tbuffer) : length);
+#ifndef AFS_PTHREAD_ENV
+		if (pass % 4 == 0)
+		    IOMGR_Poll();
+#endif
 		nbytes = rx_Read(rxcall, tbuffer, tlen);
 		if (nbytes != tlen) {
 		    ubik_dprint("Rx-read bulk error=%d\n", code = BULK_ERROR);
@@ -605,6 +610,7 @@ urecovery_Interact(void)
 					  tlen);
 #else
 		nbytes = write(fd, tbuffer, tlen);
+		pass++;
 #endif
 		if (nbytes != tlen) {
 		    code = UIOERROR;
@@ -658,6 +664,10 @@ urecovery_Interact(void)
 	    if (code) {
 #ifndef OLD_URECOVERY
 		unlink(pbuffer);
+		/* 
+		 * We will effectively invalidate the old data forever now.
+		 * Unclear if we *should* but we do.
+		 */
 #endif
 		ubik_dbase->version.epoch = 0;
 		ubik_dbase->version.counter = 0;
@@ -665,6 +675,7 @@ urecovery_Interact(void)
 			   code);
 	    } else {
 		ubik_print("Ubik: Synchronize database completed\n");
+		urecovery_state |= UBIK_RECHAVEDB;
 	    }
 	    udisk_Invalidate(ubik_dbase, 0);	/* data has changed */
 	    LWP_NoYieldSignal(&ubik_dbase->version);
diff --git a/src/ubik/remote.c b/src/ubik/remote.c
index e80875ac29..c81cfb2b9e 100644
--- a/src/ubik/remote.c
+++ b/src/ubik/remote.c
@@ -500,6 +500,7 @@ SDISK_SendFile(rxcall, file, length, avers)
 #ifndef OLD_URECOVERY
     char pbuffer[1028];
     int flen, fd = -1;
+    afs_int32 epoch, pass;
 #endif
 
     /* send the file back to the requester */
@@ -540,10 +541,13 @@ SDISK_SendFile(rxcall, file, length, avers)
     offset = 0;
 #ifdef OLD_URECOVERY
     (*dbase->truncate) (dbase, file, 0);	/* truncate first */
-    tversion.epoch = 0;		/* start off by labelling in-transit db as invalid */
     tversion.counter = 0;
-    (*dbase->setlabel) (dbase, file, &tversion);	/* setlabel does sync */
 #else
+    epoch =
+#endif
+    tversion.epoch = 0;		/* start off by labelling in-transit db as invalid */
+    (*dbase->setlabel) (dbase, file, &tversion);	/* setlabel does sync */
+#ifndef OLD_URECOVERY
     flen = length;
     afs_snprintf(pbuffer, sizeof(pbuffer), "%s.DB0.TMP", ubik_dbase->pathName);
     fd = open(pbuffer, O_CREAT | O_RDWR | O_TRUNC, 0600);
@@ -556,10 +560,16 @@ SDISK_SendFile(rxcall, file, length, avers)
 	close(fd);
 	goto failed;
     }
+#else
+    pass = 0;
 #endif
     memcpy(&ubik_dbase->version, &tversion, sizeof(struct ubik_version));
     while (length > 0) {
 	tlen = (length > sizeof(tbuffer) ? sizeof(tbuffer) : length);
+#if !defined(OLD_URECOVERY) && defined(AFS_PTHREAD_ENV)
+	if (pass % 4 == 0)
+	    IOMGR_Poll();
+#endif
 	code = rx_Read(rxcall, tbuffer, tlen);
 	if (code != tlen) {
 	    DBRELE(dbase);
@@ -572,6 +582,7 @@ SDISK_SendFile(rxcall, file, length, avers)
 	code = (*dbase->write) (dbase, file, tbuffer, offset, tlen);
 #else
 	code = write(fd, tbuffer, tlen);
+	pass++;
 #endif
 	if (code != tlen) {
 	    DBRELE(dbase);
@@ -621,6 +632,9 @@ SDISK_SendFile(rxcall, file, length, avers)
     if (code) {
 #ifndef OLD_URECOVERY
 	unlink(pbuffer);
+	/* Failed to sync. Allow reads again for now. */
+	tversion.epoch = epoch;
+	(*dbase->setlabel) (dbase, file, &tversion);
 #endif
 	ubik_print
 	    ("Ubik: Synchronize database with server %s failed (error = %d)\n",