diff --git a/common/system.c b/common/system.c
index 0cecb18dc3..64adef88cd 100644
--- a/common/system.c
+++ b/common/system.c
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 #include "clock.h"
 #include "common.h"
 #include "console.h"
+#include "cpu.h"
 #include "dma.h"
 #include "flash.h"
 #include "gpio.h"
@@ -424,7 +425,11 @@ const char *system_image_copy_t_to_string(enum system_image_copy_t copy)
  */
 static void jump_to_image(uintptr_t init_addr)
 {
-	void (*resetvec)(void) = (void(*)(void))init_addr;
+	void (*resetvec)(void);
+#ifdef CONFIG_REPLACE_LOADER_WITH_BSS_SLOW
+	uint8_t *buf;
+	int rv;
+#endif /* defined(CONFIG_REPLACE_LOADER_WITH_BSS_SLOW) */
 
 	/*
 	 * Jumping to any image asserts the signal to the Silego chip that that
@@ -447,14 +452,6 @@ static void jump_to_image(uintptr_t init_addr)
 	/* Flush UART output */
 	cflush();
 
-	/* Disable interrupts before jump */
-	interrupt_disable();
-
-#ifdef CONFIG_DMA
-	/* Disable all DMA channels to avoid memory corruption */
-	dma_disable_all();
-#endif /* CONFIG_DMA */
-
 	/* Fill in preserved data between jumps */
 	jdata->reserved0 = 0;
 	jdata->magic = JUMP_DATA_MAGIC;
@@ -466,7 +463,42 @@ static void jump_to_image(uintptr_t init_addr)
 	/* Call other hooks; these may add tags */
 	hook_notify(HOOK_SYSJUMP);
 
+#ifdef CONFIG_REPLACE_LOADER_WITH_BSS_SLOW
+	/*
+	 * We've used the region in which the loader resided as data space for
+	 * the .bss.slow section.  Therefore, we need to reload the loader from
+	 * the external storage back into program memory so that we can load a
+	 * different image.
+	 */
+	buf = (uint8_t *)(CONFIG_PROGRAM_MEMORY_BASE + CONFIG_LOADER_MEM_OFF);
+	rv = flash_read((CONFIG_EC_PROTECTED_STORAGE_OFF +
+			 CONFIG_LOADER_STORAGE_OFF),
+			CONFIG_LOADER_SIZE, buf);
+	/*
+	 * If there's a problem with the flash_read, we might randomly crash in
+	 * the loader.  There's nothing we can really do at this point.  On
+	 * reset, we'll just load the loader from external flash again and boot
+	 * from RO.  Log a message to indicate what happened though.
+	 */
+	if (rv) {
+		CPRINTS("ldr fail!");
+		cflush();
+	}
+
+	/* Now that the lfw is loaded again, get the reset vector. */
+	init_addr = system_get_lfw_address();
+#endif /* defined(CONFIG_REPLACE_LOADER_WITH_BSS_SLOW) */
+
+	/* Disable interrupts before jump */
+	interrupt_disable();
+
+#ifdef CONFIG_DMA
+	/* Disable all DMA channels to avoid memory corruption */
+	dma_disable_all();
+#endif /* CONFIG_DMA */
+
 	/* Jump to the reset vector */
+	resetvec = (void(*)(void))init_addr;
 	resetvec();
 }
 
@@ -474,12 +506,6 @@ int system_run_image_copy(enum system_image_copy_t copy)
 {
 	uintptr_t base;
 	uintptr_t init_addr;
-#ifdef CONFIG_REPLACE_LOADER_WITH_BSS_SLOW
-	uint8_t *buf;
-	uint32_t offset;
-	uint32_t bytes_to_load;
-	int rv;
-#endif /* defined(CONFIG_REPLACE_LOADER_WITH_BSS_SLOW) */
 
 	/* If system is already running the requested image, done */
 	if (system_get_image_copy() == copy)
@@ -508,25 +534,10 @@ int system_run_image_copy(enum system_image_copy_t copy)
 		return EC_ERROR_INVAL;
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_EXTERNAL_STORAGE
-#ifdef CONFIG_REPLACE_LOADER_WITH_BSS_SLOW
-	/*
-	 * We've used the region in which the loader resided as data space for
-	 * the .bss.slow section.  Therefore, we need to reload the loader from
-	 * the external storage back into program memory so that we can load a
-	 * different image.
-	 */
-	buf = (uint8_t *)(CONFIG_PROGRAM_MEMORY_BASE + CONFIG_LOADER_MEM_OFF);
-	bytes_to_load = CONFIG_LOADER_SIZE;
-	offset = CONFIG_EC_PROTECTED_STORAGE_OFF + CONFIG_LOADER_STORAGE_OFF;
-
-	rv = flash_read(offset, bytes_to_load, buf);
-	if (rv)
-		return rv;
-#endif /* defined(CONFIG_REPLACE_LOADER_WITH_BSS_SLOW) */
-
+#ifndef CONFIG_REPLACE_LOADER_WITH_BSS_SLOW
 	/* Jump to loader */
 	init_addr = system_get_lfw_address();
-
+#endif /* !defined(CONFIG_REPLACE_LOADER_WITH_BSS_SLOW) */
 	system_set_image_copy(copy);
 #else
 #ifdef CONFIG_FW_RESET_VECTOR
diff --git a/core/cortex-m/ec.lds.S b/core/cortex-m/ec.lds.S
index f778ca8f88..9fe53747b2 100644
--- a/core/cortex-m/ec.lds.S
+++ b/core/cortex-m/ec.lds.S
@@ -223,8 +223,10 @@ SECTIONS
         *(.bss.system_stack)
 	/* Rest of .bss takes care of its own alignment */
         *(.bss)
+#ifdef CONFIG_REPLACE_LOADER_WITH_BSS_SLOW
         . = ALIGN(4);
         __bss_end = .;
+#endif /* defined(CONFIG_REPLACE_LOADER_WITH_BSS_SLOW) */
     } > IRAM
 
     .bss.slow : {
@@ -233,6 +235,12 @@ SECTIONS
 #ifdef CONFIG_REPLACE_LOADER_WITH_BSS_SLOW
     } > LDR_REGION
 #else
+	/*
+	 * Not replacing the loader, so .bss.slow is part of .bss.  It needs to
+	 * be followed by __bss_end so that .bss.slow will be zeroed by init.
+	 */
+        . = ALIGN(4);
+        __bss_end = .;
     } > IRAM
 #endif /* defined(CONFIG_REPLACE_LOADER_WITH_BSS_SLOW) */