diff --git a/compiler/cgen.nim b/compiler/cgen.nim
index c4544bbc56..220b8e3c12 100644
--- a/compiler/cgen.nim
+++ b/compiler/cgen.nim
@@ -1556,6 +1556,9 @@ proc registerModuleToMain(g: BModuleList; m: BModule) =
       # nasty nasty hack to get the command line functionality working with HCR
       # register the 2 variables on behalf of the os module which might not even
       # be loaded (in which case it will get collected but that is not a problem)
+      # EDIT: indeed, this hack, in combination with another un-necessary one
+      # (`makeCString` was doing line wrap of string litterals) was root cause for
+      # bug #16265.
       let osModulePath = ($systemModulePath).replace("stdlib_system", "stdlib_os").rope
       g.mainDatInit.addf("\thcrAddModule($1);\n", [osModulePath])
       g.mainDatInit.add("\tint* cmd_count;\n")
diff --git a/compiler/msgs.nim b/compiler/msgs.nim
index d0209db5d0..1a005788e1 100644
--- a/compiler/msgs.nim
+++ b/compiler/msgs.nim
@@ -34,13 +34,15 @@ proc toCChar*(c: char; result: var string) =
     result.add c
 
 proc makeCString*(s: string): Rope =
-  const MaxLineLength = 64
   result = nil
   var res = newStringOfCap(int(s.len.toFloat * 1.1) + 1)
   res.add("\"")
   for i in 0..<s.len:
-    if (i + 1) mod MaxLineLength == 0:
-      res.add("\"\L\"")
+    # line wrapping of string litterals in cgen'd code was a bad idea, e.g. causes: bug #16265
+    # It also makes reading c sources or grepping harder, for zero benefit.
+    # const MaxLineLength = 64
+    # if (i + 1) mod MaxLineLength == 0:
+    #   res.add("\"\L\"")
     toCChar(s[i], res)
   res.add('\"')
   result.add(rope(res))
diff --git a/tests/dll/nimhcr_integration.nim b/tests/dll/nimhcr_integration.nim
index 6265023645..58851b5c4c 100644
--- a/tests/dll/nimhcr_integration.nim
+++ b/tests/dll/nimhcr_integration.nim
@@ -1,7 +1,5 @@
 discard """
   disabled: "openbsd"
-  disabled: "netbsd"
-  disabled: "macosx"
   output: '''
 main: HELLO!
 main: hasAnyModuleChanged? true
@@ -56,6 +54,20 @@ done
 '''
 """
 
+#[
+xxx disabled: "openbsd" because it would otherwise give:
+/home/build/Nim/lib/nimhcr.nim(532) hcrInit
+/home/build/Nim/lib/nimhcr.nim(503) initModules
+/home/build/Nim/lib/nimhcr.nim(463) initPointerData
+/home/build/Nim/lib/nimhcr.nim(346) hcrRegisterProc
+/home/build/Nim/lib/pure/reservedmem.nim(223) setLen
+/home/build/Nim/lib/pure/reservedmem.nim(97) setLen
+/home/build/Nim/lib/pure/includes/oserr.nim(94) raiseOSError
+Error: unhandled exception: Not supported [OSError]
+
+After instrumenting code, the stacktrace actually points to the call to `check mprotect`
+]#
+
 ## This is perhaps the most complex test in the nim test suite - calling the
 ## compiler on the file itself with the same set or arguments and reloading
 ## parts of the program at runtime! In the same folder there are a few modules
@@ -100,6 +112,7 @@ proc compileReloadExecute() =
   #   binary triggers rebuilding itself here it shouldn't rebuild the main module -
   #   that would lead to replacing the main binary executable which is running!
   let cmd = commandLineParams()[0..^1].join(" ").replace(" --forceBuild")
+  doAssert cmd.len > 0
   let (stdout, exitcode) = execCmdEx(cmd)
   if exitcode != 0:
     echo "COMPILATION ERROR!"