diff --git a/libraries/AP_HAL_Linux/Storage.cpp b/libraries/AP_HAL_Linux/Storage.cpp
index 40d9f288c7..26d56b8df6 100644
--- a/libraries/AP_HAL_Linux/Storage.cpp
+++ b/libraries/AP_HAL_Linux/Storage.cpp
@@ -91,78 +91,86 @@ static int mkdir_p(const char *path, int len, mode_t mode)
     return 0;
 }
 
-void Storage::_storage_create(void)
+int Storage::_storage_create(const char *dpath)
 {
-    const char *dpath = HAL_BOARD_STORAGE_DIRECTORY, *p;
     int dfd = -1;
 
-    p = hal.util->get_custom_storage_directory();
-    if (p) {
-        dpath = p;
-    }
-
     mkdir_p(dpath, strlen(dpath), 0777);
-    dfd = open(dpath, O_RDWR|O_CLOEXEC);
-    if (dfd < 0) {
-        AP_HAL::panic("Error opening storage directory: %s\n", dpath);
+    dfd = open(dpath, O_RDONLY|O_CLOEXEC);
+    if (dfd == -1) {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Failed to open storage directory: %s (%m)\n", dpath);
+        return -1;
     }
 
-    unlinkat(dfd, STORAGE_FILE, 0);
+    unlinkat(dfd, dpath, 0);
     int fd = openat(dfd, STORAGE_FILE, O_RDWR|O_CREAT|O_CLOEXEC, 0666);
 
     close(dfd);
 
     if (fd == -1) {
-        AP_HAL::panic("Failed to create %s/%s", HAL_BOARD_STORAGE_DIRECTORY,
-                      STORAGE_FILE);
+        fprintf(stderr, "Failed to create storage file %s/%s\n", dpath,
+                STORAGE_FILE);
+        goto fail;
+    }
+
+    // take up all needed space
+    if (ftruncate(fd, sizeof(_buffer)) == -1) {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Failed to set file size to %u kB (%m)\n",
+                sizeof(_buffer) / 1024);
+        goto fail;
     }
 
     // ensure the directory is updated with the new size
     fsync(fd);
-    close(fd);
+    fsync(dfd);
+
+    close(dfd);
+
+    return fd;
+
+fail:
+    close(dfd);
+    return -1;
 }
 
-void Storage::_storage_open(void)
+void Storage::init()
 {
+    const char *dpath;
+
     if (_initialised) {
         return;
     }
 
     _dirty_mask = 0;
-    memset(_buffer, 0, sizeof(_buffer));
 
-    int fd = open(STORAGE_FILE, O_RDWR|O_CLOEXEC);
+    dpath = hal.util->get_custom_storage_directory();
+    if (!dpath) {
+        dpath = HAL_BOARD_STORAGE_DIRECTORY;
+    }
+
+    int fd = open(dpath, O_RDWR|O_CLOEXEC);
     if (fd == -1) {
-        _storage_create();
-        fd = open(STORAGE_FILE, O_RDWR|O_CLOEXEC);
+        fd = _storage_create(dpath);
         if (fd == -1) {
-            AP_HAL::panic("Failed to open " STORAGE_FILE);
+            AP_HAL::panic("Cannot create storage %s (%m)", dpath);
         }
     }
 
-    /*
-      we allow a read of size 4096 to cope with the old storage size
-      without forcing users to reset all parameters
-     */
     ssize_t ret = read(fd, _buffer, sizeof(_buffer));
-    if (ret == 4096 && ret != sizeof(_buffer)) {
-        if (ftruncate(fd, sizeof(_buffer)) != 0) {
-            AP_HAL::panic("Failed to expand " STORAGE_FILE);
-        }
-        ret = sizeof(_buffer);
-    }
+
     if (ret != sizeof(_buffer)) {
         close(fd);
-        _storage_create();
-        fd = open(STORAGE_FILE, O_RDONLY|O_CLOEXEC);
+        _storage_create(dpath);
+        fd = open(dpath, O_RDONLY|O_CLOEXEC);
         if (fd == -1) {
-            AP_HAL::panic("Failed to open " STORAGE_FILE);
+            AP_HAL::panic("Failed to open %s (%m)", dpath);
         }
         if (read(fd, _buffer, sizeof(_buffer)) != sizeof(_buffer)) {
-            AP_HAL::panic("Failed to read " STORAGE_FILE);
+            AP_HAL::panic("Failed to read %s (%m)", dpath);
         }
     }
-    close(fd);
+
+    _fd = fd;
     _initialised = true;
 }
 
@@ -188,7 +196,7 @@ void Storage::read_block(void *dst, uint16_t loc, size_t n)
     if (loc >= sizeof(_buffer)-(n-1)) {
         return;
     }
-    _storage_open();
+    init();
     memcpy(dst, &_buffer[loc], n);
 }
 
@@ -198,7 +206,7 @@ void Storage::write_block(uint16_t loc, const void *src, size_t n)
         return;
     }
     if (memcmp(src, &_buffer[loc], n) != 0) {
-        _storage_open();
+        init();
         memcpy(&_buffer[loc], src, n);
         _mark_dirty(loc, n);
     }
@@ -206,17 +214,10 @@ void Storage::write_block(uint16_t loc, const void *src, size_t n)
 
 void Storage::_timer_tick(void)
 {
-    if (!_initialised || _dirty_mask == 0) {
+    if (!_initialised || _dirty_mask == 0 || _fd == -1) {
         return;
     }
 
-    if (_fd == -1) {
-        _fd = open(STORAGE_FILE, O_WRONLY|O_CLOEXEC);
-        if (_fd == -1) {
-            return;
-        }
-    }
-
     // write out the first dirty set of lines. We don't write more
     // than one to keep the latency of this call to a minimum
     uint8_t i, n;
diff --git a/libraries/AP_HAL_Linux/Storage.h b/libraries/AP_HAL_Linux/Storage.h
index 0262bb8033..fd4a2447b4 100644
--- a/libraries/AP_HAL_Linux/Storage.h
+++ b/libraries/AP_HAL_Linux/Storage.h
@@ -19,7 +19,9 @@ public:
         return static_cast<Storage*>(storage);
     }
 
-    void init() {}
+
+    void init() override;
+
     uint8_t  read_byte(uint16_t loc);
     uint16_t read_word(uint16_t loc);
     uint32_t read_dword(uint16_t loc);
@@ -31,15 +33,15 @@ public:
     void write_block(uint16_t dst, const void* src, size_t n);
 
     virtual void _timer_tick(void) override;
-    
+
 protected:
     void _mark_dirty(uint16_t loc, uint16_t length);
-    virtual void _storage_create(void);
-    virtual void _storage_open(void);
+    int _storage_create(const char *dpath);
+
     int _fd;
     volatile bool _initialised;
-    uint8_t _buffer[LINUX_STORAGE_SIZE];
     volatile uint32_t _dirty_mask;
+    uint8_t _buffer[LINUX_STORAGE_SIZE];
 };
 
 }