diff --git a/tests/ts/misc/setarch b/tests/ts/misc/setarch
index 7c99ccad2..6c872bf70 100755
--- a/tests/ts/misc/setarch
+++ b/tests/ts/misc/setarch
@@ -45,22 +45,22 @@ ts_init_subtest uname26
 finmsg="" # for debugging 2.6 issues
 
 echo "###### --uname-2.6 echo" >>$TS_OUTPUT
-$TS_CMD_SETARCH $ARCH -v --uname-2.6 echo "2.6 worked" >> $TS_OUTPUT 2>> $TS_ERRLOG
+$TS_CMD_SETARCH $ARCH -v --uname-2.6 echo "2.6 worked" >> $TS_OUTPUT 2>&1
 if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
 	expected='^2.6 worked$'
 else
-	# this may happen after execvp
+	# this may happen after execvp - gets written to stderr
 	expected="^FATAL: kernel too old$"
 	finmsg+=" echo"
 fi
 sed -i "$ s/$expected/2.6 works or kernel too old/" $TS_OUTPUT
 
 echo "###### --uname-2.6 true, non-verbose" >>$TS_OUTPUT
-$TS_CMD_SETARCH $ARCH --uname-2.6 true >> $TS_OUTPUT 2>> $TS_ERRLOG
+$TS_CMD_SETARCH $ARCH --uname-2.6 true >> $TS_OUTPUT 2>&1
 if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
 	echo "2.6 works or kernel too old" >> $TS_OUTPUT
 else
-	# this may happen after execvp
+	# this may happen after execvp - gets written to stderr
 	expected="^FATAL: kernel too old$"
 	sed -i "$ s/$expected/2.6 works or kernel too old/" $TS_OUTPUT
 	finmsg+=" true"