diff --git a/src/share/vm/classfile/javaClasses.cpp b/src/share/vm/classfile/javaClasses.cpp
index 8106fcaa8a25545340b080fc1a830f2a603b1419..e94d32c64f72e2c8bf1e240d670709eaf67bef90 100644
--- a/src/share/vm/classfile/javaClasses.cpp
+++ b/src/share/vm/classfile/javaClasses.cpp
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ compute_offset(int &dest_offset,
       tty->print_cr("  name: %s, sig: %s, flags: %08x", fs.name()->as_C_string(), fs.signature()->as_C_string(), fs.access_flags().as_int());
     }
 #endif //PRODUCT
-    fatal("Invalid layout of preloaded class");
+    vm_exit_during_initialization("Invalid layout of preloaded class: use -XX:+TraceClassLoading to see the origin of the problem class");
   }
   dest_offset = fd.offset();
 }
@@ -3601,7 +3601,7 @@ int InjectedField::compute_offset() {
     tty->print_cr("  name: %s, sig: %s, flags: %08x", fs.name()->as_C_string(), fs.signature()->as_C_string(), fs.access_flags().as_int());
   }
 #endif //PRODUCT
-  fatal("Invalid layout of preloaded class");
+  vm_exit_during_initialization("Invalid layout of preloaded class: use -XX:+TraceClassLoading to see the origin of the problem class");
   return -1;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/share/vm/prims/whitebox.cpp b/src/share/vm/prims/whitebox.cpp
index 0175ae5d5b27db94b176a2bf3fdeb07bfcbb635d..da0a753c90dab564424b334228fb13bd7e84f793 100644
--- a/src/share/vm/prims/whitebox.cpp
+++ b/src/share/vm/prims/whitebox.cpp
@@ -913,7 +913,7 @@ int WhiteBox::offset_for_field(const char* field_name, oop object,
   if (res == NULL) {
     tty->print_cr("Invalid layout of %s at %s", ik->external_name(),
         name_symbol->as_C_string());
-    fatal("Invalid layout of preloaded class");
+    vm_exit_during_initialization("Invalid layout of preloaded class: use -XX:+TraceClassLoading to see the origin of the problem class");
   }
 
   //fetch the field at the offset we've found