diff --git a/Kernel/build-image-qemu.sh b/Kernel/build-image-qemu.sh
index e555fc4c11..50dc4e32ad 100755
--- a/Kernel/build-image-qemu.sh
+++ b/Kernel/build-image-qemu.sh
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ die() {
 }
 
 if [ "$(id -u)" != 0 ]; then
-    die "this script needs to run as root (or with fakeroot)"
+    die "this script needs to run as root"
 fi
 if [ "$(uname -s)" = "Darwin" ]; then
     export PATH="/usr/local/opt/e2fsprogs/bin:$PATH"
@@ -19,40 +19,43 @@ qemu-img create _disk_image "${DISK_SIZE:-600}"m || die "could not create disk i
 chown "$SUDO_UID":"$SUDO_GID" _disk_image || die "could not adjust permissions on disk image"
 echo "done"
 
-use_genext2fs=0
-if command -v genext2fs 1>/dev/null ; then
-    use_genext2fs=1
+printf "creating new filesystem... "
+if [ "$(uname -s)" = "OpenBSD" ]; then
+    VND=$(vnconfig _disk_image)
+    (echo "e 0"; echo 83; echo n; echo 0; echo "*"; echo "quit") | fdisk -e "$VND"
+    mkfs.ext2 -I 128 -F "/dev/${VND}i" || die "could not create filesystem"
+elif [ "$(uname -s)" = "FreeBSD" ]; then
+    MD=$(mdconfig _disk_image)
+    mke2fs -q -I 128 _disk_image || die "could not create filesystem"
 else
-    printf "creating new filesystem... "
-    if [ "$(uname -s)" = "OpenBSD" ]; then
-        VND=$(vnconfig _disk_image)
-        (echo "e 0"; echo 83; echo n; echo 0; echo "*"; echo "quit") | fdisk -e "$VND"
-        mkfs.ext2 -I 128 -F "/dev/${VND}i" || die "could not create filesystem"
-    elif [ "$(uname -s)" = "FreeBSD" ]; then
-        MD=$(mdconfig _disk_image)
-        mke2fs -q -I 128 _disk_image || die "could not create filesystem"
+    if [ -x /sbin/mke2fs ]; then
+        /sbin/mke2fs -q -I 128 _disk_image || die "could not create filesystem"
     else
-        if [ -x /sbin/mke2fs ]; then
-            /sbin/mke2fs -q -I 128 _disk_image || die "could not create filesystem"
+        mke2fs -q -I 128 _disk_image || die "could not create filesystem"
+    fi
+fi
+echo "done"
+
+printf "mounting filesystem... "
+mkdir -p mnt
+use_genext2fs=0
+if [ "$(uname -s)" = "Darwin" ]; then
+    fuse-ext2 _disk_image mnt -o rw+,allow_other,uid=501,gid=20 || die "could not mount filesystem"
+elif [ "$(uname -s)" = "OpenBSD" ]; then
+    mount -t ext2fs "/dev/${VND}i" mnt/ || die "could not mount filesystem"
+elif [ "$(uname -s)" = "FreeBSD" ]; then
+    fuse-ext2 -o rw+ "/dev/${MD}" mnt/ || die "could not mount filesystem"
+else
+    if ! mount _disk_image mnt/ ; then
+        if command -v genext2fs 1>/dev/null ; then
+            echo "mount failed but genext2fs exists, use it instead"
+            use_genext2fs=1
         else
-            mke2fs -q -I 128 _disk_image || die "could not create filesystem"
+            die "could not mount filesystem and genext2fs is missing"
         fi
     fi
-    echo "done"
-
-    printf "mounting filesystem... "
-    mkdir -p mnt
-    if [ "$(uname -s)" = "Darwin" ]; then
-        fuse-ext2 _disk_image mnt -o rw+,allow_other,uid=501,gid=20 || die "could not mount filesystem"
-    elif [ "$(uname -s)" = "OpenBSD" ]; then
-        mount -t ext2fs "/dev/${VND}i" mnt/ || die "could not mount filesystem"
-    elif [ "$(uname -s)" = "FreeBSD" ]; then
-        fuse-ext2 -o rw+ "/dev/${MD}" mnt/ || die "could not mount filesystem"
-    else
-        mount _disk_image mnt/ || die "could not mount filesystem"
-    fi
-    echo "done"
 fi
+echo "done"
 
 cleanup() {
     if [ -d mnt ]; then
@@ -61,12 +64,10 @@ cleanup() {
             umount mnt || ( sleep 1 && sync && umount mnt )
         fi
         rm -rf mnt
-        if [ $use_genext2fs = 0 ] ; then
-            if [ "$(uname -s)" = "OpenBSD" ]; then
-                vnconfig -u "$VND"
-            elif [ "$(uname -s)" = "FreeBSD" ]; then
-                mdconfig -d -u "$MD"
-            fi
+        if [ "$(uname -s)" = "OpenBSD" ]; then
+            vnconfig -u "$VND"
+        elif [ "$(uname -s)" = "FreeBSD" ]; then
+            mdconfig -d -u "$MD"
         fi
         echo "done"
     fi
@@ -80,9 +81,7 @@ if [ $use_genext2fs = 1 ]; then
     # genext2fs is very slow in generating big images, so I use a smaller image here. size can be updated
     # if it's not enough.
     # not using "-i 128" since it hangs. Serenity handles whatever default this uses instead.
-    printf "generating filesystem... "
     genext2fs -b 250000 -d mnt _disk_image || die "try increasing image size (genext2fs -b)"
-    echo "done"
     # if using docker with shared mount, file is created as root, so make it writable for users
     chmod 0666 _disk_image
 fi
diff --git a/Kernel/makeall.sh b/Kernel/makeall.sh
index 10d464454c..5c3a008d85 100755
--- a/Kernel/makeall.sh
+++ b/Kernel/makeall.sh
@@ -16,9 +16,7 @@ while [ "$1" != "" ]; do
     shift
 done
 
-if ! (command -v genext2fs 1>/dev/null && command -v fakeroot 1>/dev/null); then
-	sudo id
-fi
+sudo id
 
 MAKE="make"
 
@@ -29,11 +27,11 @@ fi
 if [ "$fast_mode" = "1" ]; then
     $MAKE -C ../ && \
         $MAKE -C ../ install &&
-        ./sync.sh
+        sudo -E PATH="$PATH" ./build-image-qemu.sh
 else
     $MAKE -C ../ clean && \
         $MAKE -C ../ && \
         $MAKE -C ../ test && \
         $MAKE -C ../ install &&
-        ./sync.sh
+        sudo -E PATH="$PATH" ./build-image-qemu.sh
 fi
diff --git a/Kernel/sync.sh b/Kernel/sync.sh
index c0dce5d769..6dcab996f1 100755
--- a/Kernel/sync.sh
+++ b/Kernel/sync.sh
@@ -4,8 +4,4 @@ set -e
 script_path=$(cd -P -- "$(dirname -- "$0")" && pwd -P)
 cd "$script_path"
 
-if command -v genext2fs 1>/dev/null && command -v fakeroot 1>/dev/null; then
-    fakeroot ./build-image-qemu.sh
-else
-    sudo -E PATH="$PATH" ./build-image-qemu.sh
-fi
+sudo -E PATH="$PATH" ./build-image-qemu.sh