diff --git a/libntfs-3g/inode.c b/libntfs-3g/inode.c
index d888adb1..2d01578f 100644
--- a/libntfs-3g/inode.c
+++ b/libntfs-3g/inode.c
@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ static ntfs_inode *ntfs_inode_real_open(ntfs_volume *vol, const MFT_REF mref)
 	/* Receive some basic information about inode. */
 	if (ntfs_attr_lookup(AT_STANDARD_INFORMATION, AT_UNNAMED,
 				0, CASE_SENSITIVE, 0, NULL, 0, ctx)) {
-		if (!ni->mrec->base_mft_record)
+		if (le64_cmpz(ni->mrec->base_mft_record))
 			ntfs_log_perror("No STANDARD_INFORMATION in base record"
 					" %lld", (long long)MREF(mref));
 		goto put_err_out;
diff --git a/libntfs-3g/mft.c b/libntfs-3g/mft.c
index 4b3941ca..898f0a62 100644
--- a/libntfs-3g/mft.c
+++ b/libntfs-3g/mft.c
@@ -1395,7 +1395,7 @@ ntfs_inode *ntfs_mft_rec_alloc(ntfs_volume *vol, BOOL mft_data)
 			 * no extents and no name cannot be in use.
 			 * Otherwise apply standard procedure.
 			 */
-   			if (!ext_ni->mrec->base_mft_record
+   			if (le64_cmpz(ext_ni->mrec->base_mft_record)
 			    && !ext_ni->nr_extents)
 				forced_mft_data = TRUE;
 			ntfs_inode_close(ext_ni);
diff --git a/ntfsprogs/ntfsck.c b/ntfsprogs/ntfsck.c
index d1c6d135..9b21079f 100644
--- a/ntfsprogs/ntfsck.c
+++ b/ntfsprogs/ntfsck.c
@@ -449,7 +449,7 @@ static ATTR_REC *check_attr_record(ATTR_REC *attr_rec, MFT_RECORD *mft_rec,
 	// If this is the first attribute:
 	// todo: instance number must be smaller than next_instance.
 	if ((u8*)attr_rec == ((u8*)mft_rec) + attrs_offset) {
-		if (!mft_rec->base_mft_record)
+		if (le64_cmpz(mft_rec->base_mft_record))
 			assert_u32_equal(attr_type, 0x10,
 				"First attribute type");
 		// The following not always holds.
diff --git a/ntfsprogs/ntfsfix.c b/ntfsprogs/ntfsfix.c
index 20b06dd7..77c82471 100644
--- a/ntfsprogs/ntfsfix.c
+++ b/ntfsprogs/ntfsfix.c
@@ -972,7 +972,7 @@ static BOOL spare_record_selfloc_condition(struct MFT_SELF_LOCATED *selfloc)
 			mft2) == vol->mft_record_size)
 	    && !ntfs_mst_post_read_fixup((NTFS_RECORD*)mft2,
 			vol->mft_record_size)) {
-		if (!mft2->base_mft_record
+		if (le64_cmpz(mft2->base_mft_record)
 		    && (mft2->flags & MFT_RECORD_IN_USE)
 		    && !find_unnamed_attr(mft2,AT_ATTRIBUTE_LIST)
 		    && !find_unnamed_attr(mft2,AT_FILE_NAME)) {
diff --git a/ntfsprogs/utils.c b/ntfsprogs/utils.c
index 0d766b57..1f81e001 100644
--- a/ntfsprogs/utils.c
+++ b/ntfsprogs/utils.c
@@ -1033,7 +1033,7 @@ int mft_next_record(struct mft_search_ctx *ctx)
 				mrec = (MFT_RECORD*)NULL;
 				r = ntfs_file_record_read(ctx->vol,
 					(MFT_REF) ctx->mft_num, &mrec, NULL);
-				if (r || !mrec || !mrec->base_mft_record)
+				if (r || !mrec || le64_cmpz(mrec->base_mft_record))
 					ntfs_log_error(
 						"Error reading inode %lld.\n",
 						(long long)ctx->mft_num);