diff --git a/modules/system/activation/activation-script.nix b/modules/system/activation/activation-script.nix
index 64dc5d6b936..7053166d582 100644
--- a/modules/system/activation/activation-script.nix
+++ b/modules/system/activation/activation-script.nix
@@ -61,9 +61,11 @@ let
       # Allow the kernel to find our wrapped modprobe (which searches in the
       # right location in the Nix store for kernel modules).  We need this
       # when the kernel (or some module) auto-loads a module.
-      # !!! maybe this should only happen at boot time, since we shouldn't
+      # this should only happen at boot time, since we shouldn't
       # use modules that don't match the running kernel.
-      echo ${config.system.sbin.modprobe}/sbin/modprobe > /proc/sys/kernel/modprobe
+      if [ "$(cat /proc/sys/kernel/modprobe)" = "/sbin/modprobe" ]; then
+        echo ${config.system.sbin.modprobe}/sbin/modprobe > /proc/sys/kernel/modprobe
+      fi
     '' [
       # ?
     ];
diff --git a/modules/system/etc/etc.nix b/modules/system/etc/etc.nix
index c499cc0583a..83da614bf74 100644
--- a/modules/system/etc/etc.nix
+++ b/modules/system/etc/etc.nix
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ in
     activationScripts = {
       etc = pkgs.lib.fullDepEntry ''
         # Set up the statically computed bits of /etc.
+	echo -n "Setting up /etc files .. "
         staticEtc=/etc/static
         rm -f $staticEtc
         ln -s ${makeEtc}/etc $staticEtc
@@ -70,6 +71,7 @@ in
                 ln -s $staticEtc/$i /etc/$i
             fi
         done
+	echo ".. done"
 
         # Remove dangling symlinks that point to /etc/static.  These are
         # configuration files that existed in a previous configuration but not