diff --git a/fec/src/emitcm7.c b/fec/src/emitcm7.c
index 60d16cf..c91b96c 100644
--- a/fec/src/emitcm7.c
+++ b/fec/src/emitcm7.c
@@ -670,6 +670,26 @@ static void m7_emit_call(FeEmitter *e, FeNode *n)
     }
 }
 
+/* `dst = <src>;` as a statement, avoiding a comma expression on the right.
+
+   A consumed identifier lowers to `(fe_live_x=0, x)`.  When dst is a struct,
+   Watcom crashes on a struct assignment whose right side is a comma expression
+   -- hard enough to take DOSBox-X down with it -- so clear the move flag as its
+   own statement and assign the plain name. */
+static void m7_emit_assign_stmt(FeEmitter *e, const char *dst, FeNode *src)
+{
+    if (src && src->kind==FE_N_IDENT && (src->flags & FE_OWN_NODE_CONSUMED) &&
+        src->sem_type && type_needs_drop(src->sem_type)) {
+        pad(e); fputs("fe_live_",e->out); fputs(cname(src,"owned"),e->out);
+        fputs("=0;\n",e->out);
+        pad(e); fputs(dst,e->out); fputs(" = ",e->out);
+        fputs(cname(src,"fe_missing"),e->out); fputs(";\n",e->out);
+        return;
+    }
+    pad(e); fputs(dst,e->out); fputs(" = ",e->out);
+    emit_expr(e,src); fputs(";\n",e->out);
+}
+
 static void m7_emit_raw_expr(FeEmitter *e, FeNode *n)
 {
     FeNode *x;
@@ -1208,6 +1228,32 @@ static void emit_stmt(FeEmitter *e, FeNode *n)
             fputs(";\n",e->out);
             emit_cleanup_all(e);
             pad(e); fputs("return fe_return_value;\n",e->out);
+        } else if (n->a && n->a->kind==FE_N_BINARY && !n->a->c &&
+                   fe_m7_lazy_kind(n->a)==FE_M7_LAZY_CATCH &&
+                   e->current_ret && e->current_ret->kind!=FE_TYPE_VOID) {
+            /* Short catch in return position.  As an expression this lowers to
+               `((tmp = X), tmp.e ? fallback : tmp.v)`, and when X carries a move
+               it becomes a struct assignment whose right side is itself a comma
+               expression -- which crashes wcc386 hard enough to take DOSBox-X
+               down with it.  The same lowering as statements is also plainer. */
+            FeNode *cx=n->a;
+            FeType *res=cx->a ? cx->a->sem_type : 0;
+            int has_value=res && res->error_value &&
+                          res->error_value->kind!=FE_TYPE_VOID;
+            m7_emit_assign_stmt(e,cx->aux_cname,cx->a);
+            pad(e); fputs("if (",e->out); fputs(cx->aux_cname,e->out);
+            if (has_value) fputs(".e",e->out);
+            fputs(") {\n",e->out); ++e->indent;
+            pad(e); fputs("fe_return_value = ",e->out);
+            emit_expr(e,cx->b); fputs(";\n",e->out);
+            --e->indent; pad(e); fputs("} else {\n",e->out); ++e->indent;
+            pad(e); fputs("fe_return_value = ",e->out);
+            fputs(cx->aux_cname,e->out);
+            if (has_value) fputs(".v",e->out);
+            fputs(";\n",e->out);
+            --e->indent; pad(e); fputs("}\n",e->out);
+            emit_cleanup_all(e);
+            pad(e); fputs("return fe_return_value;\n",e->out);
         } else {
             if (n->a && e->current_ret && e->current_ret->kind!=FE_TYPE_VOID) {
                 pad(e); fputs("fe_return_value = ",e->out);
diff --git a/src/ferrolang_vm/dosboxx.py b/src/ferrolang_vm/dosboxx.py
index 102b5b3..d6c8c75 100644
--- a/src/ferrolang_vm/dosboxx.py
+++ b/src/ferrolang_vm/dosboxx.py
@@ -158,7 +158,10 @@ def _batch(cases: list[Case], *, show_dos: bool, trace_dos: bool,
     build = "call BUILD.BAT" if trace_dos else "call BUILD.BAT > RESULTS\\BUILD.LOG"
     if prebuilt:
         # FEC.EXE was restored from cache; BUILD.BAT would delete and rebuild it.
-        build = "echo OK>BUILD.OK"
+        # It also puts the Watcom binaries on PATH, which the case commands need
+        # after it, so that line has to be reproduced rather than skipped.
+        build = ("set PATH=%WATCOM%\\BINW;%WATCOM%\\BINP;%PATH%\r\n"
+                 "echo OK>BUILD.OK")
     lines = [
         "@echo off", "if not exist RESULTS md RESULTS", "if not exist OUT md OUT",
         "set WATCOM=W:", "set INCLUDE=W:\\H",
@@ -284,13 +287,13 @@ def run_suite(cases: list[Case], *, keep: bool = False, show_dos: bool = False,
         console = run_root / "CONSOLE.LOG"
         config = run_root / "DOSBOX.CON"
         config.write_text(
-            # core=auto falls back to the interpreter in real mode, which is
-            # where the 16-bit compiler build spends its time. Nothing here is
-            # timing sensitive -- it is a compiler and a batch file -- so ask for
-            # the recompiler and uncapped cycles explicitly.
+            # Do not tune [cpu] here. core=dynamic is roughly 5x faster but the
+            # recompiler loses abort()'s exit status -- a program that traps
+            # exits 0 instead, so the M3 bounds cases stop reporting the trap
+            # they exist to prove. Verified against a compiler built under
+            # core=normal, so it is the runtime and not the build.
             f"[log]\nlogfile={console}\n"
-            f"[dosbox]\nlog console=quiet\n"
-            f"[cpu]\ncore=dynamic\ncycles=max\n",
+            f"[dosbox]\nlog console=quiet\n",
             encoding="ascii",
         )
         if cached.is_file():