diff --git a/winsup/cygwin/dcrt0.cc b/winsup/cygwin/dcrt0.cc
index fb726a739..86ab72564 100644
--- a/winsup/cygwin/dcrt0.cc
+++ b/winsup/cygwin/dcrt0.cc
@@ -652,7 +652,7 @@ void
 child_info_spawn::handle_spawn ()
 {
   extern void fixup_lockf_after_exec (bool);
-  HANDLE h;
+  HANDLE h = INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE;
   if (!dynamically_loaded || get_parent_handle ())
       {
 	cygheap_fixup_in_child (true);
diff --git a/winsup/cygwin/pinfo.cc b/winsup/cygwin/pinfo.cc
index 123784e67..ffd4c8cd9 100644
--- a/winsup/cygwin/pinfo.cc
+++ b/winsup/cygwin/pinfo.cc
@@ -62,11 +62,10 @@ pinfo::thisproc (HANDLE h)
     {
       cygheap->pid = create_cygwin_pid ();
       flags |= PID_NEW;
+      h = INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE;
     }
   /* spawnve'd process got pid in parent, cygheap->pid has been set in
      child_info_spawn::handle_spawn. */
-  else if (h == INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE)
-    h = NULL;
 
   init (cygheap->pid, flags, h);
   procinfo->process_state |= PID_IN_USE;