diff --git a/src/main.cpp b/src/main.cpp
index d7543e3f13..01f3e06a60 100644
--- a/src/main.cpp
+++ b/src/main.cpp
@@ -3237,7 +3237,7 @@ bool LoadExternalBlockFile(FILE* fileIn, CDiskBlockPos *dbp)
             }
         }
         uint64_t nRewind = blkdat.GetPos();
-        while (blkdat.good() && !blkdat.eof()) {
+        while (!blkdat.eof()) {
             boost::this_thread::interruption_point();
 
             blkdat.SetPos(nRewind);
diff --git a/src/serialize.h b/src/serialize.h
index 3e5eff469d..17cb724bee 100644
--- a/src/serialize.h
+++ b/src/serialize.h
@@ -905,8 +905,6 @@ protected:
     typedef CSerializeData vector_type;
     vector_type vch;
     unsigned int nReadPos;
-    short state;
-    short exceptmask;
 public:
     int nType;
     int nVersion;
@@ -958,8 +956,6 @@ public:
         nReadPos = 0;
         nType = nTypeIn;
         nVersion = nVersionIn;
-        state = 0;
-        exceptmask = std::ios::badbit | std::ios::failbit;
     }
 
     CDataStream& operator+=(const CDataStream& b)
@@ -1082,19 +1078,7 @@ public:
     //
     // Stream subset
     //
-    void setstate(short bits, const char* psz)
-    {
-        state |= bits;
-        if (state & exceptmask)
-            throw std::ios_base::failure(psz);
-    }
-
     bool eof() const             { return size() == 0; }
-    bool fail() const            { return state & (std::ios::badbit | std::ios::failbit); }
-    bool good() const            { return !eof() && (state == 0); }
-    void clear(short n)          { state = n; }  // name conflict with vector clear()
-    short exceptions()           { return exceptmask; }
-    short exceptions(short mask) { short prev = exceptmask; exceptmask = mask; setstate(0, "CDataStream"); return prev; }
     CDataStream* rdbuf()         { return this; }
     int in_avail()               { return size(); }
 
@@ -1113,9 +1097,7 @@ public:
         {
             if (nReadPosNext > vch.size())
             {
-                setstate(std::ios::failbit, "CDataStream::read() : end of data");
-                memset(pch, 0, nSize);
-                nSize = vch.size() - nReadPos;
+                throw std::ios_base::failure("CDataStream::read() : end of data");
             }
             memcpy(pch, &vch[nReadPos], nSize);
             nReadPos = 0;
@@ -1135,7 +1117,7 @@ public:
         if (nReadPosNext >= vch.size())
         {
             if (nReadPosNext > vch.size())
-                setstate(std::ios::failbit, "CDataStream::ignore() : end of data");
+                throw std::ios_base::failure("CDataStream::ignore() : end of data");
             nReadPos = 0;
             vch.clear();
             return (*this);
@@ -1207,8 +1189,6 @@ class CAutoFile
 {
 protected:
     FILE* file;
-    short state;
-    short exceptmask;
 public:
     int nType;
     int nVersion;
@@ -1218,8 +1198,6 @@ public:
         file = filenew;
         nType = nTypeIn;
         nVersion = nVersionIn;
-        state = 0;
-        exceptmask = std::ios::badbit | std::ios::failbit;
     }
 
     ~CAutoFile()
@@ -1246,19 +1224,6 @@ public:
     //
     // Stream subset
     //
-    void setstate(short bits, const char* psz)
-    {
-        state |= bits;
-        if (state & exceptmask)
-            throw std::ios_base::failure(psz);
-    }
-
-    bool fail() const            { return state & (std::ios::badbit | std::ios::failbit); }
-    bool good() const            { return state == 0; }
-    void clear(short n = 0)      { state = n; }
-    short exceptions()           { return exceptmask; }
-    short exceptions(short mask) { short prev = exceptmask; exceptmask = mask; setstate(0, "CAutoFile"); return prev; }
-
     void SetType(int n)          { nType = n; }
     int GetType()                { return nType; }
     void SetVersion(int n)       { nVersion = n; }
@@ -1271,7 +1236,7 @@ public:
         if (!file)
             throw std::ios_base::failure("CAutoFile::read : file handle is NULL");
         if (fread(pch, 1, nSize, file) != nSize)
-            setstate(std::ios::failbit, feof(file) ? "CAutoFile::read : end of file" : "CAutoFile::read : fread failed");
+            throw std::ios_base::failure(feof(file) ? "CAutoFile::read : end of file" : "CAutoFile::read : fread failed");
         return (*this);
     }
 
@@ -1280,7 +1245,7 @@ public:
         if (!file)
             throw std::ios_base::failure("CAutoFile::write : file handle is NULL");
         if (fwrite(pch, 1, nSize, file) != nSize)
-            setstate(std::ios::failbit, "CAutoFile::write : write failed");
+            throw std::ios_base::failure("CAutoFile::write : write failed");
         return (*this);
     }
 
@@ -1325,16 +1290,7 @@ private:
     uint64_t nRewind;     // how many bytes we guarantee to rewind
     std::vector<char> vchBuf; // the buffer
 
-    short state;
-    short exceptmask;
-
 protected:
-    void setstate(short bits, const char *psz) {
-        state |= bits;
-        if (state & exceptmask)
-            throw std::ios_base::failure(psz);
-    }
-
     // read data from the source to fill the buffer
     bool Fill() {
         unsigned int pos = nSrcPos % vchBuf.size();
@@ -1346,8 +1302,7 @@ protected:
             return false;
         size_t read = fread((void*)&vchBuf[pos], 1, readNow, src);
         if (read == 0) {
-            setstate(std::ios_base::failbit, feof(src) ? "CBufferedFile::Fill : end of file" : "CBufferedFile::Fill : fread failed");
-            return false;
+            throw std::ios_base::failure(feof(src) ? "CBufferedFile::Fill : end of file" : "CBufferedFile::Fill : fread failed");
         } else {
             nSrcPos += read;
             return true;
@@ -1360,12 +1315,7 @@ public:
 
     CBufferedFile(FILE *fileIn, uint64_t nBufSize, uint64_t nRewindIn, int nTypeIn, int nVersionIn) :
         src(fileIn), nSrcPos(0), nReadPos(0), nReadLimit((uint64_t)(-1)), nRewind(nRewindIn), vchBuf(nBufSize, 0),
-        state(0), exceptmask(std::ios_base::badbit | std::ios_base::failbit), nType(nTypeIn), nVersion(nVersionIn) {
-    }
-
-    // check whether no error occurred
-    bool good() const {
-        return state == 0;
+        nType(nTypeIn), nVersion(nVersionIn) {
     }
 
     // check whether we're at the end of the source file
@@ -1424,7 +1374,6 @@ public:
         nLongPos = ftell(src);
         nSrcPos = nLongPos;
         nReadPos = nLongPos;
-        state = 0;
         return true;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/test/alert_tests.cpp b/src/test/alert_tests.cpp
index b16f3f7f57..e3066a51ab 100644
--- a/src/test/alert_tests.cpp
+++ b/src/test/alert_tests.cpp
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ struct ReadAlerts
         std::vector<unsigned char> vch(alert_tests::alertTests, alert_tests::alertTests + sizeof(alert_tests::alertTests));
         CDataStream stream(vch, SER_DISK, CLIENT_VERSION);
         try {
-            while (stream.good())
+            while (!stream.eof())
             {
                 CAlert alert;
                 stream >> alert;