diff --git a/libretro-common/lists/string_list.c b/libretro-common/lists/string_list.c
index 93368c4201..905baa2f5c 100644
--- a/libretro-common/lists/string_list.c
+++ b/libretro-common/lists/string_list.c
@@ -90,13 +90,11 @@ struct string_list *string_list_new(void)
    if (!list)
       return NULL;
 
-   if (!string_list_capacity(list, 32))
-   {
-      string_list_free(list);
-      return NULL;
-   }
+   if (string_list_capacity(list, 32))
+      return list;
 
-   return list;
+   string_list_free(list);
+   return NULL;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -301,8 +299,9 @@ bool string_list_find_elem_prefix(const struct string_list *list,
 
    for (i = 0; i < list->size; i++)
    {
-      if (strcasecmp(list->elems[i].data, elem) == 0 ||
-            strcasecmp(list->elems[i].data, prefixed) == 0)
+      const char *data = list->elems[i].data;
+      if (     (strcasecmp(data, elem)     == 0)
+            || (strcasecmp(data, prefixed) == 0))
          return true;
    }
 
diff --git a/tasks/task_save.c b/tasks/task_save.c
index 900c034269..83ff54597c 100644
--- a/tasks/task_save.c
+++ b/tasks/task_save.c
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ static void autosave_thread(void *data)
    bool first_log   = true;
    autosave_t *save = (autosave_t*)data;
 
-   while (!save->quit)
+   while (save && !save->quit)
    {
       bool differ;
 
@@ -207,6 +207,7 @@ static autosave_t *autosave_new(const char *path,
       const void *data, size_t size,
       unsigned interval)
 {
+   void *buffer         = NULL;
    autosave_t *handle   = (autosave_t*)calloc(1, sizeof(*handle));
    if (!handle)
       goto error;
@@ -214,18 +215,19 @@ static autosave_t *autosave_new(const char *path,
    handle->bufsize      = size;
    handle->interval     = interval;
    handle->path         = path;
-   handle->buffer       = malloc(size);
    handle->retro_buffer = data;
 
-   if (!handle->buffer)
+   buffer               = malloc(size);
+
+   if (!buffer)
       goto error;
 
-   memcpy(handle->buffer, handle->retro_buffer, handle->bufsize);
+   memcpy(buffer, handle->retro_buffer, handle->bufsize);
 
+   handle->buffer       = buffer;
    handle->lock         = slock_new();
    handle->cond_lock    = slock_new();
    handle->cond         = scond_new();
-
    handle->thread       = sthread_create(autosave_thread, handle);
 
    return handle;
@@ -279,26 +281,35 @@ void autosave_init(void)
    autosave_state.list = list;
    autosave_state.num  = task_save_files->size;
 
+   if (!task_save_files)
+      return;
+
    for (i = 0; i < task_save_files->size; i++)
    {
       retro_ctx_memory_info_t mem_info;
-      const char *path = task_save_files->elems[i].data;
-      unsigned    type = task_save_files->elems[i].attr.i;
+      autosave_t *autosave = NULL;
+      const char *path     = task_save_files->elems[i].data;
+      unsigned    type     = task_save_files->elems[i].attr.i;
 
-      mem_info.id = type;
+      mem_info.id          = type;
 
       core_get_memory(&mem_info);
 
       if (mem_info.size <= 0)
          continue;
 
-      autosave_state.list[i] = autosave_new(path,
+      autosave               = autosave_new(path,
             mem_info.data,
             mem_info.size,
             settings->autosave_interval);
 
-      if (!autosave_state.list[i])
+      if (!autosave)
+      {
          RARCH_WARN("%s\n", msg_hash_to_str(MSG_AUTOSAVE_FAILED));
+         continue;
+      }
+
+      autosave_state.list[i] = autosave;
    }
 }
 
@@ -611,8 +622,6 @@ static void task_save_handler(retro_task_t *task)
          task->title = strdup(msg);
 
       task_save_handler_finished(task, state);
-
-      return;
    }
 }
 
@@ -633,15 +642,15 @@ static bool task_push_undo_save_state(const char *path, void *data, size_t size)
       goto error;
 
    strlcpy(state->path, path, sizeof(state->path));
-   state->data = data;
-   state->size = size;
+   state->data      = data;
+   state->size      = size;
    state->undo_save = true;
 
-   task->type = TASK_TYPE_BLOCKING;
-   task->state = state;
-   task->handler = task_save_handler;
-   task->callback = undo_save_state_cb;
-   task->title = strdup(msg_hash_to_str(MSG_UNDOING_SAVE_STATE));
+   task->type       = TASK_TYPE_BLOCKING;
+   task->state      = state;
+   task->handler    = task_save_handler;
+   task->callback   = undo_save_state_cb;
+   task->title      = strdup(msg_hash_to_str(MSG_UNDOING_SAVE_STATE));
 
    task_queue_ctl(TASK_QUEUE_CTL_PUSH, task);
 
@@ -667,8 +676,7 @@ error:
 bool content_undo_save_state(void)
 {
    return task_push_undo_save_state(undo_save_buf.path,
-                             undo_save_buf.data,
-                             undo_save_buf.size);
+         undo_save_buf.data, undo_save_buf.size);
 }
 
 /**
@@ -800,8 +808,6 @@ static void task_load_handler(retro_task_t *task)
       }
 
       task_load_handler_finished(task, state);
-
-      return;
    }
 
    return;
@@ -823,11 +829,11 @@ static void content_load_state_cb(void *task_data,
    unsigned i;
    bool ret;
    char err_buf[1024];
+   unsigned num_blocks         = 0;
+   struct sram_block *blocks   = NULL;
    load_task_data_t *load_data = (load_task_data_t*)task_data;
    ssize_t size                = load_data->size;
-   unsigned num_blocks         = 0;
    void *buf                   = load_data->data;
-   struct sram_block *blocks   = NULL;
    settings_t *settings        = config_get_ptr();
 
    err_buf[0] = '\0';