diff --git a/harbour/ChangeLog b/harbour/ChangeLog
index e89b8914a1..ade161ca17 100644
--- a/harbour/ChangeLog
+++ b/harbour/ChangeLog
@@ -8,6 +8,17 @@
    2008-12-31 13:59 UTC+0100 Foo Bar (foo.bar foobar.org)
 */
 
+2009-01-28 22:28 UTC+0100 Przemyslaw Czerpak (druzus/at/priv.onet.pl)
+  * harbour/source/vm/itemapi.c
+    % eliminated hb_snpritf() from HB_IT_POINTER conversion in
+      hb_itemString()
+
+  * harbour/source/common/hbprintf.c
+    ! fixed return value - it should be one less. Thanks to Xavi.
+    + added support for I64, I32 and I16 length specifiers - it's
+      MS-Windows only extension but it should help in replacing
+      native C *printf() calls with Harbour version.
+
 2009-01-28 19:03 UTC+0100 Przemyslaw Czerpak (druzus/at/priv.onet.pl)
   * harbour/source/common/hbprintf.c
     * disabled _finitel() in MSVC builds, added casting to double instead
diff --git a/harbour/source/common/hbprintf.c b/harbour/source/common/hbprintf.c
index d94f74b5f7..6b953155e5 100644
--- a/harbour/source/common/hbprintf.c
+++ b/harbour/source/common/hbprintf.c
@@ -1012,6 +1012,27 @@ int hb_snprintf_c( char * buffer, size_t bufsize, const char * format, ... )
                      length = _L_PTRDIFF_;
                      c = *format++;
                      break;
+                  case 'I':   /* MS-Windows extension */
+                     if( format[ 0 ] == '6' && format[ 1 ] == '4' )
+                     {
+                        length = _L_LONGLONG_;
+                        format += 2;
+                        c = *format++;
+                        break;
+                     }
+                     else if( format[ 0 ] == '1' && format[ 1 ] == '6' )
+                     {
+                        length = _L_SHORT_;
+                        format += 2;
+                        c = *format++;
+                        break;
+                     }
+                     else if( format[ 0 ] == '3' && format[ 1 ] == '2' )
+                     {
+                        format += 2;
+                        c = *format++;
+                     }
+                     /* no break; */
                   default:
                      length = _L_UNDEF_;
                      break;
@@ -1196,7 +1217,7 @@ int hb_snprintf_c( char * buffer, size_t bufsize, const char * format, ... )
    if( bufsize )
       buffer[ bufsize - 1 ] = 0;
 
-   return ( int ) size;
+   return ( int ) ( size - 1 );
 }
 
 #endif
diff --git a/harbour/source/vm/itemapi.c b/harbour/source/vm/itemapi.c
index d412644780..9570f6375f 100644
--- a/harbour/source/vm/itemapi.c
+++ b/harbour/source/vm/itemapi.c
@@ -2496,29 +2496,21 @@ char * hb_itemString( PHB_ITEM pItem, ULONG * ulLen, BOOL * bFreeReq )
       case HB_IT_POINTER:
       {
          int size = ( sizeof( void * ) << 1 ) + 3; /* n bytes for address + 0x + \0 */
-         int n;
-         BOOL bFail = TRUE; 
+         HB_PTRDIFF addr = ( HB_PTRDIFF ) hb_itemGetPtr( pItem );
 
+         * ulLen = size - 1;
+         * bFreeReq = TRUE;
          buffer = ( char * ) hb_xgrab( size );
+         buffer[ 0 ] = '0';
+         buffer[ 1 ] = 'x';
+         buffer[ --size ] = '\0';
          do
          {
-            n = hb_snprintf( buffer, size, "%p", hb_itemGetPtr( pItem ) );
-            if( (n > -1) && (n < size) )
-            {
-               bFail = FALSE;
-            }
-            else
-            {
-               if( n > -1 )
-                  size = n + 1;
-               else
-                  size *= 2;
-               buffer = ( char * ) hb_xrealloc( buffer, size );
-            }
+            UCHAR uc = ( UCHAR ) ( addr & 0xf );
+            buffer[ --size ] = ( char ) ( uc + ( uc < 10 ? '0' : 'A' - 10 ) );
+            addr >>= 4;
          }
-         while( bFail );
-         * ulLen = strlen( buffer );
-         * bFreeReq = TRUE;
+         while( size > 2 );
          break;
       }
       default: