diff --git a/ANNOUNCE b/ANNOUNCE
index 309897f5c..a0da7bab1 100644
--- a/ANNOUNCE
+++ b/ANNOUNCE
@@ -537,6 +537,8 @@ version 1.4.0beta77 [August 27, 2009]
 version 1.4.0beta78 [August 31, 2009]
   Converted all PNG_NO_* tests to PNG_*_SUPPORTED everywhere except pngconf.h
   Eliminated PNG_NO_FREE_ME and PNG_FREE_ME_SUPPORTED macros.
+  Use a loop instead of png_memset() to initialize row_pointers in
+    png_read_png().
 
 version 1.4.0betaN [future]
   Build shared libraries with -lz and sometimes -lm.
diff --git a/CHANGES b/CHANGES
index 3d5cc1eb2..d41b733a8 100644
--- a/CHANGES
+++ b/CHANGES
@@ -2219,6 +2219,8 @@ version 1.4.0beta77 [August 27, 2009]
     and the "noconfig" files from the distribution.
   Moved CMakeLists.txt from scripts into the main libpng directory.
   Various bugfixes and improvements to CMakeLists.txt (Philip Lowman)
+  Use a loop instead of png_memset() to initialize row_pointers in
+    png_read_png().
 
 version 1.4.0beta78 [August 31, 2009]
   Converted all PNG_NO_* tests to PNG_*_SUPPORTED everywhere except pngconf.h
diff --git a/pngread.c b/pngread.c
index 86399e5e6..9e3ae4bfb 100644
--- a/pngread.c
+++ b/pngread.c
@@ -1317,16 +1317,15 @@ png_read_png(png_structp png_ptr, png_infop info_ptr,
    png_free_data(png_ptr, info_ptr, PNG_FREE_ROWS, 0);
    if (info_ptr->row_pointers == NULL)
    {
-#ifdef PNG_CALLOC_SUPPORTED
-      info_ptr->row_pointers = (png_bytepp)png_calloc(png_ptr,
-         info_ptr->height * png_sizeof(png_bytep));
-#else
+    png_uint_32 iptr;
+
       info_ptr->row_pointers = (png_bytepp)png_malloc(png_ptr,
          info_ptr->height * png_sizeof(png_bytep));
-      png_memset(info_ptr->row_pointers, 0, info_ptr->height
-         * png_sizeof(png_bytep));
-#endif
+      for (iptr=0; iptr<info_ptr->height; iptr++)
+         info_ptr->row_pointers[iptr] = NULL;
+
       info_ptr->free_me |= PNG_FREE_ROWS;
+
       for (row = 0; row < (int)info_ptr->height; row++)
          info_ptr->row_pointers[row] = (png_bytep)png_malloc(png_ptr,
             png_get_rowbytes(png_ptr, info_ptr));