diff --git a/gnu/system/vm.scm b/gnu/system/vm.scm
index db9b1707d7..3ee03c84a0 100644
--- a/gnu/system/vm.scm
+++ b/gnu/system/vm.scm
@@ -240,7 +240,11 @@ made available under the /xchg CIFS share."
                                   #:target-arm32? #$(target-arm32?)
                                   #:disk-image-format #$disk-image-format
                                   #:disk-image-size size
-                                  #:references-graphs graphs))))))
+                                  #:references-graphs graphs)
+
+                ;; Make sure I/O buffers get flushed.  This is particularly
+                ;; important when MAKE-DISK-IMAGE? is true.
+                (sync))))))
 
     (gexp->derivation name builder
                       ;; TODO: Require the "kvm" feature.
@@ -530,10 +534,7 @@ should set REGISTER-CLOSURES? to #f."
                  #$os
                  #:compressor '(#+(file-append gzip "/bin/gzip") "-9n")
                  #:creation-time (make-time time-utc 0 1)
-                 #:transformations `((,root-directory -> "")))
-
-                ;; Make sure the tarball is fully written before rebooting.
-                (sync))))))
+                 #:transformations `((,root-directory -> ""))))))))
     (expression->derivation-in-linux-vm
      name build
      #:make-disk-image? #f