diff --git a/sys/oss/gstosselement.c b/sys/oss/gstosselement.c
index f43799868d..6ad1c21ca9 100644
--- a/sys/oss/gstosselement.c
+++ b/sys/oss/gstosselement.c
@@ -429,37 +429,43 @@ gst_osselement_open_audio (GstOssElement *oss)
   if (oss->fd < 0) {
     switch (errno) {
       case EBUSY:
-	gst_element_error (GST_ELEMENT (oss),
-			   "osselement: Unable to open %s (in use ?)",
-			   oss->device);
+	gst_element_gerror(GST_ELEMENT (oss), GST_ERROR_UNKNOWN,
+	  g_strdup ("unconverted error, file a bug"),
+	  g_strdup_printf("osselement: Unable to open %s (in use ?)",
+			   oss->device));
 	break;
       case EISDIR:
-	gst_element_error (GST_ELEMENT (oss),
-			   "osselement: Device %s is a directory",
-			   oss->device);
+	gst_element_gerror(GST_ELEMENT (oss), GST_ERROR_UNKNOWN,
+	  g_strdup ("unconverted error, file a bug"),
+	  g_strdup_printf("osselement: Device %s is a directory",
+			   oss->device));
 	break;
       case EACCES:
       case ETXTBSY:
-	gst_element_error (GST_ELEMENT (oss),
-			   "osselement: Cannot access %s, check permissions",
-			   oss->device);
+	gst_element_gerror(GST_ELEMENT (oss), GST_ERROR_UNKNOWN,
+	  g_strdup ("unconverted error, file a bug"),
+	  g_strdup_printf("osselement: Cannot access %s, check permissions",
+			   oss->device));
 	break;
       case ENXIO:
       case ENODEV:
       case ENOENT:
-	gst_element_error (GST_ELEMENT (oss),
-			   "osselement: Cannot access %s, does it exist ?",
-			   oss->device);
+	gst_element_gerror(GST_ELEMENT (oss), GST_ERROR_UNKNOWN,
+	  g_strdup ("unconverted error, file a bug"),
+	  g_strdup_printf("osselement: Cannot access %s, does it exist ?",
+			   oss->device));
 	break;
       case EROFS:
-	gst_element_error (GST_ELEMENT (oss),
-			   "osselement: Cannot access %s, read-only filesystem ?",
-			   oss->device);
+	gst_element_gerror(GST_ELEMENT (oss), GST_ERROR_UNKNOWN,
+	  g_strdup ("unconverted error, file a bug"),
+	  g_strdup_printf("osselement: Cannot access %s, read-only filesystem ?",
+			   oss->device));
       default:
 	/* FIXME: strerror is not threadsafe */
-	gst_element_error (GST_ELEMENT (oss),
-			   "osselement: Cannot open %s, generic error: %s",
-			   oss->device, strerror (errno));
+	gst_element_gerror(GST_ELEMENT (oss), GST_ERROR_UNKNOWN,
+	  g_strdup ("unconverted error, file a bug"),
+	  g_strdup_printf("osselement: Cannot open %s, generic error: %s",
+			   oss->device, strerror (errno)));
 	break;
     }
     return FALSE;
diff --git a/sys/oss/gstossgst.c b/sys/oss/gstossgst.c
index 070c693aa6..a680518c3e 100644
--- a/sys/oss/gstossgst.c
+++ b/sys/oss/gstossgst.c
@@ -382,7 +382,9 @@ gst_ossgst_spawn_process (GstOssGst *ossgst)
   if((ossgst->childpid = fork()) == -1)
   {
     perror("fork");
-    gst_element_error(GST_ELEMENT(ossgst),"forking");
+    gst_element_gerror(GST_ELEMENT(ossgst), GST_ERROR_UNKNOWN,
+      g_strdup ("unconverted error, file a bug"),
+      g_strdup_printf("forking"));
     return FALSE;
   }
   GST_DEBUG ("forked %d", ossgst->childpid);
@@ -415,7 +417,9 @@ gst_ossgst_spawn_process (GstOssGst *ossgst)
 
     /* will only reach if error */
     perror("exec");
-    gst_element_error(GST_ELEMENT(ossgst),"starting child process");
+    gst_element_gerror(GST_ELEMENT(ossgst), GST_ERROR_UNKNOWN,
+      g_strdup ("unconverted error, file a bug"),
+      g_strdup_printf("starting child process"));
     return FALSE;
 
   }
diff --git a/sys/oss/gstosssink.c b/sys/oss/gstosssink.c
index 067f69cebe..eb5203bc12 100644
--- a/sys/oss/gstosssink.c
+++ b/sys/oss/gstosssink.c
@@ -356,7 +356,9 @@ gst_osssink_chain (GstPad *pad, GstBuffer *buf)
 
   if (!GST_OSSELEMENT (osssink)->bps) {
     gst_buffer_unref (buf);
-    gst_element_error (GST_ELEMENT (osssink), "capsnego was never performed, unknown data type");
+    gst_element_gerror(GST_ELEMENT (osssink), GST_ERROR_UNKNOWN,
+      g_strdup ("unconverted error, file a bug"),
+      g_strdup_printf("capsnego was never performed, unknown data type"));
     return;
   }
 
diff --git a/sys/oss/gstosssrc.c b/sys/oss/gstosssrc.c
index c2ff002596..8a5e0bb3ae 100644
--- a/sys/oss/gstosssrc.c
+++ b/sys/oss/gstosssrc.c
@@ -315,13 +315,17 @@ gst_osssrc_get (GstPad *pad)
     /* nothing was negotiated, we can decide on a format */
     if (!gst_osssrc_negotiate (pad)) {
       gst_buffer_unref (buf);
-      gst_element_error (GST_ELEMENT (src), "could not negotiate format");
+      gst_element_gerror(GST_ELEMENT (src), GST_ERROR_UNKNOWN,
+        g_strdup ("unconverted error, file a bug"),
+        g_strdup_printf("could not negotiate format"));
       return GST_BUFFER (gst_event_new (GST_EVENT_INTERRUPT));
     }
   }
   if (GST_OSSELEMENT (src)->bps == 0) {
     gst_buffer_unref (buf);
-    gst_element_error (GST_ELEMENT (src), "no format negotiated");
+    gst_element_gerror(GST_ELEMENT (src), GST_ERROR_UNKNOWN,
+      g_strdup ("unconverted error, file a bug"),
+      g_strdup_printf("no format negotiated"));
     return GST_BUFFER (gst_event_new (GST_EVENT_INTERRUPT));
   }
 
@@ -329,8 +333,10 @@ gst_osssrc_get (GstPad *pad)
                     src->buffersize);
   if (readbytes < 0) {
     gst_buffer_unref (buf);
-    gst_element_error (GST_ELEMENT (src), "error reading data (%s)",
-		    strerror (errno));
+    gst_element_gerror(GST_ELEMENT (src), GST_ERROR_UNKNOWN,
+      g_strdup ("unconverted error, file a bug"),
+      g_strdup_printf("error reading data (%s)",
+		    strerror (errno)));
     return GST_BUFFER (gst_event_new (GST_EVENT_INTERRUPT));
   }