diff --git a/ports/src/noux/child.h b/ports/src/noux/child.h
index f3946d2ea..8a0399def 100644
--- a/ports/src/noux/child.h
+++ b/ports/src/noux/child.h
@@ -254,6 +254,8 @@ namespace Noux {
 
 		public:
 
+			struct Binary_does_not_exist : Exception { };
+
 			/**
 			 * Constructor
 			 *
@@ -261,6 +263,11 @@ namespace Noux {
 			 *                an executable binary (i.e., the init process,
 			 *                or children created via execve, or
 			 *                true if the child is a fork from another child
+			 *
+			 * \throw Binary_does_not_exist  if child is not a fork and the
+			 *                               specified name could not be
+			 *                               looked up at the virtual file
+			 *                               system
 			 */
 			Child(char const       *name,
 			      Family_member    *parent,
@@ -304,6 +311,11 @@ namespace Noux {
 			{
 				_env.pwd(pwd);
 				_args.dump();
+
+				if (!forked && !_binary_ds.valid()) {
+					PERR("Lookup of executable \"%s\" failed", name);
+					throw Binary_does_not_exist();
+				}
 			}
 
 			~Child()
diff --git a/ports/src/noux/main.cc b/ports/src/noux/main.cc
index 10b088856..83e40c0cf 100644
--- a/ports/src/noux/main.cc
+++ b/ports/src/noux/main.cc
@@ -224,34 +224,40 @@ bool Noux::Child::syscall(Noux::Session::Syscall sc)
 					j += strlen(src);
 				}
 
-				Child *child = new Child(absolute_path.base(),
-				                         parent(),
-				                         pid(),
-				                         _sig_rec,
-				                         _root_dir,
-				                         Args(_sysio->execve_in.args,
-				                              sizeof(_sysio->execve_in.args)),
-				                         env,
-				                         _env.pwd(),
-				                         _cap_session,
-				                         _parent_services,
-				                         _resources.ep,
-				                         false);
+				try {
+					Child *child = new Child(absolute_path.base(),
+					                         parent(),
+					                         pid(),
+					                         _sig_rec,
+					                         _root_dir,
+					                         Args(_sysio->execve_in.args,
+					                              sizeof(_sysio->execve_in.args)),
+					                         env,
+					                         _env.pwd(),
+					                         _cap_session,
+					                         _parent_services,
+					                         _resources.ep,
+					                         false);
 
-				/* replace ourself by the new child at the parent */
-				parent()->remove(this);
-				parent()->insert(child);
+					/* replace ourself by the new child at the parent */
+					parent()->remove(this);
+					parent()->insert(child);
 
-				_assign_io_channels_to(child);
+					_assign_io_channels_to(child);
 
-				/* signal main thread to remove ourself */
-				Genode::Signal_transmitter(_execve_cleanup_context_cap).submit();
+					/* signal main thread to remove ourself */
+					Genode::Signal_transmitter(_execve_cleanup_context_cap).submit();
 
-				/* start executing the new process */
-				child->start();
+					/* start executing the new process */
+					child->start();
 
-				/* this child will be removed by the execve_finalization_dispatcher */
-				return true;
+					/* this child will be removed by the execve_finalization_dispatcher */
+					return true;
+				}
+				catch (Child::Binary_does_not_exist) {
+					_sysio->error.execve = Sysio::EXECVE_NONEXISTENT; }
+
+				return false;
 			}
 
 		case SYSCALL_SELECT: