diff --git a/tests/hd-geo-test.c b/tests/hd-geo-test.c
index 6176e81ab2..24870b38f4 100644
--- a/tests/hd-geo-test.c
+++ b/tests/hd-geo-test.c
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@
 #include "qemu-common.h"
 #include "libqtest.h"
 
+#define ARGV_SIZE 256
+
 static char *create_test_img(int secs)
 {
     char *template = strdup("/tmp/qtest.XXXXXX");
@@ -66,7 +68,7 @@ static const CHST hd_chst[backend_last][mbr_last] = {
     },
 };
 
-static const char *img_file_name[backend_last];
+static char *img_file_name[backend_last];
 
 static const CHST *cur_ide[4];
 
@@ -234,28 +236,36 @@ static int setup_ide(int argc, char *argv[], int argv_sz,
  */
 static void test_ide_none(void)
 {
-    char *argv[256];
+    char **argv = g_new0(char *, ARGV_SIZE);
+    char *args;
 
-    setup_common(argv, ARRAY_SIZE(argv));
-    qtest_start(g_strjoinv(" ", argv));
+    setup_common(argv, ARGV_SIZE);
+    args = g_strjoinv(" ", argv);
+    qtest_start(args);
+    g_strfreev(argv);
+    g_free(args);
     test_cmos();
     qtest_end();
 }
 
 static void test_ide_mbr(bool use_device, MBRcontents mbr)
 {
-    char *argv[256];
+    char **argv = g_new0(char *, ARGV_SIZE);
+    char *args;
     int argc;
     Backend i;
     const char *dev;
 
-    argc = setup_common(argv, ARRAY_SIZE(argv));
+    argc = setup_common(argv, ARGV_SIZE);
     for (i = 0; i < backend_last; i++) {
         cur_ide[i] = &hd_chst[i][mbr];
         dev = use_device ? (is_hd(cur_ide[i]) ? "ide-hd" : "ide-cd") : NULL;
-        argc = setup_ide(argc, argv, ARRAY_SIZE(argv), i, dev, i, mbr, "");
+        argc = setup_ide(argc, argv, ARGV_SIZE, i, dev, i, mbr, "");
     }
-    qtest_start(g_strjoinv(" ", argv));
+    args = g_strjoinv(" ", argv);
+    qtest_start(args);
+    g_strfreev(argv);
+    g_free(args);
     test_cmos();
     qtest_end();
 }
@@ -310,12 +320,13 @@ static void test_ide_device_mbr_chs(void)
 
 static void test_ide_drive_user(const char *dev, bool trans)
 {
-    char *argv[256], *opts;
+    char **argv = g_new0(char *, ARGV_SIZE);
+    char *args, *opts;
     int argc;
     int secs = img_secs[backend_small];
     const CHST expected_chst = { secs / (4 * 32) , 4, 32, trans };
 
-    argc = setup_common(argv, ARRAY_SIZE(argv));
+    argc = setup_common(argv, ARGV_SIZE);
     opts = g_strdup_printf("%s,%s%scyls=%d,heads=%d,secs=%d",
                            dev ?: "",
                            trans && dev ? "bios-chs-" : "",
@@ -323,11 +334,14 @@ static void test_ide_drive_user(const char *dev, bool trans)
                            expected_chst.cyls, expected_chst.heads,
                            expected_chst.secs);
     cur_ide[0] = &expected_chst;
-    argc = setup_ide(argc, argv, ARRAY_SIZE(argv),
+    argc = setup_ide(argc, argv, ARGV_SIZE,
                      0, dev ? opts : NULL, backend_small, mbr_chs,
                      dev ? "" : opts);
     g_free(opts);
-    qtest_start(g_strjoinv(" ", argv));
+    args = g_strjoinv(" ", argv);
+    qtest_start(args);
+    g_strfreev(argv);
+    g_free(args);
     test_cmos();
     qtest_end();
 }
@@ -369,18 +383,22 @@ static void test_ide_device_user_chst(void)
  */
 static void test_ide_drive_cd_0(void)
 {
-    char *argv[256];
+    char **argv = g_new0(char *, ARGV_SIZE);
+    char *args;
     int argc, ide_idx;
     Backend i;
 
-    argc = setup_common(argv, ARRAY_SIZE(argv));
+    argc = setup_common(argv, ARGV_SIZE);
     for (i = 0; i <= backend_empty; i++) {
         ide_idx = backend_empty - i;
         cur_ide[ide_idx] = &hd_chst[i][mbr_blank];
-        argc = setup_ide(argc, argv, ARRAY_SIZE(argv),
+        argc = setup_ide(argc, argv, ARGV_SIZE,
                          ide_idx, NULL, i, mbr_blank, "");
     }
-    qtest_start(g_strjoinv(" ", argv));
+    args = g_strjoinv(" ", argv);
+    qtest_start(args);
+    g_strfreev(argv);
+    g_free(args);
     test_cmos();
     qtest_end();
 }
@@ -418,6 +436,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
     for (i = 0; i < backend_last; i++) {
         if (img_file_name[i]) {
             unlink(img_file_name[i]);
+            free(img_file_name[i]);
         }
     }