diff --git a/Common/GmshMessage.cpp b/Common/GmshMessage.cpp
index 3dbc13fd5df709d5995014c75fc96d218e8d9bfa..01afdf7a5ea73893e04e3ebc0de2341dda46cf55 100644
--- a/Common/GmshMessage.cpp
+++ b/Common/GmshMessage.cpp
@@ -225,7 +225,7 @@ void Msg::Fatal(const char *fmt, ...)
     std::string tmp = std::string("@C1@.") + "Fatal   : " + str;
     FlGui::instance()->addMessage(tmp.c_str());
     if(_firstError.empty()) _firstError = str;
-    FlGui::instance()->setLastStatus(FL_DARK_RED);
+    FlGui::instance()->setLastStatus(FL_RED);
     FlGui::instance()->saveMessages
       ((CTX::instance()->homeDir + CTX::instance()->errorFileName).c_str());
     fl_alert("A fatal error has occurred which will force Gmsh to abort.\n"
@@ -271,7 +271,7 @@ void Msg::Error(const char *fmt, ...)
     std::string tmp = std::string("@C1@.") + "Error   : " + str;
     FlGui::instance()->addMessage(tmp.c_str());
     if(_firstError.empty()) _firstError = str;
-    FlGui::instance()->setLastStatus(FL_DARK_RED);
+    FlGui::instance()->setLastStatus(FL_RED);
   }
 #endif
 
diff --git a/Fltk/FlGui.cpp b/Fltk/FlGui.cpp
index 87cd9ae3dde527979caf42824d7157b9b8af1b16..6956a5be85c08e97df424f6bf26d6061ec92a720 100644
--- a/Fltk/FlGui.cpp
+++ b/Fltk/FlGui.cpp
@@ -832,7 +832,7 @@ void FlGui::setStatus(const std::string &msg, bool opengl)
 void FlGui::setLastStatus(int col)
 {
   for(unsigned int i = 0; i < graph.size(); i++){
-    if(col >= 0)
+    if(col >= 0 && graph[0]->getMessageHeight() < FL_NORMAL_SIZE)
       graph[i]->getProgress()->labelcolor(col);
     else
       graph[i]->getProgress()->labelcolor(FL_FOREGROUND_COLOR);