@@ -391,7 +391,9 @@ def get_pdata(dtype, count):
                             buff = np.fromstring(buff, dtype=np.uint8)
 
                         def get_pdata(dtype, count):
-                            slc = slice(_offset, _offset+count)
+                            dtype = np.dtype(dtype)
+                            nbytes = count * dtype.itemsize
+                            slc = slice(_offset, _offset + nbytes)
                             return buff[slc].view(dtype=dtype)
 
                     if recformat.dtype == 'a':
 
@@ -34,6 +34,10 @@
 DEFAULT_BLOCK_SIZE = 32
 DEFAULT_BYTE_PIX = 4
 
+# CFITSIO version-specific features
+if COMPRESSION_SUPPORTED:
+    CFITSIO_SUPPORTS_GZIPDATA = compression.CFITSIO_VERSION >= 3.28
+
 
 class CompImageHeader(Header):
     """
@@ -462,7 +466,7 @@ def updateHeaderData(self, image_header,
             # this behavior so the only way to determine which behavior will
             # be employed is via the CFITSIO version
 
-            if compression.cfitsio_version >= 3.28:
+            if CFITSIO_SUPPORTS_GZIPDATA:
                 ttype2 = 'GZIP_COMPRESSED_DATA'
                 # The required format for the GZIP_COMPRESSED_DATA is actually
                 # missing from the standard docs, but CFITSIO suggests it
@@ -770,7 +774,8 @@ def updateHeaderData(self, image_header,
                 bytepix = DEFAULT_BYTE_PIX
 
             self._header.set('ZVAL2', bytepix,
-                             'bytes per pixel (1, 2, 4, or 8)', after='ZNAME2')
+                             'bytes per pixel (1, 2, 4, or 8)',
+                             after='ZNAME2')
             afterCard = 'ZVAL2'
             idx = 3
         elif compressionType == 'HCOMPRESS_1':
@@ -942,6 +947,7 @@ def compData(self):
         # data) from the file, if there is any.
         compData = super(BinTableHDU, self).data
         if isinstance(compData, np.rec.recarray):
+            del self.data
             return compData
         else:
             # This will actually set self.compData with the pre-allocated space
@@ -1255,6 +1261,11 @@ def updateCompressedData(self):
         if dataspan < BLOCK_SIZE:
             # We must a full FITS block at a minimum
             dataspan = BLOCK_SIZE
+        else:
+            # Still make sure to pad out to a multiple of 2880 byte blocks
+            # otherwise CFITSIO can get read errors when it tries to read
+            # a partial block that goes past the end of the file
+            dataspan += _pad_length(dataspan)
         self.compData = np.empty((dataspan,), dtype=np.byte)
         self.compData[:tbsize] = 0
 
@@ -1353,7 +1364,8 @@ def updateHeader(self):
                 bytepix = DEFAULT_BYTE_PIX
 
             self._header.set('ZVAL2', bytepix,
-                             'bytes per pixel (1, 2, 4, or 8)', after='ZNAME2')
+                             'bytes per pixel (1, 2, 4, or 8)',
+                             after='ZNAME2')
 
     def scale(self, type=None, option='old', bscale=1, bzero=0):
         """
 
@@ -100,6 +100,7 @@
 #include <numpy/arrayobject.h>
 #include <fitsio2.h>
 #include <string.h>
+#include "compressionmodule.h"
 
 /* Some defines for Python3 support--bytes objects should be used where */
 /* strings were previously used                                         */
@@ -525,17 +526,21 @@ void configure_compression(fitsfile* fileptr, PyObject* header) {
     // BLANK in the header
     Fptr->cn_zblank = Fptr->cn_zzero = Fptr->cn_zscale = -1;
     Fptr->cn_uncompressed = 0;
+#ifdef CFITSIO_SUPPORTS_GZIPDATA
     Fptr->cn_gzip_data = 0;
+#endif
 
     // Check for a ZBLANK, ZZERO, ZSCALE, and
     // UNCOMPRESSED_DATA/GZIP_COMPRESSED_DATA columns in the compressed data
     // table
     for (idx = 0; idx < tfields; idx++) {
         if (0 == strncmp(columns[idx].ttype, "UNCOMPRESSED_DATA", 18)) {
             Fptr->cn_uncompressed = idx + 1;
+#ifdef CFITSIO_SUPPORTS_GZIPDATA
         } else if (0 == strncmp(columns[idx].ttype,
                                 "GZIP_COMPRESSED_DATA", 21)) {
             Fptr->cn_gzip_data = idx + 1;
+#endif
         } else if (0 == strncmp(columns[idx].ttype, "ZSCALE", 7)) {
             Fptr->cn_zscale = idx + 1;
         } else if (0 == strncmp(columns[idx].ttype, "ZZERO", 6)) {
@@ -799,7 +804,6 @@ PyObject* compression_compress_hdu(PyObject* self, PyObject* args)
 
     indata = (PyArrayObject*) PyObject_GetAttrString(hdu, "data");
 
-    // Test values
     fits_write_img(fileptr, datatype, 1, PyArray_SIZE(indata), indata->data,
                    &status);
     if (status != 0) {
@@ -847,6 +851,9 @@ PyObject* compression_compress_hdu(PyObject* self, PyObject* args)
     }
     Py_XDECREF(indata);
 
+    // Clear any messages remaining in CFITSIO's error stack
+    fits_clear_errmsg();
+
     return retval;
 }
 
@@ -921,6 +928,9 @@ PyObject* compression_decompress_hdu(PyObject* self, PyObject* args)
     }
     PyMem_Free(znaxis);
 
+    // Clear any messages remaining in CFITSIO's error stack
+    fits_clear_errmsg();
+
     return (PyObject*) outdata;
 }
 
@@ -946,6 +956,7 @@ PyObject* compression_calc_max_elem(PyObject* self, PyObject* args) {
 /* CFITSIO version float as returned by fits_get_version() */
 static double cfitsio_version;
 
+
 void compression_module_init(PyObject* module) {
     /* Python version-indendependent initialization routine for the
        compression module */
@@ -961,7 +972,7 @@ void compression_module_init(PyObject* module) {
     cfitsio_version = floor((1000 * version_tmp + 0.5)) / 1000;
 
     tmp = PyFloat_FromDouble(cfitsio_version);
-    PyObject_SetAttrString(module, "cfitsio_version", tmp);
+    PyObject_SetAttrString(module, "CFITSIO_VERSION", tmp);
     Py_XDECREF(tmp);
 
     /* Needed to use Numpy routines */