diff -u b/fs/reiserfs/fix_node.c b/fs/reiserfs/fix_node.c
--- b/fs/reiserfs/fix_node.c	Sat May 18 14:44:24 2002
+++ b/fs/reiserfs/fix_node.c	Sun May 19 10:11:26 2002
@@ -2012,16 +2012,20 @@
 
 static int get_virtual_node_size (struct super_block * sb, struct buffer_head * bh)
 {
-  //  int size = sizeof (struct virtual_item); /* for new item in case of insert */
-  //  int i, nr_items;
-  //  struct item_head * ih;
+    int max_num_of_items;
+    int max_num_of_entries;
+    unsigned long blocksize = sb->s_blocksize;
 
-  // this is enough for _ALL_ currently possible cases. In 4 k block
-  // one may put < 170 empty items. Each virtual item eats 12
-  // byte. The biggest direntry item may have < 256 entries. Each
-  // entry would eat 2 byte of virtual node space
-  return sb->s_blocksize;
+#define MIN_NAME_LEN 1
 
+    max_num_of_items = (blocksize - BLKH_SIZE) / (IH_SIZE + MIN_ITEM_LEN);
+    max_num_of_entries = (blocksize - BLKH_SIZE - IH_SIZE) / 
+                         (DEH_SIZE + MIN_NAME_LEN);
+
+    return sizeof(struct virtual_node) + 
+           max(max_num_of_items * sizeof (struct virtual_item),
+	       sizeof (struct virtual_item) + sizeof(struct direntry_uarea) + 
+               (max_num_of_entries - 1) * sizeof (__u16));
 }
 

only in patch2:
--- a/include/linux/reiserfs_fs.h	Sun May 19 10:11:26 2002
+++ b/include/linux/reiserfs_fs.h	Sun May 19 10:11:26 2002
@@ -1204,6 +1204,13 @@
   struct virtual_item * vn_vi;	/* array of items (including a new one, excluding item to be deleted) */
 };
 
+/* used by directory items when creating virtual nodes */
+struct direntry_uarea {
+    int flags;
+    __u16 entry_count;
+    __u16 entry_sizes[1];
+} __attribute__ ((__packed__)) ;
+
 
 /***************************************************************************/
 /*                  TREE BALANCE                                           */
only in patch2:
--- a/fs/reiserfs/item_ops.c	Sun May 19 10:11:26 2002
+++ b/fs/reiserfs/item_ops.c	Sun May 19 10:11:26 2002
@@ -466,13 +466,6 @@
 
 #define DIRENTRY_VI_FIRST_DIRENTRY_ITEM 1
 
-struct direntry_uarea {
-    int flags;
-    __u16 entry_count;
-    __u16 entry_sizes[1];
-} __attribute__ ((__packed__)) ;
-
-
 /*
  * function returns old entry number in directory item in real node
  * using new entry number in virtual item in virtual node */