diff --git a/hw/qxl-render.c b/hw/qxl-render.c
index 7b120ab..8280b91 100644
--- a/hw/qxl-render.c
+++ b/hw/qxl-render.c
@@ -82,7 +82,6 @@ void qxl_render_update(PCIQXLDevice *qxl, const char *filename)
 {
     VGACommonState *vga = &qxl->vga;
     QXLRect dirty[32];
-    void *ptr;
     int redraw = 0;
     QXLRenderUpdateData *data;
     QXLCookie *cookie;
@@ -96,38 +95,7 @@ void qxl_render_update(PCIQXLDevice *qxl, const char *filename)
 
     if (qxl->guest_primary.resized) {
         qxl->guest_primary.resized = 0;
-
-        if (qxl->guest_primary.flipped) {
-            g_free(qxl->guest_primary.flipped);
-            qxl->guest_primary.flipped = NULL;
-        }
-        qemu_free_displaysurface(vga->ds);
-
-        qxl->guest_primary.data = memory_region_get_ram_ptr(&qxl->vga.vram);
-        if (qxl->guest_primary.qxl_stride < 0) {
-            /* spice surface is upside down -> need extra buffer to flip */
-            qxl->guest_primary.flipped =
-                g_malloc(qxl->guest_primary.surface.width *
-                         qxl->guest_primary.abs_stride);
-            ptr = qxl->guest_primary.flipped;
-        } else {
-            ptr = qxl->guest_primary.data;
-        }
-        dprint(qxl, 1, "%s: %dx%d, stride %d, bpp %d, depth %d, flip %s\n",
-               __FUNCTION__,
-               qxl->guest_primary.surface.width,
-               qxl->guest_primary.surface.height,
-               qxl->guest_primary.qxl_stride,
-               qxl->guest_primary.bytes_pp,
-               qxl->guest_primary.bits_pp,
-               qxl->guest_primary.flipped ? "yes" : "no");
-        vga->ds->surface =
-            qemu_create_displaysurface_from(qxl->guest_primary.surface.width,
-                                            qxl->guest_primary.surface.height,
-                                            qxl->guest_primary.bits_pp,
-                                            qxl->guest_primary.abs_stride,
-                                            ptr);
-        dpy_resize(vga->ds);
+        qemu_resize_displaysurface(qxl->vga.ds, 0, 0);
     }
 
     if (!qxl->guest_primary.commands) {
diff --git a/hw/qxl.c b/hw/qxl.c
index 6e25bd1..ec43c4e 100644
--- a/hw/qxl.c
+++ b/hw/qxl.c
@@ -138,6 +138,92 @@ void qxl_guest_bug(PCIQXLDevice *qxl, const char *msg, ...)
     }
 }
 
+static DisplaySurface *qxl_create_displaysurface(int width, int height)
+{
+    PCIQXLDevice *qxl = qxl0;
+    DisplaySurface *ret;
+    void *ptr;
+
+    dprint(qxl, 1, "%s: %d x %d (have %d, %d)\n", __func__,
+           width, height,
+           qxl->guest_primary.surface.width,
+           qxl->guest_primary.surface.height);
+    if (width != 0 && height != 0 &&
+        (qxl->mode == QXL_MODE_VGA || qxl->mode == QXL_MODE_UNDEFINED)) {
+        /* initial surface creation in vga mode, use give width and height */
+        qxl->guest_primary.surface.width = width;
+        qxl->guest_primary.surface.height = height;
+        qxl->guest_primary.qxl_stride = width * 4;
+        qxl->guest_primary.abs_stride = width * 4;
+        qxl->guest_primary.bytes_pp = 4;
+        qxl->guest_primary.bits_pp = 32;
+        qxl->guest_primary.flipped = 0;
+        qxl->guest_primary.data = qxl->ssd.buf;
+    } else {
+        if (qxl->guest_primary.flipped) {
+            g_free(qxl->guest_primary.flipped);
+            qxl->guest_primary.flipped = NULL;
+        }
+        qxl->guest_primary.data = memory_region_get_ram_ptr(&qxl->vga.vram);
+    }
+    if (qxl->guest_primary.qxl_stride < 0) {
+        /* spice surface is upside down -> need extra buffer to flip */
+        qxl->guest_primary.flipped =
+            g_malloc(qxl->guest_primary.surface.width *
+                     qxl->guest_primary.abs_stride);
+        ptr = qxl->guest_primary.flipped;
+    } else {
+        ptr = qxl->guest_primary.data;
+    }
+    dprint(qxl, 1, "%s: %dx%d, stride %d, bpp %d, depth %d, flip %s\n",
+           __func__,
+           qxl->guest_primary.surface.width,
+           qxl->guest_primary.surface.height,
+           qxl->guest_primary.qxl_stride,
+           qxl->guest_primary.bytes_pp,
+           qxl->guest_primary.bits_pp,
+           qxl->guest_primary.flipped ? "yes" : "no");
+    ret = qemu_create_displaysurface_from(qxl->guest_primary.surface.width,
+                                          qxl->guest_primary.surface.height,
+                                          qxl->guest_primary.bits_pp,
+                                          qxl->guest_primary.abs_stride,
+                                          ptr);
+    /*
+     * set this flag to ensure vga_draw_graphic treats this as a non shared
+     * buffer, and so does the correct convertion to 32 bits that we always use.
+     */
+    ret->flags |= QEMU_ALLOCATED_FLAG;
+    return ret;
+}
+
+static void qxl_free_displaysurface(DisplaySurface *surface)
+{
+    g_free(surface);
+}
+
+static DisplaySurface *qxl_resize_displaysurface(DisplaySurface *surface,
+                                                 int width, int height)
+{
+    if (surface != qxl0->vga.ds->surface) {
+        qxl_free_displaysurface(surface);
+    }
+    return qxl_create_displaysurface(width, height);
+}
+
+static struct DisplayAllocator qxl_displaysurface_allocator = {
+    qxl_create_displaysurface,
+    qxl_resize_displaysurface,
+    qxl_free_displaysurface
+};
+
+void qxl_set_allocator(DisplayState *ds)
+{
+    if (register_displayallocator(ds, &qxl_displaysurface_allocator) ==
+            &qxl_displaysurface_allocator) {
+        printf("qxl_set_allocator success\n");
+        dpy_resize(ds);
+    }
+}
 
 void qxl_spice_update_area(PCIQXLDevice *qxl, uint32_t surface_id,
                            struct QXLRect *area, struct QXLRect *dirty_rects,
@@ -1493,9 +1579,18 @@ static void qxl_hw_invalidate(void *opaque)
 static void qxl_hw_screen_dump(void *opaque, const char *filename)
 {
     PCIQXLDevice *qxl = opaque;
-    VGACommonState *vga = &qxl->vga;
 
     switch (qxl->mode) {
+    case QXL_MODE_VGA:
+        /*
+         * TODO: vga_hw_screen_dump needless does a number of ppm_save calls
+         * fix it instead of redoing it correctly here (needs testing which is
+         * why it isn't yet done)
+         */
+        qxl->vga.invalidate(&qxl->vga);
+        vga_hw_update();
+        ppm_save(filename, qxl->ssd.ds->surface);
+        break;
     case QXL_MODE_COMPAT:
     case QXL_MODE_NATIVE:
         /*
@@ -1508,9 +1603,6 @@ static void qxl_hw_screen_dump(void *opaque, const char *filename)
          */
         qxl_render_update(qxl, filename);
         break;
-    case QXL_MODE_VGA:
-        vga->screen_dump(vga, filename);
-        break;
     default:
         break;
     }
@@ -1682,9 +1774,8 @@ static int qxl_init_primary(PCIDevice *dev)
 
     vga->ds = graphic_console_init(qxl_hw_update, qxl_hw_invalidate,
                                    qxl_hw_screen_dump, qxl_hw_text_update, qxl);
-    qemu_spice_display_init_common(&qxl->ssd, vga->ds);
-
     qxl0 = qxl;
+    qemu_spice_display_init_common(&qxl->ssd, vga->ds);
     register_displaychangelistener(vga->ds, &display_listener);
 
     return qxl_init_common(qxl);
diff --git a/ui/spice-display.c b/ui/spice-display.c
index 680e6f4..7fd18f4 100644
--- a/ui/spice-display.c
+++ b/ui/spice-display.c
@@ -295,6 +295,7 @@ void qemu_spice_display_init_common(SimpleSpiceDisplay *ssd, DisplayState *ds)
     ssd->mouse_y = -1;
     ssd->bufsize = (16 * 1024 * 1024);
     ssd->buf = g_malloc(ssd->bufsize);
+    qxl_set_allocator(ds);
 }
 
 /* display listener callbacks */
diff --git a/ui/spice-display.h b/ui/spice-display.h
index 8f286f8..9f24097 100644
--- a/ui/spice-display.h
+++ b/ui/spice-display.h
@@ -123,3 +123,5 @@ void qemu_spice_destroy_primary_surface(SimpleSpiceDisplay *ssd,
 void qemu_spice_wakeup(SimpleSpiceDisplay *ssd);
 void qemu_spice_start(SimpleSpiceDisplay *ssd);
 void qemu_spice_stop(SimpleSpiceDisplay *ssd);
+
+void qxl_set_allocator(DisplayState *ds);
