diff --git a/.travis/run.sh b/.travis/run.sh
index 7c1e847c1..91f6f7663 100755
--- a/.travis/run.sh
+++ b/.travis/run.sh
@@ -13,11 +13,6 @@ if [[ "$(uname -s)" == "Darwin" ]]; then
     fi
 fi
 
-source ~/.venv/bin/activate
-
-if [[ "$(uname -s)" == "Darwin" ]]; then
-    # no fakeroot on OS X
-    sudo tox -e $TOXENV -r
-else
-    fakeroot -u tox -r
-fi
+# do not use fakeroot, but run as root on travis.
+# avoids the dreaded EISDIR sporadic failures. see #2482.
+sudo bash -c "source ~/.venv/bin/activate ; tox -e $TOXENV -r"
diff --git a/src/borg/testsuite/archiver.py b/src/borg/testsuite/archiver.py
index 6afd95cc9..95d0f7b67 100644
--- a/src/borg/testsuite/archiver.py
+++ b/src/borg/testsuite/archiver.py
@@ -1256,14 +1256,14 @@ class ArchiverTestCase(ArchiverTestCaseBase):
             raise OSError(errno.EACCES, 'EACCES')
 
         self.create_regular_file('file')
-        xattr.setxattr('input/file', 'attribute', 'value')
+        xattr.setxattr('input/file', 'user.attribute', 'value')
         self.cmd('init', self.repository_location, '-e' 'none')
         self.cmd('create', self.repository_location + '::test', 'input')
         with changedir('output'):
             input_abspath = os.path.abspath('input/file')
             with patch.object(xattr, 'setxattr', patched_setxattr_E2BIG):
                 out = self.cmd('extract', self.repository_location + '::test', exit_code=EXIT_WARNING)
-                assert out == (input_abspath + ': Value or key of extended attribute attribute is too big for this '
+                assert out == (input_abspath + ': Value or key of extended attribute user.attribute is too big for this '
                                                'filesystem\n')
             os.remove(input_abspath)
             with patch.object(xattr, 'setxattr', patched_setxattr_ENOTSUP):
@@ -1272,7 +1272,7 @@ class ArchiverTestCase(ArchiverTestCaseBase):
             os.remove(input_abspath)
             with patch.object(xattr, 'setxattr', patched_setxattr_EACCES):
                 out = self.cmd('extract', self.repository_location + '::test', exit_code=EXIT_WARNING)
-                assert out == (input_abspath + ': Permission denied when setting extended attribute attribute\n')
+                assert out == (input_abspath + ': Permission denied when setting extended attribute user.attribute\n')
             assert os.path.isfile(input_abspath)
 
     def test_path_normalization(self):