diff --git a/lib/libc/gen/pw_scan.c b/lib/libc/gen/pw_scan.c
index 9242dd054244..24e822597bfd 100644
--- a/lib/libc/gen/pw_scan.c
+++ b/lib/libc/gen/pw_scan.c
@@ -58,8 +58,14 @@ __FBSDID("$FreeBSD$");
  *
  * If pw_big_ids_warning is -1 on entry to pw_scan(), it will be set based
  * on the existence of PW_SCAN_BIG_IDS in the environment.
+ *
+ * It is believed all baseline system software that can not handle the
+ * normal ID sizes is now gone so pw_big_ids_warning is disabled for now.
+ * But the code has been left in place in case end-users want to re-enable
+ * it and/or for the next time the ID sizes get bigger but pieces of the
+ * system lag behind.
  */
-static int	pw_big_ids_warning = -1;
+static int	pw_big_ids_warning = 0;
 
 int
 __pw_scan(char *bp, struct passwd *pw, int flags)
@@ -67,6 +73,7 @@ __pw_scan(char *bp, struct passwd *pw, int flags)
 	uid_t id;
 	int root;
 	char *ep, *p, *sh;
+	unsigned long temp;
 
 	if (pw_big_ids_warning == -1)
 		pw_big_ids_warning = getenv("PW_SCAN_BIG_IDS") == NULL ? 1 : 0;
@@ -94,12 +101,14 @@ __pw_scan(char *bp, struct passwd *pw, int flags)
 			return (0);
 		}
 	}
-	id = strtoul(p, &ep, 10);
-	if (errno == ERANGE) {
+	errno = 0;
+	temp = strtoul(p, &ep, 10);
+	if ((temp == ULONG_MAX && errno == ERANGE) || temp > UID_MAX) {
 		if (flags & _PWSCAN_WARN)
-			warnx("%s > max uid value (%lu)", p, ULONG_MAX);
+			warnx("%s > max uid value (%u)", p, UID_MAX);
 		return (0);
 	}
+	id = temp;
 	if (*ep != '\0') {
 		if (flags & _PWSCAN_WARN)
 			warnx("%s uid is incorrect", p);
@@ -127,12 +136,14 @@ __pw_scan(char *bp, struct passwd *pw, int flags)
 			return (0);
 		}
 	}
-	id = strtoul(p, &ep, 10);
-	if (errno == ERANGE) {
+	errno = 0;
+	temp = strtoul(p, &ep, 10);
+	if ((temp == ULONG_MAX && errno == ERANGE) || temp > GID_MAX) {
 		if (flags & _PWSCAN_WARN)
-			warnx("%s > max gid value (%lu)", p, ULONG_MAX);
+			warnx("%s > max gid value (%u)", p, GID_MAX);
 		return (0);
 	}
+	id = temp;
 	if (*ep != '\0') {
 		if (flags & _PWSCAN_WARN)
 			warnx("%s gid is incorrect", p);