diff --git a/src/aleph/vm/orchestrator/views/__init__.py b/src/aleph/vm/orchestrator/views/__init__.py
index 94209c59f..b6a45c0d7 100644
--- a/src/aleph/vm/orchestrator/views/__init__.py
+++ b/src/aleph/vm/orchestrator/views/__init__.py
@@ -403,6 +403,7 @@ async def update_allocations(request: web.Request):
         VmSetupError,
         MicroVMFailedInitError,
         HostNotFoundError,
+        HTTPNotFound,
     )
 
     scheduling_errors: dict[ItemHash, Exception] = {}
@@ -414,8 +415,12 @@ async def update_allocations(request: web.Request):
             vm_hash = ItemHash(vm_hash)
             await start_persistent_vm(vm_hash, pubsub, pool)
         except vm_creation_exceptions as error:
-            logger.exception(error)
+            logger.exception("Error while starting VM '%s': %s", vm_hash, error)
             scheduling_errors[vm_hash] = error
+        except Exception as error:
+            # Handle unknown exception separately, to avoid leaking data
+            logger.exception("Unhandled Error while starting VM '%s': %s", vm_hash, error)
+            scheduling_errors[vm_hash] = Exception("Unhandled Error")
 
     # Schedule the start of instances:
     for instance_hash in allocation.instances:
@@ -424,8 +429,12 @@ async def update_allocations(request: web.Request):
         try:
             await start_persistent_vm(instance_item_hash, pubsub, pool)
         except vm_creation_exceptions as error:
-            logger.exception(error)
+            logger.exception("Error while starting VM '%s': %s", instance_hash, error)
             scheduling_errors[instance_item_hash] = error
+        except Exception as error:
+            # Handle unknown exception separately, to avoid leaking data
+            logger.exception("Unhandled Error while starting VM '%s': %s", instance_hash, error)
+            scheduling_errors[vm_hash] = Exception("Unhandled Error")
 
     # Log unsupported features
     if allocation.on_demand_vms:
diff --git a/src/aleph/vm/storage.py b/src/aleph/vm/storage.py
index df0505ca7..15d3b9384 100644
--- a/src/aleph/vm/storage.py
+++ b/src/aleph/vm/storage.py
@@ -110,9 +110,12 @@ async def download_file(url: str, local_path: Path) -> None:
                 await asyncio.wait_for(file_downloaded_by_another_task(local_path), timeout=30)
             except TimeoutError as error:
                 if attempt < (download_attempts - 1):
-                    logger.warning(f"Download failed, retrying attempt {attempt + 1}/{download_attempts}...")
+                    logger.warning(
+                        f"Download failed (waiting for another taks), retrying attempt {attempt + 1}/{download_attempts}..."
+                    )
                     continue
                 else:
+                    logger.warning(f"Download of {url} failed  (waiting for another task), aborting...")
                     raise error from file_exists_error
         except (
             aiohttp.ClientConnectionError,
@@ -123,6 +126,7 @@ async def download_file(url: str, local_path: Path) -> None:
                 logger.warning(f"Download failed, retrying attempt {attempt + 1}/{download_attempts}...")
                 # continue  #  continue inside try/finally block is unimplemented in `mypyc`
             else:
+                logger.warning(f"Download of {url} failed  (aborting...")
                 raise error
         finally:
             # Ensure no partial file is left behind