diff --git a/pycbc/frame/frame.py b/pycbc/frame/frame.py
index a67a3d090d9..bfc742b0ea6 100644
--- a/pycbc/frame/frame.py
+++ b/pycbc/frame/frame.py
@@ -589,8 +589,8 @@ def _read_frame(self, blocksize):
             return TimeSeries(data.data.data, delta_t=data.deltaT,
                               epoch=self.read_pos,
                               dtype=dtype)
-        except Exception:
-            raise RuntimeError('Cannot read {0} frame data'.format(self.channel_name))
+        except:
+            raise RuntimeError(f'Cannot read {self.channel_name} frame data')
 
     def null_advance(self, blocksize):
         """Advance and insert zeros
@@ -826,19 +826,22 @@ def indices_of_flag(self, start_time, duration, times, padding=0):
         return idx
 
     def advance(self, blocksize):
-        """ Add blocksize seconds more to the buffer, push blocksize seconds
-        from the beginning.
+        """Read `blocksize` seconds of new status data, append it to the end of
+        the internal status buffer, and drop `blocksize` seconds from the
+        beginning of the buffer. Check if the newly added status data indicates
+        usable or unusable strain data.
 
         Parameters
         ----------
         blocksize: int
-            The number of seconds to attempt to read from the channel
+            The number of seconds to attempt to read from the channel.
 
         Returns
         -------
         status: boolean
-            Returns True if all of the status information if valid,
-            False if any is not.
+            Returns True if all of the status information if valid, False if
+            any is not, None if there was a problem reading the status
+            information.
         """
         try:
             if self.increment_update_cache:
@@ -847,7 +850,8 @@ def advance(self, blocksize):
             return self.check_valid(ts)
         except RuntimeError:
             self.null_advance(blocksize)
-            return False
+            return None
+
 
 class iDQBuffer(object):
 
diff --git a/pycbc/strain/strain.py b/pycbc/strain/strain.py
index 4ff3b01d061..b383cd5c9e3 100644
--- a/pycbc/strain/strain.py
+++ b/pycbc/strain/strain.py
@@ -1863,17 +1863,47 @@ def advance(self, blocksize, timeout=10):
         status: boolean
             Returns True if this block is analyzable.
         """
-        ts = super(StrainBuffer, self).attempt_advance(blocksize, timeout=timeout)
-        self.blocksize = blocksize
+        if self.state:
+            # We are using information from the state vector, so check what is
+            # says about the new strain data.
+            state_advance_result = self.state.advance(blocksize)
+            if not state_advance_result:
+                # Something about the state vector indicates a problem.
+                if state_advance_result is None:
+                    logger.warning(
+                        "Failed to read %s state vector. Problem with the "
+                        "frame files, or analysis configured incorrectly",
+                        self.detector
+                    )
+                else:
+                    logger.info(
+                        "%s state vector indicates unusable data", self.detector
+                    )
+                # Either way, give up here; we will not analyze the new segment
+                # of strain data.
+                self.add_hard_count()
+                self.null_advance_strain(blocksize)
+                if self.dq:
+                    self.dq.null_advance(blocksize)
+                if self.idq:
+                    self.idq.null_advance(blocksize)
+                return False
 
+        # Either we are not using the state vector, or the state vector says
+        # the data is ok to analyze. So try to get the next segment of data.
+        ts = super(StrainBuffer, self).attempt_advance(
+            blocksize, timeout=timeout
+        )
+        self.blocksize = blocksize
         self.gate_params = []
 
-        # We have given up so there is no time series
         if ts is None:
-            logger.info("%s frame is late, giving up", self.detector)
+            logger.warning(
+                "Failed to read %s strain channel. Problem with the frame "
+                "files, or analysis configured incorrectly",
+                self.detector
+            )
             self.null_advance_strain(blocksize)
-            if self.state:
-                self.state.null_advance(blocksize)
             if self.dq:
                 self.dq.null_advance(blocksize)
             if self.idq:
@@ -1883,19 +1913,6 @@ def advance(self, blocksize, timeout=10):
         # We collected some data so we are closer to being able to analyze data
         self.wait_duration -= blocksize
 
-        # If the data we got was invalid, reset the counter on how much to collect
-        # This behavior corresponds to how we handle CAT1 vetoes
-        if self.state and self.state.advance(blocksize) is False:
-            self.add_hard_count()
-            self.null_advance_strain(blocksize)
-            if self.dq:
-                self.dq.null_advance(blocksize)
-            if self.idq:
-                self.idq.null_advance(blocksize)
-            logger.info("%s time has invalid data, resetting buffer",
-                        self.detector)
-            return False
-
         # Also advance the dq vector and idq timeseries in lockstep
         if self.dq:
             self.dq.advance(blocksize)