diff --git a/Include/sysmodule.h b/Include/sysmodule.h
--- a/Include/sysmodule.h
+++ b/Include/sysmodule.h
@@ -32,6 +32,8 @@
 PyAPI_FUNC(void) PySys_AddXOption(const wchar_t *);
 PyAPI_FUNC(PyObject *) PySys_GetXOptions(void);
 
+PyAPI_FUNC(void) _SysImportState_Init(void);
+
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }
 #endif
diff --git a/Python/import.c b/Python/import.c
--- a/Python/import.c
+++ b/Python/import.c
@@ -204,43 +204,22 @@
 void
 _PyImportHooks_Init(void)
 {
-    PyObject *v, *path_hooks = NULL, *zimpimport;
+    PyObject *path_hooks, *zimpimport;
     int err = 0;
 
-    /* adding sys.path_hooks and sys.path_importer_cache, setting up
-       zipimport */
-    if (PyType_Ready(&PyNullImporter_Type) < 0)
-        goto error;
+    /* setting up NullImporter, zipimport */
+
+    if (PyType_Ready(&PyNullImporter_Type) < 0) {
+        PyErr_Print();
+        Py_FatalError("initializing NullImporter failed");
+    }
+
+    _SysImportState_Init();
+    path_hooks = PySys_GetObject("path_hooks");
 
     if (Py_VerboseFlag)
         PySys_WriteStderr("# installing zipimport hook\n");
 
-    v = PyList_New(0);
-    if (v == NULL)
-        goto error;
-    err = PySys_SetObject("meta_path", v);
-    Py_DECREF(v);
-    if (err)
-        goto error;
-    v = PyDict_New();
-    if (v == NULL)
-        goto error;
-    err = PySys_SetObject("path_importer_cache", v);
-    Py_DECREF(v);
-    if (err)
-        goto error;
-    path_hooks = PyList_New(0);
-    if (path_hooks == NULL)
-        goto error;
-    err = PySys_SetObject("path_hooks", path_hooks);
-    if (err) {
-  error:
-        PyErr_Print();
-        Py_FatalError("initializing sys.meta_path, sys.path_hooks, "
-                      "path_importer_cache, or NullImporter failed"
-                      );
-    }
-
     zimpimport = PyImport_ImportModule("zipimport");
     if (zimpimport == NULL) {
         PyErr_Clear(); /* No zip import module -- okay */
@@ -261,8 +240,10 @@
             /* sys.path_hooks.append(zipimporter) */
             err = PyList_Append(path_hooks, zipimporter);
             Py_DECREF(zipimporter);
-            if (err)
-                goto error;
+            if (err) {
+                PyErr_Print();
+                Py_FatalError("initializing zipimporter failed");
+            }
             if (Py_VerboseFlag)
                 PySys_WriteStderr(
                     "# installed zipimport hook\n");
diff --git a/Python/sysmodule.c b/Python/sysmodule.c
--- a/Python/sysmodule.c
+++ b/Python/sysmodule.c
@@ -1999,3 +1999,42 @@
     sys_format("stderr", stderr, format, va);
     va_end(va);
 }
+
+void
+_SysImportState_Init(void)
+{
+    PyObject *v;
+    int err = 0;
+
+    /* adding sys.path_hooks, sys.path_importer_cache, and
+       sys.meta_path */
+
+    v = PyList_New(0);
+    if (v == NULL)
+        goto error;
+    err = PySys_SetObject("meta_path", v);
+    Py_DECREF(v);
+    if (err)
+        goto error;
+
+    v = PyDict_New();
+    if (v == NULL)
+        goto error;
+    err = PySys_SetObject("path_importer_cache", v);
+    Py_DECREF(v);
+    if (err)
+        goto error;
+
+    v = PyList_New(0);
+    if (v == NULL)
+        goto error;
+    err = PySys_SetObject("path_hooks", v);
+    if (err) {
+  error:
+        PyErr_Print();
+        Py_FatalError("initializing sys.meta_path, sys.path_hooks, "
+                      "or path_importer_cache failed"
+                      );
+    }
+}
+