diff --git a/apps/settings.h b/apps/settings.h
index cc8c698bd2..50cb730579 100644
--- a/apps/settings.h
+++ b/apps/settings.h
@@ -215,18 +215,32 @@ enum {  ALARM_START_WPS = 0,
 /** virtual pointer stuff.. move to another .h maybe? **/
 /* These define "virtual pointers", which could either be a literal string,
    or a mean a string ID if the pointer is in a certain range.
-   This helps to save space for menus and options. */
+   This helps to save space for menus and options.
+
+   While using 0 as the base address is fastest/simplest,
+   it could result in a nullptr when ID==0 which C compilers try to
+   helpfully "optimize" away.
+
+   NOTE:  VIRT_PTR must point at an *invalid* address in the target
+          memory map!
+*/
 
 #define VIRT_SIZE 0xFFFF /* more than enough for our string ID range */
 #if defined(CPU_S5L87XX)
-/* the S5L87XX has IRAM at 0, so we use 0xffff bytes right after that */
+/* 256K IRAM at 0x0 */
 #define VIRT_PTR ((unsigned char*)0x40000)
-#elif CONFIG_CPU==DM320
-/* the DM320 has IRAM at 0, so we use 0xffff bytes right after that */
+#elif CONFIG_CPU==DM320 || CONFIG_CPU == RK27XX
+/* 4K of IRAM at 0x0 */
 #define VIRT_PTR ((unsigned char*)0x4000)
+#elif defined(CPU_TCC780X)
+/* 1K of IRAM at 0x0 */
+#define VIRT_PTR ((unsigned char*)0x1000)
+#elif CONFIG_CPU == S3C2440 || defined(CPU_PP) || CONFIG_CPU==IMX31L
+/* up to 64MB of DRAM at 0x0 */
+#define VIRT_PTR ((unsigned char*)0x40000000)
 #else
-/* a location where we won't store strings, 0 is the fastest */
-#define VIRT_PTR ((unsigned char*)0)
+/* offset from 0x0 slightly */
+#define VIRT_PTR ((unsigned char*)sizeof(char*))
 #endif
 
 /* form a "virtual pointer" out of a language ID */