diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index fc831d1d..f3f6dba6 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ CMakeFiles/
 CMakeDoxyfile.in
 install_manifest.txt
 Testing/
-build/
+build*/
 
 # msvc / Windows
 *.vcxproj*
diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 5ba56ace..d26a18c9 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@ list(APPEND CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH "${LIBLCF_PREFIX_PATH_APPEND}")
 set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD 17)
 set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD_REQUIRED ON)
 set(CMAKE_CXX_EXTENSIONS ON)
-
 # lcf library files
 set(LCF_SOURCES
 	src/dbarray.cpp
diff --git a/src/dbarray.cpp b/src/dbarray.cpp
index b10f4ba6..4edd91c8 100644
--- a/src/dbarray.cpp
+++ b/src/dbarray.cpp
@@ -12,8 +12,6 @@
 
 namespace lcf {
 
-const DBArrayAlloc::size_type DBArrayAlloc::_empty_buf[2] = { 0, 0 };
-
 static ptrdiff_t HeaderSize(size_t align) {
 	return std::max(sizeof(DBArrayAlloc::size_type), align);
 }
@@ -48,8 +46,9 @@ void* DBArrayAlloc::alloc(size_type size, size_type field_size, size_type align)
 
 void DBArrayAlloc::free(void* p, size_type align) noexcept {
 	assert(p != nullptr);
-	if (p != empty_buf()) {
-		auto* raw = Adjust(p, -HeaderSize(align));
+	if (*get_size_ptr(p)!=0) {
+		void* raw = new void*;
+		raw =  Adjust(p, -HeaderSize(align));
 #ifdef LCF_DEBUG_DBARRAY
 		std::cout << "DBArray: Free"
 			<< " align=" << align
@@ -58,7 +57,9 @@ void DBArrayAlloc::free(void* p, size_type align) noexcept {
 			<< " field_size=" << *get_size_ptr(p)
 			<< std::endl;
 #endif
-		::operator delete(raw);
+		delete(raw);
+
+
 	}
 }
 
@@ -71,7 +72,7 @@ char* DBString::construct_z(const char* s, size_t len) {
 }
 
 char* DBString::construct_sv(const char* s, size_t len) {
-	auto* p = alloc(len);
+	char* p = alloc(len);
 	if (len) {
 		std::memcpy(p, s, len);
 		p[len] = '\0';
@@ -80,6 +81,7 @@ char* DBString::construct_sv(const char* s, size_t len) {
 }
 
 DBString& DBString::operator=(const DBString& o) {
+	
 	if (this != &o) {
 		destroy();
 		_storage = construct_z(o.data(), o.size());
diff --git a/src/lcf/dbarrayalloc.h b/src/lcf/dbarrayalloc.h
index 740c3c2b..edfc1faa 100644
--- a/src/lcf/dbarrayalloc.h
+++ b/src/lcf/dbarrayalloc.h
@@ -27,9 +27,9 @@ struct DBArrayAlloc {
 	static void free(void* p, size_type align) noexcept;
 
 	static void* empty_buf() {
-		return const_cast<size_type*>(&_empty_buf[1]);
-	}
 
+		return (void*)(&_empty_buf + 1);
+	}
 	static constexpr size_type* get_size_ptr(void* p) {
 		return static_cast<size_type*>(p) - 1;
 	}
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ struct DBArrayAlloc {
 	}
 
 	private:
-	static const size_type _empty_buf[2];
+		static const uint16_t _empty_buf = 0;
 };
 
 } // namespace lcf