diff --git a/src/interfaces/jdbc/org/postgresql/ResultSet.java b/src/interfaces/jdbc/org/postgresql/ResultSet.java
index 768a489e6f31d202627f92dbabaa6ec6ee0b7e8b..6e533eed01086d75d5737edd986990ab32c50c71 100644
--- a/src/interfaces/jdbc/org/postgresql/ResultSet.java
+++ b/src/interfaces/jdbc/org/postgresql/ResultSet.java
@@ -255,5 +255,10 @@ public abstract class ResultSet
 	    else
 		this.warnings = warnings;
 	}
+	protected void checkResultSet( int column ) throws SQLException
+	{
+		if ( this_row == null ) throw new PSQLException("postgresql.res.nextrequired");
+		if ( column < 1 || column > fields.length ) throw new PSQLException("postgresql.res.colrange" );
+	}
 }
 
diff --git a/src/interfaces/jdbc/org/postgresql/errors.properties b/src/interfaces/jdbc/org/postgresql/errors.properties
index f8054dd1fab55d698b928a88a2da56710e272850..7c5b32eb3f1d254973cffc9e59fffe3434906a61 100644
--- a/src/interfaces/jdbc/org/postgresql/errors.properties
+++ b/src/interfaces/jdbc/org/postgresql/errors.properties
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ postgresql.res.badtime:Bad Time {0}
 postgresql.res.badtimestamp:Bad Timestamp Format at {0} in {1}
 postgresql.res.colname:The column name {0} not found.
 postgresql.res.colrange:The column index is out of range.
+postgresql.res.nextrequired:Result set not positioned properly, perhaps you need to call next().
 postgresql.serial.interface:You cannot serialize an interface.
 postgresql.serial.namelength:Class & Package name length cannot be longer than 32 characters. {0} is {1} characters.
 postgresql.serial.noclass:No class found for {0}.
diff --git a/src/interfaces/jdbc/org/postgresql/jdbc1/ResultSet.java b/src/interfaces/jdbc/org/postgresql/jdbc1/ResultSet.java
index 949b919541e39fb90ce46b8b37e5e008c7021327..02a5195b9545c645312250328fb4bfb45a5b259b 100644
--- a/src/interfaces/jdbc/org/postgresql/jdbc1/ResultSet.java
+++ b/src/interfaces/jdbc/org/postgresql/jdbc1/ResultSet.java
@@ -155,9 +155,7 @@ public class ResultSet extends org.postgresql.ResultSet implements java.sql.Resu
 	 */
 	public String getString(int columnIndex) throws SQLException
 	{
-		if (columnIndex < 1 || columnIndex > fields.length)
-			throw new PSQLException("postgresql.res.colrange");
-
+		checkResultSet( columnIndex );
 		wasNullFlag = (this_row[columnIndex - 1] == null);
 		if (wasNullFlag)
 			return null;
@@ -388,9 +386,7 @@ public class ResultSet extends org.postgresql.ResultSet implements java.sql.Resu
 	 */
 	public byte[] getBytes(int columnIndex) throws SQLException
 	{
-		if (columnIndex < 1 || columnIndex > fields.length)
-			throw new PSQLException("postgresql.res.colrange");
-
+		checkResultSet( columnIndex );
 		wasNullFlag = (this_row[columnIndex - 1] == null);
 		if (!wasNullFlag)
 		{
@@ -623,6 +619,7 @@ public class ResultSet extends org.postgresql.ResultSet implements java.sql.Resu
 	 */
 	public InputStream getAsciiStream(int columnIndex) throws SQLException
 	{
+		checkResultSet( columnIndex );
 		wasNullFlag = (this_row[columnIndex - 1] == null);
 		if (wasNullFlag)
 			return null;
@@ -665,6 +662,7 @@ public class ResultSet extends org.postgresql.ResultSet implements java.sql.Resu
 	 */
 	public InputStream getUnicodeStream(int columnIndex) throws SQLException
 	{
+		checkResultSet( columnIndex );
 		wasNullFlag = (this_row[columnIndex - 1] == null);
 		if (wasNullFlag)
 			return null;
@@ -707,6 +705,7 @@ public class ResultSet extends org.postgresql.ResultSet implements java.sql.Resu
 	 */
 	public InputStream getBinaryStream(int columnIndex) throws SQLException
 	{
+		checkResultSet( columnIndex );
 		wasNullFlag = (this_row[columnIndex - 1] == null);
 		if (wasNullFlag)
 			return null;
diff --git a/src/interfaces/jdbc/org/postgresql/jdbc2/ResultSet.java b/src/interfaces/jdbc/org/postgresql/jdbc2/ResultSet.java
index a983284e5cc2a783ae1316727addaab8df15059d..dd12cda7da7beb1dc5f791254f6adbd10b531064 100644
--- a/src/interfaces/jdbc/org/postgresql/jdbc2/ResultSet.java
+++ b/src/interfaces/jdbc/org/postgresql/jdbc2/ResultSet.java
@@ -162,9 +162,7 @@ public class ResultSet extends org.postgresql.ResultSet implements java.sql.Resu
 	 */
 	public String getString(int columnIndex) throws SQLException
 	{
-		if (columnIndex < 1 || columnIndex > fields.length)
-			throw new PSQLException("postgresql.res.colrange");
-
+		checkResultSet( columnIndex );
 		wasNullFlag = (this_row[columnIndex - 1] == null);
 		if (wasNullFlag)
 			return null;
@@ -315,9 +313,7 @@ public class ResultSet extends org.postgresql.ResultSet implements java.sql.Resu
 	 */
 	public byte[] getBytes(int columnIndex) throws SQLException
 	{
-		if (columnIndex < 1 || columnIndex > fields.length)
-			throw new PSQLException("postgresql.res.colrange");
-
+		checkResultSet( columnIndex );
 		wasNullFlag = (this_row[columnIndex - 1] == null);
 		if (!wasNullFlag)
 		{
@@ -424,6 +420,7 @@ public class ResultSet extends org.postgresql.ResultSet implements java.sql.Resu
 	 */
 	public InputStream getAsciiStream(int columnIndex) throws SQLException
 	{
+		checkResultSet( columnIndex );
 		wasNullFlag = (this_row[columnIndex - 1] == null);
 		if (wasNullFlag)
 			return null;
@@ -469,6 +466,7 @@ public class ResultSet extends org.postgresql.ResultSet implements java.sql.Resu
 	 */
 	public InputStream getUnicodeStream(int columnIndex) throws SQLException
 	{
+		checkResultSet( columnIndex );
 		wasNullFlag = (this_row[columnIndex - 1] == null);
 		if (wasNullFlag)
 			return null;
@@ -511,6 +509,7 @@ public class ResultSet extends org.postgresql.ResultSet implements java.sql.Resu
 	 */
 	public InputStream getBinaryStream(int columnIndex) throws SQLException
 	{
+		checkResultSet( columnIndex );
 		wasNullFlag = (this_row[columnIndex - 1] == null);
 		if (wasNullFlag)
 			return null;
@@ -724,8 +723,7 @@ public class ResultSet extends org.postgresql.ResultSet implements java.sql.Resu
 	{
 		Field field;
 
-		if (columnIndex < 1 || columnIndex > fields.length)
-			throw new PSQLException("postgresql.res.colrange");
+		checkResultSet( columnIndex );
 
 		wasNullFlag = (this_row[columnIndex - 1] == null);
 		if (wasNullFlag)
@@ -941,6 +939,7 @@ public class ResultSet extends org.postgresql.ResultSet implements java.sql.Resu
 
 	public java.io.Reader getCharacterStream(int i) throws SQLException
 	{
+		checkResultSet( i );
 		wasNullFlag = (this_row[i - 1] == null);
 		if (wasNullFlag)
 			return null;