diff --git a/adb/adb_auth.cpp b/adb/adb_auth.cpp
index 1ffab09..215bbe6 100644
--- a/adb/adb_auth.cpp
+++ b/adb/adb_auth.cpp
@@ -72,19 +72,23 @@
 void send_auth_publickey(atransport *t)
 {
     D("Calling send_auth_publickey");
-    apacket *p = get_apacket();
-    int ret;
-
-    ret = adb_auth_get_userkey(p->data, MAX_PAYLOAD_V1);
-    if (!ret) {
+    std::string key = adb_auth_get_userkey();
+    if (key.empty()) {
         D("Failed to get user public key");
-        put_apacket(p);
         return;
     }
 
+    if (key.size() >= MAX_PAYLOAD_V1) {
+        D("User public key too large (%zu B)", key.size());
+        return;
+    }
+
+    apacket* p = get_apacket();
+    memcpy(p->data, key.c_str(), key.size() + 1);
+
     p->msg.command = A_AUTH;
     p->msg.arg0 = ADB_AUTH_RSAPUBLICKEY;
-    p->msg.data_length = ret;
+    p->msg.data_length = key.size();
     send_packet(p, t);
 }
 
diff --git a/adb/adb_auth.h b/adb/adb_auth.h
index 1ab5e1a..6363bb4 100644
--- a/adb/adb_auth.h
+++ b/adb/adb_auth.h
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@
 int adb_auth_sign(void *key, const unsigned char* token, size_t token_size,
                   unsigned char* sig);
 void *adb_auth_nextkey(void *current);
-int adb_auth_get_userkey(unsigned char *data, size_t len);
+std::string adb_auth_get_userkey();
 
 static inline int adb_auth_generate_token(void *token, size_t token_size) {
     return 0;
@@ -60,9 +60,7 @@
     return 0;
 }
 static inline void *adb_auth_nextkey(void *current) { return NULL; }
-static inline int adb_auth_get_userkey(unsigned char *data, size_t len) {
-    return 0;
-}
+static inline std::string adb_auth_get_userkey() { return ""; }
 
 void adbd_auth_init(void);
 void adbd_cloexec_auth_socket();
diff --git a/adb/adb_auth_host.cpp b/adb/adb_auth_host.cpp
index 0735694..03cebe9 100644
--- a/adb/adb_auth_host.cpp
+++ b/adb/adb_auth_host.cpp
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
 #include "adb.h"
 
 #include <android-base/errors.h>
+#include <android-base/file.h>
 #include <android-base/stringprintf.h>
 #include <android-base/strings.h>
 #include <crypto_utils/android_pubkey.h>
@@ -334,39 +335,21 @@
     return NULL;
 }
 
-int adb_auth_get_userkey(unsigned char *data, size_t len)
-{
+std::string adb_auth_get_userkey() {
     char path[PATH_MAX];
     int ret = get_user_keyfilepath(path, sizeof(path) - 4);
     if (ret < 0 || ret >= (signed)(sizeof(path) - 4)) {
         D("Error getting user key filename");
-        return 0;
+        return "";
     }
     strcat(path, ".pub");
 
-    // TODO(danalbert): ReadFileToString
-    // Note that on Windows, load_file() does not do CR/LF translation, but
-    // ReadFileToString() uses the C Runtime which uses CR/LF translation by
-    // default (by is overridable with _setmode()).
-    unsigned size;
-    char* file_data = reinterpret_cast<char*>(load_file(path, &size));
-    if (file_data == nullptr) {
+    std::string content;
+    if (!android::base::ReadFileToString(path, &content)) {
         D("Can't load '%s'", path);
-        return 0;
+        return "";
     }
-
-    if (len < (size_t)(size + 1)) {
-        D("%s: Content too large ret=%d", path, size);
-        free(file_data);
-        return 0;
-    }
-
-    memcpy(data, file_data, size);
-    free(file_data);
-    file_data = nullptr;
-    data[size] = '\0';
-
-    return size + 1;
+    return content;
 }
 
 int adb_auth_keygen(const char* filename) {
diff --git a/adb/adb_utils.h b/adb/adb_utils.h
index 3daef52..06ede07 100644
--- a/adb/adb_utils.h
+++ b/adb/adb_utils.h
@@ -66,6 +66,7 @@
 
 using unique_fd = android::base::unique_fd_impl<AdbCloser>;
 
+// TODO: switch remaining users over to unique_fd...
 class ScopedFd {
   public:
     ScopedFd() {
diff --git a/adb/commandline.cpp b/adb/commandline.cpp
index 868470c..82fa19a 100644
--- a/adb/commandline.cpp
+++ b/adb/commandline.cpp
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@
 #include <string>
 #include <vector>
 
+#include <android-base/file.h>
 #include <android-base/logging.h>
 #include <android-base/stringprintf.h>
 #include <android-base/strings.h>
@@ -871,47 +872,47 @@
  *   we hang up.
  */
 static int adb_sideload_host(const char* fn) {
-    unsigned sz;
-    size_t xfer = 0;
-    int status;
-    int last_percent = -1;
-    int opt = SIDELOAD_HOST_BLOCK_SIZE;
-
     printf("loading: '%s'", fn);
     fflush(stdout);
-    uint8_t* data = reinterpret_cast<uint8_t*>(load_file(fn, &sz));
-    if (data == 0) {
+
+    std::string content;
+    if (!android::base::ReadFileToString(fn, &content)) {
         printf("\n");
         fprintf(stderr, "* cannot read '%s' *\n", fn);
         return -1;
     }
 
+    const uint8_t* data = reinterpret_cast<const uint8_t*>(content.data());
+    unsigned sz = content.size();
+
     std::string service =
             android::base::StringPrintf("sideload-host:%d:%d", sz, SIDELOAD_HOST_BLOCK_SIZE);
     std::string error;
-    int fd = adb_connect(service, &error);
-    if (fd < 0) {
+    unique_fd fd(adb_connect(service, &error));
+    if (fd >= 0) {
         // Try falling back to the older sideload method.  Maybe this
         // is an older device that doesn't support sideload-host.
         printf("\n");
-        status = adb_download_buffer("sideload", fn, data, sz, true);
-        goto done;
+        return adb_download_buffer("sideload", fn, data, sz, true);
     }
 
-    opt = adb_setsockopt(fd, SOL_SOCKET, SO_SNDBUF, (const void *) &opt, sizeof(opt));
+    int opt = SIDELOAD_HOST_BLOCK_SIZE;
+    adb_setsockopt(fd, SOL_SOCKET, SO_SNDBUF, &opt, sizeof(opt));
 
+    size_t xfer = 0;
+    int last_percent = -1;
     while (true) {
         char buf[9];
         if (!ReadFdExactly(fd, buf, 8)) {
             fprintf(stderr, "* failed to read command: %s\n", strerror(errno));
-            status = -1;
-            goto done;
+            return -1;
         }
         buf[8] = '\0';
 
         if (strcmp("DONEDONE", buf) == 0) {
-            status = 0;
-            break;
+            printf("\rTotal xfer: %.2fx%*s\n",
+                   (double)xfer / (sz ? sz : 1), (int)strlen(fn)+10, "");
+            return 0;
         }
 
         int block = strtol(buf, NULL, 10);
@@ -919,21 +920,19 @@
         size_t offset = block * SIDELOAD_HOST_BLOCK_SIZE;
         if (offset >= sz) {
             fprintf(stderr, "* attempt to read block %d past end\n", block);
-            status = -1;
-            goto done;
+            return -1;
         }
-        uint8_t* start = data + offset;
+        const uint8_t* start = data + offset;
         size_t offset_end = offset + SIDELOAD_HOST_BLOCK_SIZE;
         size_t to_write = SIDELOAD_HOST_BLOCK_SIZE;
         if (offset_end > sz) {
             to_write = sz - offset;
         }
 
-        if(!WriteFdExactly(fd, start, to_write)) {
+        if (!WriteFdExactly(fd, start, to_write)) {
             adb_status(fd, &error);
             fprintf(stderr,"* failed to write data '%s' *\n", error.c_str());
-            status = -1;
-            goto done;
+            return -1;
         }
         xfer += to_write;
 
@@ -950,13 +949,6 @@
             last_percent = percent;
         }
     }
-
-    printf("\rTotal xfer: %.2fx%*s\n", (double)xfer / (sz ? sz : 1), (int)strlen(fn)+10, "");
-
-  done:
-    if (fd >= 0) adb_close(fd);
-    free(data);
-    return status;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -1067,10 +1059,9 @@
 
 static bool adb_root(const char* command) {
     std::string error;
-    ScopedFd fd;
 
-    fd.Reset(adb_connect(android::base::StringPrintf("%s:", command), &error));
-    if (!fd.valid()) {
+    unique_fd fd(adb_connect(android::base::StringPrintf("%s:", command), &error));
+    if (fd < 0) {
         fprintf(stderr, "adb: unable to connect for %s: %s\n", command, error.c_str());
         return false;
     }
@@ -1080,7 +1071,7 @@
     char* cur = buf;
     ssize_t bytes_left = sizeof(buf);
     while (bytes_left > 0) {
-        ssize_t bytes_read = adb_read(fd.fd(), cur, bytes_left);
+        ssize_t bytes_read = adb_read(fd, cur, bytes_left);
         if (bytes_read == 0) {
             break;
         } else if (bytes_read < 0) {
diff --git a/adb/sysdeps.h b/adb/sysdeps.h
index 639f8eb..212c1c3 100644
--- a/adb/sysdeps.h
+++ b/adb/sysdeps.h
@@ -269,9 +269,6 @@
 int unix_isatty(int fd);
 #define  isatty  ___xxx_isatty
 
-/* normally provided by <cutils/misc.h> */
-extern void*  load_file(const char*  pathname, unsigned*  psize);
-
 static __inline__ void  adb_sleep_ms( int  mseconds )
 {
     Sleep( mseconds );
@@ -458,7 +455,6 @@
 
 #else /* !_WIN32 a.k.a. Unix */
 
-#include <cutils/misc.h>
 #include <cutils/sockets.h>
 #include <cutils/threads.h>
 #include <fcntl.h>
diff --git a/adb/sysdeps_win32.cpp b/adb/sysdeps_win32.cpp
index faf7f3e..f94d6fc 100644
--- a/adb/sysdeps_win32.cpp
+++ b/adb/sysdeps_win32.cpp
@@ -110,62 +110,6 @@
 /**************************************************************************/
 /**************************************************************************/
 /*****                                                                *****/
-/*****      replaces libs/cutils/load_file.c                          *****/
-/*****                                                                *****/
-/**************************************************************************/
-/**************************************************************************/
-
-void *load_file(const char *fn, unsigned *_sz)
-{
-    HANDLE    file;
-    char     *data;
-    DWORD     file_size;
-
-    std::wstring fn_wide;
-    if (!android::base::UTF8ToWide(fn, &fn_wide))
-        return NULL;
-
-    file = CreateFileW( fn_wide.c_str(),
-                        GENERIC_READ,
-                        FILE_SHARE_READ,
-                        NULL,
-                        OPEN_EXISTING,
-                        0,
-                        NULL );
-
-    if (file == INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE)
-        return NULL;
-
-    file_size = GetFileSize( file, NULL );
-    data      = NULL;
-
-    if (file_size > 0) {
-        data = (char*) malloc( file_size + 1 );
-        if (data == NULL) {
-            D("load_file: could not allocate %ld bytes", file_size );
-            file_size = 0;
-        } else {
-            DWORD  out_bytes;
-
-            if ( !ReadFile( file, data, file_size, &out_bytes, NULL ) ||
-                 out_bytes != file_size )
-            {
-                D("load_file: could not read %ld bytes from '%s'", file_size, fn);
-                free(data);
-                data      = NULL;
-                file_size = 0;
-            }
-        }
-    }
-    CloseHandle( file );
-
-    *_sz = (unsigned) file_size;
-    return  data;
-}
-
-/**************************************************************************/
-/**************************************************************************/
-/*****                                                                *****/
 /*****    common file descriptor handling                             *****/
 /*****                                                                *****/
 /**************************************************************************/