diff --git a/drivers/base/dd.c b/drivers/base/dd.c
index 6a48824e43ff6559ff386d4eb23c301e5293d753..616b4bbacf1b584d384cafd7bf3219612f72de60 100644
--- a/drivers/base/dd.c
+++ b/drivers/base/dd.c
@@ -94,19 +94,11 @@ int device_bind_driver(struct device *dev)
 	return ret;
 }
 
-struct stupid_thread_structure {
-	struct device_driver *drv;
-	struct device *dev;
-};
-
 static atomic_t probe_count = ATOMIC_INIT(0);
 static DECLARE_WAIT_QUEUE_HEAD(probe_waitqueue);
 
-static int really_probe(void *void_data)
+static int really_probe(struct device *dev, struct device_driver *drv)
 {
-	struct stupid_thread_structure *data = void_data;
-	struct device_driver *drv = data->drv;
-	struct device *dev = data->dev;
 	int ret = 0;
 
 	atomic_inc(&probe_count);
@@ -154,7 +146,6 @@ static int really_probe(void *void_data)
 	 */
 	ret = 0;
 done:
-	kfree(data);
 	atomic_dec(&probe_count);
 	wake_up(&probe_waitqueue);
 	return ret;
@@ -186,16 +177,14 @@ int driver_probe_done(void)
  * format of the ID structures, nor what is to be considered a match and
  * what is not.
  *
- * This function returns 1 if a match is found, an error if one occurs
- * (that is not -ENODEV or -ENXIO), and 0 otherwise.
+ * This function returns 1 if a match is found, -ENODEV if the device is
+ * not registered, and 0 otherwise.
  *
  * This function must be called with @dev->sem held.  When called for a
  * USB interface, @dev->parent->sem must be held as well.
  */
 int driver_probe_device(struct device_driver * drv, struct device * dev)
 {
-	struct stupid_thread_structure *data;
-	struct task_struct *probe_task;
 	int ret = 0;
 
 	if (!device_is_registered(dev))
@@ -206,19 +195,7 @@ int driver_probe_device(struct device_driver * drv, struct device * dev)
 	pr_debug("%s: Matched Device %s with Driver %s\n",
 		 drv->bus->name, dev->bus_id, drv->name);
 
-	data = kmalloc(sizeof(*data), GFP_KERNEL);
-	if (!data)
-		return -ENOMEM;
-	data->drv = drv;
-	data->dev = dev;
-
-	if (drv->multithread_probe) {
-		probe_task = kthread_run(really_probe, data,
-					 "probe-%s", dev->bus_id);
-		if (IS_ERR(probe_task))
-			ret = really_probe(data);
-	} else
-		ret = really_probe(data);
+	ret = really_probe(dev, drv);
 
 done:
 	return ret;
@@ -230,30 +207,53 @@ static int __device_attach(struct device_driver * drv, void * data)
 	return driver_probe_device(drv, dev);
 }
 
+static int device_probe_drivers(void *data)
+{
+	struct device *dev = data;
+	int ret = 0;
+
+	if (dev->bus) {
+		down(&dev->sem);
+		ret = bus_for_each_drv(dev->bus, NULL, dev, __device_attach);
+		up(&dev->sem);
+	}
+	return ret;
+}
+
 /**
  *	device_attach - try to attach device to a driver.
  *	@dev:	device.
  *
  *	Walk the list of drivers that the bus has and call
  *	driver_probe_device() for each pair. If a compatible
- *	pair is found, break out and return.
+ *	pair is found, break out and return. If the bus specifies
+ *	multithreaded probing, walking the list of drivers is done
+ *	on a probing thread.
  *
  *	Returns 1 if the device was bound to a driver;
- *	0 if no matching device was found; error code otherwise.
+ *	0 if no matching device was found or multithreaded probing is done;
+ *	error code otherwise.
  *
  *	When called for a USB interface, @dev->parent->sem must be held.
  */
 int device_attach(struct device * dev)
 {
 	int ret = 0;
+	struct task_struct *probe_task = ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
 
 	down(&dev->sem);
 	if (dev->driver) {
 		ret = device_bind_driver(dev);
 		if (ret == 0)
 			ret = 1;
-	} else
-		ret = bus_for_each_drv(dev->bus, NULL, dev, __device_attach);
+	} else {
+		if (dev->bus->multithread_probe)
+			probe_task = kthread_run(device_probe_drivers, dev,
+						 "probe-%s", dev->bus_id);
+		if(IS_ERR(probe_task))
+			ret = bus_for_each_drv(dev->bus, NULL, dev,
+					       __device_attach);
+	}
 	up(&dev->sem);
 	return ret;
 }
diff --git a/drivers/pci/pci-driver.c b/drivers/pci/pci-driver.c
index a3c1755b2f28329313eaf6c088190470b918d7b0..39e80fcef4b343a9704179665aab52ba4e3271e7 100644
--- a/drivers/pci/pci-driver.c
+++ b/drivers/pci/pci-driver.c
@@ -434,11 +434,6 @@ int __pci_register_driver(struct pci_driver *drv, struct module *owner,
 	drv->driver.mod_name = mod_name;
 	drv->driver.kobj.ktype = &pci_driver_kobj_type;
 
-	if (pci_multithread_probe)
-		drv->driver.multithread_probe = pci_multithread_probe;
-	else
-		drv->driver.multithread_probe = drv->multithread_probe;
-
 	spin_lock_init(&drv->dynids.lock);
 	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&drv->dynids.list);
 
@@ -574,6 +569,7 @@ struct bus_type pci_bus_type = {
 
 static int __init pci_driver_init(void)
 {
+	pci_bus_type.multithread_probe = pci_multithread_probe;
 	return bus_register(&pci_bus_type);
 }
 
diff --git a/include/linux/device.h b/include/linux/device.h
index 7f63d4de5c4dfff61ed3635d52b52da00b714d2e..eb1fff0b1d2ac30df4d74a7b2513188adca66d06 100644
--- a/include/linux/device.h
+++ b/include/linux/device.h
@@ -80,6 +80,7 @@ struct bus_type {
 	int (*resume)(struct device * dev);
 
 	unsigned int drivers_autoprobe:1;
+	unsigned int multithread_probe:1;
 };
 
 extern int __must_check bus_register(struct bus_type * bus);
@@ -139,8 +140,6 @@ struct device_driver {
 	void	(*shutdown)	(struct device * dev);
 	int	(*suspend)	(struct device * dev, pm_message_t state);
 	int	(*resume)	(struct device * dev);
-
-	unsigned int multithread_probe:1;
 };
 
 
diff --git a/include/linux/pci.h b/include/linux/pci.h
index 481ea0663f19f18c9d6e35202d9b64b14398f182..a3ad76221c6ff23d2e6b3c07d874f37aeac79354 100644
--- a/include/linux/pci.h
+++ b/include/linux/pci.h
@@ -361,8 +361,6 @@ struct pci_driver {
 	struct pci_error_handlers *err_handler;
 	struct device_driver	driver;
 	struct pci_dynids dynids;
-
-	int multithread_probe;
 };
 
 #define	to_pci_driver(drv) container_of(drv,struct pci_driver, driver)