diff --git a/drivers/w1/w1.c b/drivers/w1/w1.c
index f2ae2e563dc54ad51fb9241450c586e13d131d71..8b35fae4cd6191aff939a8b45f0b75a27b96ce26 100644
--- a/drivers/w1/w1.c
+++ b/drivers/w1/w1.c
@@ -1166,6 +1166,8 @@ int w1_process(void *data)
 	/* remainder if it woke up early */
 	unsigned long jremain = 0;
 
+	atomic_inc(&dev->refcnt);
+
 	for (;;) {
 
 		if (!jremain && dev->search_count) {
diff --git a/drivers/w1/w1_int.c b/drivers/w1/w1_int.c
index b3e1792d9c49fce5da50cdaf67e6278f4a95454e..3a71c5eb2f837fee980adcf2d3fbcfce3346e342 100644
--- a/drivers/w1/w1_int.c
+++ b/drivers/w1/w1_int.c
@@ -51,10 +51,9 @@ static struct w1_master *w1_alloc_dev(u32 id, int slave_count, int slave_ttl,
 	dev->search_count	= w1_search_count;
 	dev->enable_pullup	= w1_enable_pullup;
 
-	/* 1 for w1_process to decrement
-	 * 1 for __w1_remove_master_device to decrement
+	/* For __w1_remove_master_device to decrement
 	 */
-	atomic_set(&dev->refcnt, 2);
+	atomic_set(&dev->refcnt, 1);
 
 	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&dev->slist);
 	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&dev->async_list);