diff --git a/arch/x86/boot/memory.c b/arch/x86/boot/memory.c
index 378353956b5dfc86469b66419b9680e1770a7410..e77d89f9e8aa23c13751bee268718e8ed7ee54a7 100644
--- a/arch/x86/boot/memory.c
+++ b/arch/x86/boot/memory.c
@@ -37,6 +37,12 @@ static int detect_memory_e820(void)
 		      "=m" (*desc)
 		    : "D" (desc), "d" (SMAP), "a" (0xe820));
 
+		/* BIOSes which terminate the chain with CF = 1 as opposed
+		   to %ebx = 0 don't always report the SMAP signature on
+		   the final, failing, probe. */
+		if (err)
+			break;
+
 		/* Some BIOSes stop returning SMAP in the middle of
 		   the search loop.  We don't know exactly how the BIOS
 		   screwed up the map at that point, we might have a
@@ -47,9 +53,6 @@ static int detect_memory_e820(void)
 			break;
 		}
 
-		if (err)
-			break;
-
 		count++;
 		desc++;
 	} while (next && count < E820MAX);