diff --git a/drivers/serial/8250.c b/drivers/serial/8250.c
index 301313002f6b3abc0d1fa67c1ec59d11c8c7ffab..f94109cbb46e683a6a6f7d2fee29d7915b21cc93 100644
--- a/drivers/serial/8250.c
+++ b/drivers/serial/8250.c
@@ -129,7 +129,16 @@ struct uart_8250_port {
 	unsigned char		mcr;
 	unsigned char		mcr_mask;	/* mask of user bits */
 	unsigned char		mcr_force;	/* mask of forced bits */
-	unsigned char		lsr_break_flag;
+
+	/*
+	 * Some bits in registers are cleared on a read, so they must
+	 * be saved whenever the register is read but the bits will not
+	 * be immediately processed.
+	 */
+#define LSR_SAVE_FLAGS UART_LSR_BRK_ERROR_BITS
+	unsigned char		lsr_saved_flags;
+#define MSR_SAVE_FLAGS UART_MSR_ANY_DELTA
+	unsigned char		msr_saved_flags;
 
 	/*
 	 * We provide a per-port pm hook.
@@ -1238,6 +1247,7 @@ static void serial8250_start_tx(struct uart_port *port)
 		if (up->bugs & UART_BUG_TXEN) {
 			unsigned char lsr, iir;
 			lsr = serial_in(up, UART_LSR);
+			up->lsr_saved_flags |= lsr & LSR_SAVE_FLAGS;
 			iir = serial_in(up, UART_IIR) & 0x0f;
 			if ((up->port.type == PORT_RM9000) ?
 				(lsr & UART_LSR_THRE &&
@@ -1290,18 +1300,10 @@ receive_chars(struct uart_8250_port *up, unsigned int *status)
 		flag = TTY_NORMAL;
 		up->port.icount.rx++;
 
-#ifdef CONFIG_SERIAL_8250_CONSOLE
-		/*
-		 * Recover the break flag from console xmit
-		 */
-		if (up->port.line == up->port.cons->index) {
-			lsr |= up->lsr_break_flag;
-			up->lsr_break_flag = 0;
-		}
-#endif
+		lsr |= up->lsr_saved_flags;
+		up->lsr_saved_flags = 0;
 
-		if (unlikely(lsr & (UART_LSR_BI | UART_LSR_PE |
-				    UART_LSR_FE | UART_LSR_OE))) {
+		if (unlikely(lsr & UART_LSR_BRK_ERROR_BITS)) {
 			/*
 			 * For statistics only
 			 */
@@ -1392,6 +1394,8 @@ static unsigned int check_modem_status(struct uart_8250_port *up)
 {
 	unsigned int status = serial_in(up, UART_MSR);
 
+	status |= up->msr_saved_flags;
+	up->msr_saved_flags = 0;
 	if (status & UART_MSR_ANY_DELTA && up->ier & UART_IER_MSI &&
 	    up->port.info != NULL) {
 		if (status & UART_MSR_TERI)
@@ -1591,7 +1595,8 @@ static void serial8250_timeout(unsigned long data)
 static void serial8250_backup_timeout(unsigned long data)
 {
 	struct uart_8250_port *up = (struct uart_8250_port *)data;
-	unsigned int iir, ier = 0;
+	unsigned int iir, ier = 0, lsr;
+	unsigned long flags;
 
 	/*
 	 * Must disable interrupts or else we risk racing with the interrupt
@@ -1610,9 +1615,13 @@ static void serial8250_backup_timeout(unsigned long data)
 	 * the "Diva" UART used on the management processor on many HP
 	 * ia64 and parisc boxes.
 	 */
+	spin_lock_irqsave(&up->port.lock, flags);
+	lsr = serial_in(up, UART_LSR);
+	up->lsr_saved_flags |= lsr & LSR_SAVE_FLAGS;
+	spin_unlock_irqrestore(&up->port.lock, flags);
 	if ((iir & UART_IIR_NO_INT) && (up->ier & UART_IER_THRI) &&
 	    (!uart_circ_empty(&up->port.info->xmit) || up->port.x_char) &&
-	    (serial_in(up, UART_LSR) & UART_LSR_THRE)) {
+	    (lsr & UART_LSR_THRE)) {
 		iir &= ~(UART_IIR_ID | UART_IIR_NO_INT);
 		iir |= UART_IIR_THRI;
 	}
@@ -1631,13 +1640,14 @@ static unsigned int serial8250_tx_empty(struct uart_port *port)
 {
 	struct uart_8250_port *up = (struct uart_8250_port *)port;
 	unsigned long flags;
-	unsigned int ret;
+	unsigned int lsr;
 
 	spin_lock_irqsave(&up->port.lock, flags);
-	ret = serial_in(up, UART_LSR) & UART_LSR_TEMT ? TIOCSER_TEMT : 0;
+	lsr = serial_in(up, UART_LSR);
+	up->lsr_saved_flags |= lsr & LSR_SAVE_FLAGS;
 	spin_unlock_irqrestore(&up->port.lock, flags);
 
-	return ret;
+	return lsr & UART_LSR_TEMT ? TIOCSER_TEMT : 0;
 }
 
 static unsigned int serial8250_get_mctrl(struct uart_port *port)
@@ -1708,8 +1718,7 @@ static inline void wait_for_xmitr(struct uart_8250_port *up, int bits)
 	do {
 		status = serial_in(up, UART_LSR);
 
-		if (status & UART_LSR_BI)
-			up->lsr_break_flag = UART_LSR_BI;
+		up->lsr_saved_flags |= status & LSR_SAVE_FLAGS;
 
 		if (--tmout == 0)
 			break;
@@ -1718,8 +1727,12 @@ static inline void wait_for_xmitr(struct uart_8250_port *up, int bits)
 
 	/* Wait up to 1s for flow control if necessary */
 	if (up->port.flags & UPF_CONS_FLOW) {
-		tmout = 1000000;
-		while (!(serial_in(up, UART_MSR) & UART_MSR_CTS) && --tmout) {
+		unsigned int tmout;
+		for (tmout = 1000000; tmout; tmout--) {
+			unsigned int msr = serial_in(up, UART_MSR);
+			up->msr_saved_flags |= msr & MSR_SAVE_FLAGS;
+			if (msr & UART_MSR_CTS)
+				break;
 			udelay(1);
 			touch_nmi_watchdog();
 		}
@@ -1888,6 +1901,18 @@ static int serial8250_startup(struct uart_port *port)
 
 	spin_unlock_irqrestore(&up->port.lock, flags);
 
+	/*
+	 * Clear the interrupt registers again for luck, and clear the
+	 * saved flags to avoid getting false values from polling
+	 * routines or the previous session.
+	 */
+	serial_inp(up, UART_LSR);
+	serial_inp(up, UART_RX);
+	serial_inp(up, UART_IIR);
+	serial_inp(up, UART_MSR);
+	up->lsr_saved_flags = 0;
+	up->msr_saved_flags = 0;
+
 	/*
 	 * Finally, enable interrupts.  Note: Modem status interrupts
 	 * are set via set_termios(), which will be occurring imminently
@@ -1906,14 +1931,6 @@ static int serial8250_startup(struct uart_port *port)
 		(void) inb_p(icp);
 	}
 
-	/*
-	 * And clear the interrupt registers again for luck.
-	 */
-	(void) serial_inp(up, UART_LSR);
-	(void) serial_inp(up, UART_RX);
-	(void) serial_inp(up, UART_IIR);
-	(void) serial_inp(up, UART_MSR);
-
 	return 0;
 }
 
@@ -2484,6 +2501,16 @@ serial8250_console_write(struct console *co, const char *s, unsigned int count)
 	wait_for_xmitr(up, BOTH_EMPTY);
 	serial_out(up, UART_IER, ier);
 
+	/*
+	 *	The receive handling will happen properly because the
+	 *	receive ready bit will still be set; it is not cleared
+	 *	on read.  However, modem control will not, we must
+	 *	call it if we have saved something in the saved flags
+	 *	while processing with interrupts off.
+	 */
+	if (up->msr_saved_flags)
+		check_modem_status(up);
+
 	if (locked)
 		spin_unlock(&up->port.lock);
 	local_irq_restore(flags);
diff --git a/include/linux/serial_reg.h b/include/linux/serial_reg.h
index 1c5ed7d92b0ff7c52546294e09a98397d00491ca..96c0d93fc2cacd753926559b100c4791a621909c 100644
--- a/include/linux/serial_reg.h
+++ b/include/linux/serial_reg.h
@@ -118,6 +118,7 @@
 #define UART_LSR_PE		0x04 /* Parity error indicator */
 #define UART_LSR_OE		0x02 /* Overrun error indicator */
 #define UART_LSR_DR		0x01 /* Receiver data ready */
+#define UART_LSR_BRK_ERROR_BITS	0x1E /* BI, FE, PE, OE bits */
 
 #define UART_MSR	6	/* In:  Modem Status Register */
 #define UART_MSR_DCD		0x80 /* Data Carrier Detect */