diff --git a/arch/x86/oprofile/nmi_int.c b/arch/x86/oprofile/nmi_int.c
index cf9750004a08fe673eb312414090c7b0c7759b09..68894fdc034bc3cb01cd79b66ec995dadc7b7c67 100644
--- a/arch/x86/oprofile/nmi_int.c
+++ b/arch/x86/oprofile/nmi_int.c
@@ -112,8 +112,10 @@ static void nmi_cpu_start(void *dummy)
 static int nmi_start(void)
 {
 	get_online_cpus();
-	on_each_cpu(nmi_cpu_start, NULL, 1);
 	ctr_running = 1;
+	/* make ctr_running visible to the nmi handler: */
+	smp_mb();
+	on_each_cpu(nmi_cpu_start, NULL, 1);
 	put_online_cpus();
 	return 0;
 }
@@ -504,15 +506,18 @@ static int nmi_setup(void)
 
 	nmi_enabled = 0;
 	ctr_running = 0;
-	barrier();
+	/* make variables visible to the nmi handler: */
+	smp_mb();
 	err = register_die_notifier(&profile_exceptions_nb);
 	if (err)
 		goto fail;
 
 	get_online_cpus();
 	register_cpu_notifier(&oprofile_cpu_nb);
-	on_each_cpu(nmi_cpu_setup, NULL, 1);
 	nmi_enabled = 1;
+	/* make nmi_enabled visible to the nmi handler: */
+	smp_mb();
+	on_each_cpu(nmi_cpu_setup, NULL, 1);
 	put_online_cpus();
 
 	return 0;
@@ -531,7 +536,8 @@ static void nmi_shutdown(void)
 	nmi_enabled = 0;
 	ctr_running = 0;
 	put_online_cpus();
-	barrier();
+	/* make variables visible to the nmi handler: */
+	smp_mb();
 	unregister_die_notifier(&profile_exceptions_nb);
 	msrs = &get_cpu_var(cpu_msrs);
 	model->shutdown(msrs);