diff --git a/arch/x86/boot/compressed/misc.c b/arch/x86/boot/compressed/misc.c
index 49c6d5632ef7d17a5b5fb4dbff174f54fefbc6ec..de1d54d8bddca639f004ffb458fcc4bb045371ac 100644
--- a/arch/x86/boot/compressed/misc.c
+++ b/arch/x86/boot/compressed/misc.c
@@ -270,9 +270,9 @@ void *memcpy(void *dest, const void *src, size_t n)
 
 static void error(char *x)
 {
-	__putstr(1, "\n\n");
-	__putstr(1, x);
-	__putstr(1, "\n\n -- System halted");
+	error_putstr("\n\n");
+	error_putstr(x);
+	error_putstr("\n\n -- System halted");
 
 	while (1)
 		asm("hlt");
diff --git a/arch/x86/boot/compressed/misc.h b/arch/x86/boot/compressed/misc.h
index 3f19c81a62036c414c29f05807fc9d3bfaa5390a..4c1bfb69e0d8dbc2c580339bbb354acabcef7e49 100644
--- a/arch/x86/boot/compressed/misc.h
+++ b/arch/x86/boot/compressed/misc.h
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 extern struct boot_params *real_mode;		/* Pointer to real-mode data */
 void __putstr(int error, const char *s);
 #define putstr(__x)  __putstr(0, __x)
+#define error_putstr(__x)  __putstr(1, __x)
 #define puts(__x)  __putstr(0, __x)
 
 /* cmdline.c */