diff --git a/headers/os/storage/DiskDeviceDefs.h b/headers/os/storage/DiskDeviceDefs.h
index ae626d6c13..d79a253194 100644
--- a/headers/os/storage/DiskDeviceDefs.h
+++ b/headers/os/storage/DiskDeviceDefs.h
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@ enum {
 	B_PARTITION_READ_ONLY			= 0x08,
 	B_PARTITION_MOUNTED				= 0x10,	// needed?
 	B_PARTITION_BUSY				= 0x20,
-	B_PARTITION_DESCENDANT_BUSY		= 0x40,
 };
 
 // partition statuses
diff --git a/headers/private/kernel/disk_device_manager/KPartition.h b/headers/private/kernel/disk_device_manager/KPartition.h
index f1c24efe27..d9162aa6f3 100644
--- a/headers/private/kernel/disk_device_manager/KPartition.h
+++ b/headers/private/kernel/disk_device_manager/KPartition.h
@@ -52,12 +52,8 @@ public:
 
 	void SetBusy(bool busy);
 	bool IsBusy() const;
-		// == jobs which may affect this partition are scheduled/in progress
-	void SetDescendantBusy(bool busy);
-	bool IsDescendantBusy() const;
-		// == jobs which may affect a descendant of this partition are
-		// scheduled/in progress; IsBusy() => IsDescendantBusy()
-		// In the userland API, both can probably be mapped to one flag.
+	bool CheckAndMarkBusy(bool includeDescendants);
+	void UnmarkBusy(bool includeDescendants);
 
 	void SetOffset(off_t offset);
 	off_t Offset() const;		// 0 for devices
diff --git a/src/kits/storage/disk_device/Partition.cpp b/src/kits/storage/disk_device/Partition.cpp
index 73593aa05b..06db7ae3b7 100644
--- a/src/kits/storage/disk_device/Partition.cpp
+++ b/src/kits/storage/disk_device/Partition.cpp
@@ -197,8 +197,7 @@ BPartition::IsMounted() const
 bool
 BPartition::IsBusy() const
 {
-	return _PartitionData()->flags
-		& (B_PARTITION_BUSY | B_PARTITION_DESCENDANT_BUSY);
+	return _PartitionData()->flags & B_PARTITION_BUSY;
 }
 
 
diff --git a/src/system/kernel/disk_device_manager/KDiskDeviceManager.cpp b/src/system/kernel/disk_device_manager/KDiskDeviceManager.cpp
index 84cc0d9578..aa9a6eaacf 100644
--- a/src/system/kernel/disk_device_manager/KDiskDeviceManager.cpp
+++ b/src/system/kernel/disk_device_manager/KDiskDeviceManager.cpp
@@ -1032,16 +1032,7 @@ KDiskDeviceManager::_ScanPartition(KPartition *partition, bool async)
 // TODO: This is not quite correct here. Partitions are created marked "busy",
 // hence the one creating it should be responsible for clearing the flag, not
 // us.
-	struct UnmarkBusyVisitor : KPartitionVisitor {
-		virtual bool VisitPre(KPartition* partition)
-		{
-			partition->ClearFlags(B_PARTITION_BUSY
-				| B_PARTITION_DESCENDANT_BUSY);
-			return false;
-		}
-	} visitor;
-
-	partition->VisitEachDescendant(&visitor);
+	partition->UnmarkBusy(true);
 
 	return error;
 }
diff --git a/src/system/kernel/disk_device_manager/KPartition.cpp b/src/system/kernel/disk_device_manager/KPartition.cpp
index 0ccc45382d..c698f4fee0 100644
--- a/src/system/kernel/disk_device_manager/KPartition.cpp
+++ b/src/system/kernel/disk_device_manager/KPartition.cpp
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ KPartition::KPartition(partition_id id)
 	fPartitionData.child_count = 0;
 	fPartitionData.index = -1;
 	fPartitionData.status = B_PARTITION_UNRECOGNIZED;
-	fPartitionData.flags = B_PARTITION_BUSY | B_PARTITION_DESCENDANT_BUSY;
+	fPartitionData.flags = B_PARTITION_BUSY;
 	fPartitionData.volume = -1;
 	fPartitionData.mount_cookie = NULL;
 	fPartitionData.name = NULL;
@@ -238,6 +238,7 @@ KPartition::SetBusy(bool busy)
 		ClearFlags(B_PARTITION_BUSY);
 }
 
+
 // IsBusy
 bool
 KPartition::IsBusy() const
@@ -245,23 +246,63 @@ KPartition::IsBusy() const
 	return (fPartitionData.flags & B_PARTITION_BUSY);
 }
 
-// SetDescendantBusy
-void
-KPartition::SetDescendantBusy(bool busy)
+
+// CheckAndMarkBusy
+bool
+KPartition::CheckAndMarkBusy(bool includeDescendants)
 {
-	if (busy)
-		SetFlags(B_PARTITION_DESCENDANT_BUSY);
-	else
-		ClearFlags(B_PARTITION_DESCENDANT_BUSY);
+	if (includeDescendants) {
+		// check
+		struct IsBusyVisitor : KPartitionVisitor {
+			virtual bool VisitPre(KPartition* partition)
+			{
+				return partition->IsBusy();
+			}
+		} checkVisitor;
+
+		if (VisitEachDescendant(&checkVisitor))
+			return false;
+
+		// mark busy
+		struct MarkBusyVisitor : KPartitionVisitor {
+			virtual bool VisitPre(KPartition* partition)
+			{
+				partition->AddFlags(B_PARTITION_BUSY);
+				return false;
+			}
+		} markVisitor;
+
+		VisitEachDescendant(&markVisitor);
+	} else {
+		if (IsBusy())
+			return false;
+
+		SetBusy(true);
+	}
+
+	return true;
 }
 
-// IsDescendantBusy
-bool
-KPartition::IsDescendantBusy() const
+
+// UnmarkBusy
+void
+KPartition::UnmarkBusy(bool includeDescendants)
 {
-	return (fPartitionData.flags & B_PARTITION_DESCENDANT_BUSY);
+	if (includeDescendants) {
+		struct UnmarkBusyVisitor : KPartitionVisitor {
+			virtual bool VisitPre(KPartition* partition)
+			{
+				partition->ClearFlags(B_PARTITION_BUSY);
+				return false;
+			}
+		} visitor;
+
+		VisitEachDescendant(&visitor);
+	} else
+		SetBusy(false);
 }
 
+
 // SetOffset
 void
 KPartition::SetOffset(off_t offset)
diff --git a/src/system/kernel/fs/vfs.cpp b/src/system/kernel/fs/vfs.cpp
index b843df19d9..d762699914 100644
--- a/src/system/kernel/fs/vfs.cpp
+++ b/src/system/kernel/fs/vfs.cpp
@@ -5387,7 +5387,7 @@ fs_mount(char *path, const char *device, const char *fsName, uint32 flags,
 
 	if (partition) {
 		// make sure, that the partition is not busy
-		if (partition->IsBusy() || partition->IsDescendantBusy()) {
+		if (partition->IsBusy()) {
 			TRACE(("fs_mount(): Partition is busy.\n"));
 			return B_BUSY;
 		}
@@ -5601,7 +5601,7 @@ fs_unmount(char *path, uint32 flags, bool kernel)
 
 	// make sure, that the partition is not busy
 	if (partition) {
-		if (partition->IsBusy() || partition->IsDescendantBusy()) {
+		if (partition->IsBusy()) {
 			TRACE(("fs_unmount(): Partition is busy.\n"));
 			return B_BUSY;
 		}