diff --git a/src/system/kernel/device_manager/legacy_drivers.cpp b/src/system/kernel/device_manager/legacy_drivers.cpp
index 3ffd1f6cbd..c395b250be 100644
--- a/src/system/kernel/device_manager/legacy_drivers.cpp
+++ b/src/system/kernel/device_manager/legacy_drivers.cpp
@@ -196,6 +196,7 @@ static int32 sDriverEvents;
 static EntryList sDriversToAdd;
 static EntryList sDriversToRemove;
 static mutex sDriversListLock = MUTEX_INITIALIZER("driversList");
+	// inner lock, protects the sDriversToAdd/sDriversToRemove lists only
 static DirectoryWatcher sDirectoryWatcher;
 static DirectoryNodeHash sDirectoryNodeHash;
 static recursive_lock sLock;
@@ -641,14 +642,19 @@ handle_driver_events(void */*_fs*/, int /*iteration*/)
 
 	// something happened, let's see what it was
 
-	RecursiveLocker locker(sLock);
-	MutexLocker _(sDriversListLock);
+	RecursiveLocker _(sLock);
+
+	// Add new drivers
 
 	while (true) {
+		MutexLocker listLocker(sDriversListLock);
+
 		path_entry* path = sDriversToAdd.RemoveHead();
 		if (path == NULL)
 			break;
 
+		listLocker.Unlock();
+
 		legacy_driver* driver = (legacy_driver*)hash_lookup(sDriverHash,
 			get_leaf(path->path));
 		if (driver == NULL)
@@ -657,11 +663,18 @@ handle_driver_events(void */*_fs*/, int /*iteration*/)
 			driver->binary_updated = true;
 		delete path;
 	}
+
+	// Mark removed drivers as updated
+
 	while (true) {
+		MutexLocker listLocker(sDriversListLock);
+
 		path_entry* path = sDriversToRemove.RemoveHead();
 		if (path == NULL)
 			break;
 
+		listLocker.Unlock();
+
 		legacy_driver* driver = (legacy_driver*)hash_lookup(sDriverHash,
 			get_leaf(path->path));
 		if (driver != NULL && get_priority(path->path) >= driver->priority)
@@ -669,6 +682,8 @@ handle_driver_events(void */*_fs*/, int /*iteration*/)
 		delete path;
 	}
 
+	// Reload updated drivers
+
 	hash_iterator iterator;
 	hash_open(sDriverHash, &iterator);
 	legacy_driver *driver;