diff --git a/fs/reiserfs/ioctl.c b/fs/reiserfs/ioctl.c
index bd9763e76bae..79265fdc317a 100644
--- a/fs/reiserfs/ioctl.c
+++ b/fs/reiserfs/ioctl.c
@@ -183,12 +183,11 @@ int reiserfs_unpack(struct inode *inode, struct file *filp)
 		return 0;
 	}
 
-	/* we need to make sure nobody is changing the file size beneath
-	 ** us
-	 */
-	reiserfs_mutex_lock_safe(&inode->i_mutex, inode->i_sb);
 	depth = reiserfs_write_lock_once(inode->i_sb);
 
+	/* we need to make sure nobody is changing the file size beneath us */
+	reiserfs_mutex_lock_safe(&inode->i_mutex, inode->i_sb);
+
 	write_from = inode->i_size & (blocksize - 1);
 	/* if we are on a block boundary, we are already unpacked.  */
 	if (write_from == 0) {