diff --git a/drivers/char/misc.c b/drivers/char/misc.c
index c83ef9652bc9..8069b361b8dd 100644
--- a/drivers/char/misc.c
+++ b/drivers/char/misc.c
@@ -243,17 +243,15 @@ int misc_register(struct miscdevice * misc)
  *	@misc: device to unregister
  *
  *	Unregister a miscellaneous device that was previously
- *	successfully registered with misc_register(). Success
- *	is indicated by a zero return, a negative errno code
- *	indicates an error.
+ *	successfully registered with misc_register().
  */
 
-int misc_deregister(struct miscdevice *misc)
+void misc_deregister(struct miscdevice *misc)
 {
 	int i = DYNAMIC_MINORS - misc->minor - 1;
 
 	if (WARN_ON(list_empty(&misc->list)))
-		return -EINVAL;
+		return;
 
 	mutex_lock(&misc_mtx);
 	list_del(&misc->list);
@@ -261,7 +259,6 @@ int misc_deregister(struct miscdevice *misc)
 	if (i < DYNAMIC_MINORS && i >= 0)
 		clear_bit(i, misc_minors);
 	mutex_unlock(&misc_mtx);
-	return 0;
 }
 
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(misc_register);
diff --git a/drivers/md/dm-ioctl.c b/drivers/md/dm-ioctl.c
index 720ceeb7fa9b..80a439543259 100644
--- a/drivers/md/dm-ioctl.c
+++ b/drivers/md/dm-ioctl.c
@@ -1919,9 +1919,7 @@ int __init dm_interface_init(void)
 
 void dm_interface_exit(void)
 {
-	if (misc_deregister(&_dm_misc) < 0)
-		DMERR("misc_deregister failed for control device");
-
+	misc_deregister(&_dm_misc);
 	dm_hash_exit();
 }
 
diff --git a/drivers/misc/vmw_vmci/vmci_host.c b/drivers/misc/vmw_vmci/vmci_host.c
index a721b5d8a9da..9ec262a52656 100644
--- a/drivers/misc/vmw_vmci/vmci_host.c
+++ b/drivers/misc/vmw_vmci/vmci_host.c
@@ -1031,14 +1031,9 @@ int __init vmci_host_init(void)
 
 void __exit vmci_host_exit(void)
 {
-	int error;
-
 	vmci_host_device_initialized = false;
 
-	error = misc_deregister(&vmci_host_miscdev);
-	if (error)
-		pr_warn("Error unregistering character device: %d\n", error);
-
+	misc_deregister(&vmci_host_miscdev);
 	vmci_ctx_destroy(host_context);
 	vmci_qp_broker_exit();
 
diff --git a/drivers/rtc/rtc-ds1374.c b/drivers/rtc/rtc-ds1374.c
index 167783fa7ac1..72c933375233 100644
--- a/drivers/rtc/rtc-ds1374.c
+++ b/drivers/rtc/rtc-ds1374.c
@@ -666,9 +666,8 @@ static int ds1374_remove(struct i2c_client *client)
 #ifdef CONFIG_RTC_DRV_DS1374_WDT
 	int res;
 
-	res = misc_deregister(&ds1374_miscdev);
-	if (!res)
-		ds1374_miscdev.parent = NULL;
+	misc_deregister(&ds1374_miscdev);
+	ds1374_miscdev.parent = NULL;
 	unregister_reboot_notifier(&ds1374_wdt_notifier);
 #endif
 
diff --git a/drivers/staging/android/ashmem.c b/drivers/staging/android/ashmem.c
index c5c037ccf32c..2c75d90b26c8 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/android/ashmem.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/android/ashmem.c
@@ -863,14 +863,9 @@ static int __init ashmem_init(void)
 
 static void __exit ashmem_exit(void)
 {
-	int ret;
-
 	unregister_shrinker(&ashmem_shrinker);
 
-	ret = misc_deregister(&ashmem_misc);
-	if (unlikely(ret))
-		pr_err("failed to unregister misc device!\n");
-
+	misc_deregister(&ashmem_misc);
 	kmem_cache_destroy(ashmem_range_cachep);
 	kmem_cache_destroy(ashmem_area_cachep);
 
diff --git a/drivers/staging/android/ion/ion_test.c b/drivers/staging/android/ion/ion_test.c
index 7d6e6b6bc894..b8dcf5a26cc4 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/android/ion/ion_test.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/android/ion/ion_test.c
@@ -269,7 +269,8 @@ static int ion_test_remove(struct platform_device *pdev)
 	if (!testdev)
 		return -ENODATA;
 
-	return misc_deregister(&testdev->misc);
+	misc_deregister(&testdev->misc);
+	return 0;
 }
 
 static struct platform_device *ion_test_pdev;
diff --git a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/libcfs/module.c b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/libcfs/module.c
index e60b2e9b9194..e7074006e41b 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/libcfs/module.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/libcfs/module.c
@@ -467,9 +467,7 @@ static void exit_libcfs_module(void)
 	cfs_crypto_unregister();
 	cfs_wi_shutdown();
 
-	rc = misc_deregister(&libcfs_dev);
-	if (rc)
-		CERROR("misc_deregister error %d\n", rc);
+	misc_deregister(&libcfs_dev);
 
 	cfs_cpu_fini();
 
diff --git a/drivers/vhost/scsi.c b/drivers/vhost/scsi.c
index dfcc02c93648..f114a9dbb48f 100644
--- a/drivers/vhost/scsi.c
+++ b/drivers/vhost/scsi.c
@@ -1573,9 +1573,9 @@ static int __init vhost_scsi_register(void)
 	return misc_register(&vhost_scsi_misc);
 }
 
-static int vhost_scsi_deregister(void)
+static void vhost_scsi_deregister(void)
 {
-	return misc_deregister(&vhost_scsi_misc);
+	misc_deregister(&vhost_scsi_misc);
 }
 
 static char *vhost_scsi_dump_proto_id(struct vhost_scsi_tport *tport)
diff --git a/drivers/watchdog/at91rm9200_wdt.c b/drivers/watchdog/at91rm9200_wdt.c
index 41cecb55766c..9ba1153465ae 100644
--- a/drivers/watchdog/at91rm9200_wdt.c
+++ b/drivers/watchdog/at91rm9200_wdt.c
@@ -269,9 +269,8 @@ static int at91wdt_remove(struct platform_device *pdev)
 	if (res)
 		dev_warn(dev, "failed to unregister restart handler\n");
 
-	res = misc_deregister(&at91wdt_miscdev);
-	if (!res)
-		at91wdt_miscdev.parent = NULL;
+	misc_deregister(&at91wdt_miscdev);
+	at91wdt_miscdev.parent = NULL;
 
 	return res;
 }
diff --git a/drivers/watchdog/ks8695_wdt.c b/drivers/watchdog/ks8695_wdt.c
index b7ea39b455c8..1e41818a44bc 100644
--- a/drivers/watchdog/ks8695_wdt.c
+++ b/drivers/watchdog/ks8695_wdt.c
@@ -254,13 +254,10 @@ static int ks8695wdt_probe(struct platform_device *pdev)
 
 static int ks8695wdt_remove(struct platform_device *pdev)
 {
-	int res;
+	misc_deregister(&ks8695wdt_miscdev);
+	ks8695wdt_miscdev.parent = NULL;
 
-	res = misc_deregister(&ks8695wdt_miscdev);
-	if (!res)
-		ks8695wdt_miscdev.parent = NULL;
-
-	return res;
+	return 0;
 }
 
 static void ks8695wdt_shutdown(struct platform_device *pdev)
diff --git a/drivers/watchdog/ts72xx_wdt.c b/drivers/watchdog/ts72xx_wdt.c
index 119beb7f6017..4b541934b6c5 100644
--- a/drivers/watchdog/ts72xx_wdt.c
+++ b/drivers/watchdog/ts72xx_wdt.c
@@ -428,7 +428,8 @@ static int ts72xx_wdt_probe(struct platform_device *pdev)
 
 static int ts72xx_wdt_remove(struct platform_device *pdev)
 {
-	return misc_deregister(&ts72xx_wdt_miscdev);
+	misc_deregister(&ts72xx_wdt_miscdev);
+	return 0;
 }
 
 static struct platform_driver ts72xx_wdt_driver = {
diff --git a/fs/btrfs/super.c b/fs/btrfs/super.c
index cd7ef34d2dce..6bad63379a4c 100644
--- a/fs/btrfs/super.c
+++ b/fs/btrfs/super.c
@@ -2163,8 +2163,7 @@ static int btrfs_interface_init(void)
 
 static void btrfs_interface_exit(void)
 {
-	if (misc_deregister(&btrfs_misc) < 0)
-		printk(KERN_INFO "BTRFS: misc_deregister failed for control device\n");
+	misc_deregister(&btrfs_misc);
 }
 
 static void btrfs_print_info(void)
diff --git a/fs/dlm/plock.c b/fs/dlm/plock.c
index e0ab3a93eeff..5532f097f6da 100644
--- a/fs/dlm/plock.c
+++ b/fs/dlm/plock.c
@@ -509,7 +509,6 @@ int dlm_plock_init(void)
 
 void dlm_plock_exit(void)
 {
-	if (misc_deregister(&plock_dev_misc) < 0)
-		log_print("dlm_plock_exit: misc_deregister failed");
+	misc_deregister(&plock_dev_misc);
 }
 
diff --git a/fs/dlm/user.c b/fs/dlm/user.c
index fb85f32e9eca..75ecc0d3bc85 100644
--- a/fs/dlm/user.c
+++ b/fs/dlm/user.c
@@ -362,18 +362,15 @@ fail:
 
 int dlm_device_deregister(struct dlm_ls *ls)
 {
-	int error;
-
 	/* The device is not registered.  This happens when the lockspace
 	   was never used from userspace, or when device_create_lockspace()
 	   calls dlm_release_lockspace() after the register fails. */
 	if (!ls->ls_device.name)
 		return 0;
 
-	error = misc_deregister(&ls->ls_device);
-	if (!error)
-		kfree(ls->ls_device.name);
-	return error;
+	misc_deregister(&ls->ls_device);
+	kfree(ls->ls_device.name);
+	return 0;
 }
 
 static int device_user_purge(struct dlm_user_proc *proc,
diff --git a/fs/ocfs2/stack_user.c b/fs/ocfs2/stack_user.c
index 2768eb1da2b8..ced70c8139f7 100644
--- a/fs/ocfs2/stack_user.c
+++ b/fs/ocfs2/stack_user.c
@@ -655,14 +655,7 @@ static int ocfs2_control_init(void)
 
 static void ocfs2_control_exit(void)
 {
-	int rc;
-
-	rc = misc_deregister(&ocfs2_control_device);
-	if (rc)
-		printk(KERN_ERR
-		       "ocfs2: Unable to deregister ocfs2_control device "
-		       "(errno %d)\n",
-		       -rc);
+	misc_deregister(&ocfs2_control_device);
 }
 
 static void fsdlm_lock_ast_wrapper(void *astarg)
diff --git a/include/linux/miscdevice.h b/include/linux/miscdevice.h
index 819077c32690..81f6e427ba6b 100644
--- a/include/linux/miscdevice.h
+++ b/include/linux/miscdevice.h
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ struct miscdevice  {
 };
 
 extern int misc_register(struct miscdevice *misc);
-extern int misc_deregister(struct miscdevice *misc);
+extern void misc_deregister(struct miscdevice *misc);
 
 #define MODULE_ALIAS_MISCDEV(minor)				\
 	MODULE_ALIAS("char-major-" __stringify(MISC_MAJOR)	\