diff --git a/hw/core/qdev.c b/hw/core/qdev.c
index f6f92473b8..e14164526f 100644
--- a/hw/core/qdev.c
+++ b/hw/core/qdev.c
@@ -345,6 +345,22 @@ void qdev_init_nofail(DeviceState *dev)
     object_unref(OBJECT(dev));
 }

+void qdev_cleanup_nofail(DeviceState *dev)
+{
+    Error *err = NULL;
+
+    assert(dev->realized);
+
+    object_ref(OBJECT(dev));
+    object_property_set_bool(OBJECT(dev), false, "realized", &err);
+    if (err) {
+        error_reportf_err(err, "Clean up of device %s failed: ",
+                          object_get_typename(OBJECT(dev)));
+        exit(1);
+    }
+    object_unref(OBJECT(dev));
+}
+
 void qdev_machine_creation_done(void)
 {
     /*
diff --git a/hw/dma/i82374.c b/hw/dma/i82374.c
index 83c87d92e0..593183b869 100644
--- a/hw/dma/i82374.c
+++ b/hw/dma/i82374.c
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 #include "qemu/osdep.h"
 #include "hw/isa/isa.h"
 #include "hw/dma/i8257.h"
+#include "qapi/error.h"

 #define TYPE_I82374 "i82374"
 #define I82374(obj) OBJECT_CHECK(I82374State, (obj), TYPE_I82374)
diff --git a/hw/dma/i8257.c b/hw/dma/i8257.c
index 52675e97c9..70cbc156c3 100644
--- a/hw/dma/i8257.c
+++ b/hw/dma/i8257.c
@@ -625,23 +625,27 @@ type_init(i8257_register_types)
 void i8257_dma_init(ISABus *bus, bool high_page_enable)
 {
     ISADevice *isa1, *isa2;
-    DeviceState *d;
+    DeviceState *d1, *d2;

     isa1 = isa_create(bus, TYPE_I8257);
-    d = DEVICE(isa1);
-    qdev_prop_set_int32(d, "base", 0x00);
-    qdev_prop_set_int32(d, "page-base", 0x80);
-    qdev_prop_set_int32(d, "pageh-base", high_page_enable ? 0x480 : -1);
-    qdev_prop_set_int32(d, "dshift", 0);
-    qdev_init_nofail(d);
+    d1 = DEVICE(isa1);
+    qdev_prop_set_int32(d1, "base", 0x00);
+    qdev_prop_set_int32(d1, "page-base", 0x80);
+    qdev_prop_set_int32(d1, "pageh-base", high_page_enable ? 0x480 : -1);
+    qdev_prop_set_int32(d1, "dshift", 0);
+    qdev_init_nofail(d1);

     isa2 = isa_create(bus, TYPE_I8257);
-    d = DEVICE(isa2);
-    qdev_prop_set_int32(d, "base", 0xc0);
-    qdev_prop_set_int32(d, "page-base", 0x88);
-    qdev_prop_set_int32(d, "pageh-base", high_page_enable ? 0x488 : -1);
-    qdev_prop_set_int32(d, "dshift", 1);
-    qdev_init_nofail(d);
-
-    isa_bus_dma(bus, ISADMA(isa1), ISADMA(isa2));
+    d2 = DEVICE(isa2);
+    qdev_prop_set_int32(d2, "base", 0xc0);
+    qdev_prop_set_int32(d2, "page-base", 0x88);
+    qdev_prop_set_int32(d2, "pageh-base", high_page_enable ? 0x488 : -1);
+    qdev_prop_set_int32(d2, "dshift", 1);
+    qdev_init_nofail(d2);
+
+    if (isa_bus_dma(bus, ISADMA(isa1), ISADMA(isa2)) < 0) {
+        qdev_cleanup_nofail(d1);
+        qdev_cleanup_nofail(d2);
+        exit(1);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/hw/isa/isa-bus.c b/hw/isa/isa-bus.c
index 63fa77effc..5b1a2240e9 100644
--- a/hw/isa/isa-bus.c
+++ b/hw/isa/isa-bus.c
@@ -107,7 +107,10 @@ void isa_connect_gpio_out(ISADevice *isadev, int gpioirq, int isairq)
 void isa_bus_dma(ISABus *bus, IsaDma *dma8, IsaDma *dma16)
 {
     assert(bus && dma8 && dma16);
-    assert(!bus->dma[0] && !bus->dma[1]);
+    if (bus->dma[0] || bus->dma[1]) {
+        error_setg(errp, "DMA already initialized on ISA bus");
+        exit(1);
+    }
     bus->dma[0] = dma8;
     bus->dma[1] = dma16;
 }
diff --git a/include/hw/qdev-core.h b/include/hw/qdev-core.h
index 9453588160..238ad2f6f3 100644
--- a/include/hw/qdev-core.h
+++ b/include/hw/qdev-core.h
@@ -283,6 +283,7 @@ typedef struct GlobalProperty {
 DeviceState *qdev_create(BusState *bus, const char *name);
 DeviceState *qdev_try_create(BusState *bus, const char *name);
 void qdev_init_nofail(DeviceState *dev);
+void qdev_cleanup_nofail(DeviceState *dev);
 void qdev_set_legacy_instance_id(DeviceState *dev, int alias_id,
                                  int required_for_version);
 HotplugHandler *qdev_get_machine_hotplug_handler(DeviceState *dev);