diff --git a/kernel/watchdog.c b/kernel/watchdog.c
index 0d53c8e853b1..501cb6edca4b 100644
--- a/kernel/watchdog.c
+++ b/kernel/watchdog.c
@@ -371,7 +371,7 @@ static int watchdog_nmi_enable(int cpu)
 	}
 
 	printk(KERN_ERR "NMI watchdog failed to create perf event on cpu%i: %p\n", cpu, event);
-	return -1;
+	return PTR_ERR(event);
 
 	/* success path */
 out_save:
@@ -415,17 +415,19 @@ static int watchdog_prepare_cpu(int cpu)
 static int watchdog_enable(int cpu)
 {
 	struct task_struct *p = per_cpu(softlockup_watchdog, cpu);
+	int err;
 
 	/* enable the perf event */
-	if (watchdog_nmi_enable(cpu) != 0)
-		return -1;
+	err = watchdog_nmi_enable(cpu);
+	if (err)
+		return err;
 
 	/* create the watchdog thread */
 	if (!p) {
 		p = kthread_create(watchdog, (void *)(unsigned long)cpu, "watchdog/%d", cpu);
 		if (IS_ERR(p)) {
 			printk(KERN_ERR "softlockup watchdog for %i failed\n", cpu);
-			return -1;
+			return PTR_ERR(p);
 		}
 		kthread_bind(p, cpu);
 		per_cpu(watchdog_touch_ts, cpu) = 0;
@@ -519,17 +521,16 @@ static int __cpuinit
 cpu_callback(struct notifier_block *nfb, unsigned long action, void *hcpu)
 {
 	int hotcpu = (unsigned long)hcpu;
+	int err = 0;
 
 	switch (action) {
 	case CPU_UP_PREPARE:
 	case CPU_UP_PREPARE_FROZEN:
-		if (watchdog_prepare_cpu(hotcpu))
-			return NOTIFY_BAD;
+		err = watchdog_prepare_cpu(hotcpu);
 		break;
 	case CPU_ONLINE:
 	case CPU_ONLINE_FROZEN:
-		if (watchdog_enable(hotcpu))
-			return NOTIFY_BAD;
+		err = watchdog_enable(hotcpu);
 		break;
 #ifdef CONFIG_HOTPLUG_CPU
 	case CPU_UP_CANCELED:
@@ -542,7 +543,7 @@ cpu_callback(struct notifier_block *nfb, unsigned long action, void *hcpu)
 		break;
 #endif /* CONFIG_HOTPLUG_CPU */
 	}
-	return NOTIFY_OK;
+	return notifier_from_errno(err);
 }
 
 static struct notifier_block __cpuinitdata cpu_nfb = {
@@ -558,7 +559,7 @@ static int __init spawn_watchdog_task(void)
 		return 0;
 
 	err = cpu_callback(&cpu_nfb, CPU_UP_PREPARE, cpu);
-	WARN_ON(err == NOTIFY_BAD);
+	WARN_ON(notifier_to_errno(err));
 
 	cpu_callback(&cpu_nfb, CPU_ONLINE, cpu);
 	register_cpu_notifier(&cpu_nfb);