diff -urN ext2/fs/ext2/ialloc.c ext2-1/fs/ext2/ialloc.c
--- ext2/fs/ext2/ialloc.c	Thu Nov 30 11:23:18 2000
+++ ext2-1/fs/ext2/ialloc.c	Fri Dec  1 10:35:24 2000
@@ -256,7 +256,7 @@
  * For other inodes, search forward from the parent directory\'s block
  * group to find a free inode.
  */
-struct inode * ext2_new_inode (const struct inode * dir, int mode, int * err)
+struct inode * ext2_new_inode (const struct inode * dir, int mode)
 {
 	struct super_block * sb;
 	struct buffer_head * bh;
@@ -267,26 +267,22 @@
 	struct ext2_group_desc * gdp;
 	struct ext2_group_desc * tmp;
 	struct ext2_super_block * es;
+	int err;
 
 	/* Cannot create files in a deleted directory */
-	if (!dir || !dir->i_nlink) {
-		*err = -EPERM;
-		return NULL;
-	}
+	if (!dir || !dir->i_nlink)
+		return ERR_PTR(-EPERM);
 
 	sb = dir->i_sb;
 	inode = new_inode(sb);
-	if (!inode) {
-		*err = -ENOMEM;
-		return NULL;
-	}
+	if (!inode)
+		return ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
 
 	lock_super (sb);
 	es = sb->u.ext2_sb.s_es;
 repeat:
 	gdp = NULL; i=0;
 	
-	*err = -ENOSPC;
 	if (S_ISDIR(mode)) {
 		avefreei = le32_to_cpu(es->s_free_inodes_count) /
 			sb->u.ext2_sb.s_groups_count;
@@ -365,18 +361,14 @@
 		}
 	}
 
-	if (!gdp) {
-		unlock_super (sb);
-		iput(inode);
-		return NULL;
-	}
+	err = -ENOSPC;
+	if (!gdp)
+		goto fail;
+
+	err = -EIO;
 	bitmap_nr = load_inode_bitmap (sb, i);
-	if (bitmap_nr < 0) {
-		unlock_super (sb);
-		iput(inode);
-		*err = -EIO;
-		return NULL;
-	}
+	if (bitmap_nr < 0)
+		goto fail;
 
 	bh = sb->u.ext2_sb.s_inode_bitmap[bitmap_nr];
 	if ((j = ext2_find_first_zero_bit ((unsigned long *) bh->b_data,
@@ -397,11 +389,11 @@
 			ext2_error (sb, "ext2_new_inode",
 				    "Free inodes count corrupted in group %d",
 				    i);
-			if (sb->s_flags & MS_RDONLY) {
-				unlock_super (sb);
-				iput (inode);
-				return NULL;
-			}
+			/* Is it really ENOSPC? */
+			err = -ENOSPC;
+			if (sb->s_flags & MS_RDONLY)
+				goto fail;
+
 			gdp->bg_free_inodes_count = 0;
 			mark_buffer_dirty(bh2);
 		}
@@ -412,10 +404,8 @@
 		ext2_error (sb, "ext2_new_inode",
 			    "reserved inode or inode > inodes count - "
 			    "block_group = %d,inode=%d", i, j);
-		unlock_super (sb);
-		iput (inode);
-		*err = -EIO;
-		return NULL;
+		err = -EIO;
+		goto fail;
 	}
 	gdp->bg_free_inodes_count =
 		cpu_to_le16(le16_to_cpu(gdp->bg_free_inodes_count) - 1);
@@ -464,13 +454,15 @@
 		sb->dq_op->drop(inode);
 		inode->i_nlink = 0;
 		iput(inode);
-		*err = -EDQUOT;
-		return NULL;
+		return ERR_PTR(-EDQUOT);
 	}
 	ext2_debug ("allocating inode %lu\n", inode->i_ino);
-
-	*err = 0;
 	return inode;
+
+fail:
+	unlock_super(sb);
+	iput(inode);
+	return ERR_PTR(err);
 }
 
 unsigned long ext2_count_free_inodes (struct super_block * sb)
diff -urN ext2/fs/ext2/namei.c ext2-1/fs/ext2/namei.c
--- ext2/fs/ext2/namei.c	Thu Nov 30 11:23:18 2000
+++ ext2-1/fs/ext2/namei.c	Fri Dec  1 10:35:24 2000
@@ -361,11 +361,9 @@
  */
 static int ext2_create (struct inode * dir, struct dentry * dentry, int mode)
 {
-	struct inode * inode;
-	int err;
-
-	inode = ext2_new_inode (dir, mode, &err);
-	if (!inode)
+	struct inode * inode = ext2_new_inode (dir, mode);
+	int err = PTR_ERR(inode);
+	if (IS_ERR(inode))
 		return err;
 
 	inode->i_op = &ext2_file_inode_operations;
@@ -387,11 +385,10 @@
 
 static int ext2_mknod (struct inode * dir, struct dentry *dentry, int mode, int rdev)
 {
-	struct inode * inode;
-	int err;
+	struct inode * inode = ext2_new_inode (dir, mode);
+	int err = PTR_ERR(inode);
 
-	inode = ext2_new_inode (dir, mode, &err);
-	if (!inode)
+	if (IS_ERR(inode))
 		return err;
 
 	inode->i_uid = current->fsuid;
@@ -421,8 +418,9 @@
 	if (dir->i_nlink >= EXT2_LINK_MAX)
 		return -EMLINK;
 
-	inode = ext2_new_inode (dir, S_IFDIR, &err);
-	if (!inode)
+	inode = ext2_new_inode (dir, S_IFDIR);
+	err = PTR_ERR(inode);
+	if (IS_ERR(inode))
 		return err;
 
 	inode->i_op = &ext2_dir_inode_operations;
@@ -628,7 +626,9 @@
 	if (l > dir->i_sb->s_blocksize)
 		return -ENAMETOOLONG;
 
-	if (!(inode = ext2_new_inode (dir, S_IFLNK, &err)))
+	inode = ext2_new_inode (dir, S_IFLNK);
+	err = PTR_ERR(inode);
+	if (IS_ERR(inode))
 		return err;
 
 	inode->i_mode = S_IFLNK | S_IRWXUGO;
diff -urN ext2/include/linux/ext2_fs.h ext2-1/include/linux/ext2_fs.h
--- ext2/include/linux/ext2_fs.h	Thu Nov 30 11:23:18 2000
+++ ext2-1/include/linux/ext2_fs.h	Fri Dec  1 10:35:24 2000
@@ -552,7 +552,7 @@
 extern int ext2_fsync_inode (struct inode *, int);
 
 /* ialloc.c */
-extern struct inode * ext2_new_inode (const struct inode *, int, int *);
+extern struct inode * ext2_new_inode (const struct inode *, int);
 extern void ext2_free_inode (struct inode *);
 extern unsigned long ext2_count_free_inodes (struct super_block *);
 extern void ext2_check_inodes_bitmap (struct super_block *);