return 0;
 }
 
-/*
- * A reference for the returned object is held and the reference for the
- * hinted object is released.
- */
-static struct memory_block *find_memory_block_by_id(unsigned long block_id,
-                                                   struct memory_block *hint)
+/* A reference for the returned memory block device is acquired. */
+static struct memory_block *find_memory_block_by_id(unsigned long block_id)
 {
-       struct device *hintdev = hint ? &hint->dev : NULL;
        struct device *dev;
 
-       dev = subsys_find_device_by_id(&memory_subsys, block_id, hintdev);
-       if (hint)
-               put_device(&hint->dev);
-       if (!dev)
-               return NULL;
-       return to_memory_block(dev);
-}
-
-struct memory_block *find_memory_block_hinted(struct mem_section *section,
-                                             struct memory_block *hint)
-{
-       unsigned long block_id = base_memory_block_id(__section_nr(section));
-
-       return find_memory_block_by_id(block_id, hint);
+       dev = subsys_find_device_by_id(&memory_subsys, block_id, NULL);
+       return dev ? to_memory_block(dev) : NULL;
 }
 
 /*
  */
 struct memory_block *find_memory_block(struct mem_section *section)
 {
-       return find_memory_block_hinted(section, NULL);
+       unsigned long block_id = base_memory_block_id(__section_nr(section));
+
+       return find_memory_block_by_id(block_id);
 }
 
 static struct attribute *memory_memblk_attrs[] = {
        unsigned long start_pfn;
        int ret = 0;
 
-       mem = find_memory_block_by_id(block_id, NULL);
+       mem = find_memory_block_by_id(block_id);
        if (mem) {
                put_device(&mem->dev);
                return -EEXIST;
                end_block_id = block_id;
                for (block_id = start_block_id; block_id != end_block_id;
                     block_id++) {
-                       mem = find_memory_block_by_id(block_id, NULL);
+                       mem = find_memory_block_by_id(block_id);
                        mem->section_count = 0;
                        unregister_memory(mem);
                }
 
        mutex_lock(&mem_sysfs_mutex);
        for (block_id = start_block_id; block_id != end_block_id; block_id++) {
-               mem = find_memory_block_by_id(block_id, NULL);
+               mem = find_memory_block_by_id(block_id);
                if (WARN_ON_ONCE(!mem))
                        continue;
                mem->section_count = 0;
        unsigned long block_id;
        int ret = 0;
 
+       if (!size)
+               return 0;
+
        for (block_id = start_block_id; block_id <= end_block_id; block_id++) {
-               mem = find_memory_block_by_id(block_id, NULL);
+               mem = find_memory_block_by_id(block_id);
                if (!mem)
                        continue;
 
 
 extern int memory_dev_init(void);
 extern int memory_notify(unsigned long val, void *v);
 extern int memory_isolate_notify(unsigned long val, void *v);
-extern struct memory_block *find_memory_block_hinted(struct mem_section *,
-                                                       struct memory_block *);
 extern struct memory_block *find_memory_block(struct mem_section *);
 typedef int (*walk_memory_blocks_func_t)(struct memory_block *, void *);
 extern int walk_memory_blocks(unsigned long start, unsigned long size,