diff --git a/sbin/bsdlabel/bsdlabel.c b/sbin/bsdlabel/bsdlabel.c
index 3de7004e0f41..5fcd1cdb7056 100644
--- a/sbin/bsdlabel/bsdlabel.c
+++ b/sbin/bsdlabel/bsdlabel.c
@@ -1329,26 +1329,20 @@ getvirginlabel(void)
 	if (dkname[0] == '/') {
 		fprintf(stderr,
 		"\"auto\" requires the usage of a canonical disk name.\n");
-		return 0;
+		return (NULL);
 	}
 	(void)snprintf(namebuf, BBSIZE, "%sr%s", _PATH_DEV, dkname);
 	if ((f = open(namebuf, O_RDONLY, 0)) == -1) {
 		Perror("open()");
-		return 0;
+		return (NULL);
 	}
 	if (ioctl(f, DIOCGDINFO, &lab) < 0) {
 		Perror("ioctl DIOCGDINFO");
 		close(f);
-		return 0;
+		return (NULL);
 	}
 	close(f);
-	/* insert reasonable defaults where necessary */
-	if (lab.d_npartitions < 8) lab.d_npartitions = 8;
-	if (lab.d_bbsize == 0) lab.d_bbsize = BBSIZE;
-	if (lab.d_sbsize == 0) lab.d_sbsize = SBSIZE;
-	if (lab.d_rpm == 0) lab.d_rpm = 3600;
-	if (lab.d_interleave == 0) lab.d_interleave = 1;
-	return &lab;
+	return (&lab);
 }
 
 
diff --git a/sbin/disklabel/disklabel.c b/sbin/disklabel/disklabel.c
index 3de7004e0f41..5fcd1cdb7056 100644
--- a/sbin/disklabel/disklabel.c
+++ b/sbin/disklabel/disklabel.c
@@ -1329,26 +1329,20 @@ getvirginlabel(void)
 	if (dkname[0] == '/') {
 		fprintf(stderr,
 		"\"auto\" requires the usage of a canonical disk name.\n");
-		return 0;
+		return (NULL);
 	}
 	(void)snprintf(namebuf, BBSIZE, "%sr%s", _PATH_DEV, dkname);
 	if ((f = open(namebuf, O_RDONLY, 0)) == -1) {
 		Perror("open()");
-		return 0;
+		return (NULL);
 	}
 	if (ioctl(f, DIOCGDINFO, &lab) < 0) {
 		Perror("ioctl DIOCGDINFO");
 		close(f);
-		return 0;
+		return (NULL);
 	}
 	close(f);
-	/* insert reasonable defaults where necessary */
-	if (lab.d_npartitions < 8) lab.d_npartitions = 8;
-	if (lab.d_bbsize == 0) lab.d_bbsize = BBSIZE;
-	if (lab.d_sbsize == 0) lab.d_sbsize = SBSIZE;
-	if (lab.d_rpm == 0) lab.d_rpm = 3600;
-	if (lab.d_interleave == 0) lab.d_interleave = 1;
-	return &lab;
+	return (&lab);
 }
 
 
diff --git a/sys/kern/subr_diskslice.c b/sys/kern/subr_diskslice.c
index 4b95b07fcd5a..1fece2935886 100644
--- a/sys/kern/subr_diskslice.c
+++ b/sys/kern/subr_diskslice.c
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@
  *	from: wd.c,v 1.55 1994/10/22 01:57:12 phk Exp $
  *	from: @(#)ufs_disksubr.c	7.16 (Berkeley) 5/4/91
  *	from: ufs_disksubr.c,v 1.8 1994/06/07 01:21:39 phk Exp $
- *	$Id: subr_diskslice.c,v 1.25 1996/04/19 19:22:29 bde Exp $
+ *	$Id: subr_diskslice.c,v 1.26 1996/06/12 05:07:31 gpalmer Exp $
  */
 
 #include <sys/param.h>
@@ -62,6 +62,8 @@
 #include <sys/systm.h>
 #include <sys/vnode.h>
 
+#include <ufs/ffs/fs.h>
+
 #define b_cylinder	b_resid
 
 #define TRACE(str)	do { if (ds_debug) printf str; } while (0)
@@ -642,6 +644,24 @@ dsopen(dname, dev, mode, sspp, lp, strat, setgeom, bdevsw, cdevsw)
 
 		lp1 = malloc(sizeof *lp1, M_DEVBUF, M_WAITOK);
 		*lp1 = *lp;
+
+		/*
+		 * Initialize defaults for the label for the whole disk so
+		 * that it can be used as a template for disklabel(8).
+		 * d_rpm = 3600 is unlikely to be correct for a modern
+		 * disk, but d_rpm is normally irrelevant.
+		 */
+		if (lp1->d_rpm == 0)
+			lp1->d_rpm = 3600;
+		if (lp1->d_interleave == 0)
+			lp1->d_interleave = 1;
+		if (lp1->d_npartitions == 0)
+			lp1->d_npartitions = MAXPARTITIONS;
+		if (lp1->d_bbsize == 0)
+			lp1->d_bbsize = BBSIZE;
+		if (lp1->d_sbsize == 0)
+			lp1->d_sbsize = SBSIZE;
+
 		ssp->dss_slices[WHOLE_DISK_SLICE].ds_label = lp1;
 		ssp->dss_slices[WHOLE_DISK_SLICE].ds_wlabel = TRUE;
 		if (setgeom != NULL) {