diff --git a/bootdevice.c b/bootdevice.c
index 9de34ba..5914417 100644
--- a/bootdevice.c
+++ b/bootdevice.c
@@ -63,10 +63,7 @@ void qemu_boot_set(const char *boot_order, Error **errp)
         return;
     }
 
-    if (boot_set_handler(boot_set_opaque, boot_order)) {
-        error_setg(errp, "setting boot device list failed");
-        return;
-    }
+    boot_set_handler(boot_set_opaque, boot_order, errp);
 }
 
 void validate_bootdevices(const char *devices, Error **errp)
diff --git a/hw/i386/pc.c b/hw/i386/pc.c
index c0e55a6..1ec7290 100644
--- a/hw/i386/pc.c
+++ b/hw/i386/pc.c
@@ -282,7 +282,7 @@ static int boot_device2nibble(char boot_device)
     return 0;
 }
 
-static int set_boot_dev(ISADevice *s, const char *boot_device)
+static void set_boot_dev(ISADevice *s, const char *boot_device, Error **errp)
 {
 #define PC_MAX_BOOT_DEVICES 3
     int nbds, bds[3] = { 0, };
@@ -290,25 +290,24 @@ static int set_boot_dev(ISADevice *s, const char *boot_device)
 
     nbds = strlen(boot_device);
     if (nbds > PC_MAX_BOOT_DEVICES) {
-        error_report("Too many boot devices for PC");
-        return(1);
+        error_setg(errp, "Too many boot devices for PC");
+        return;
     }
     for (i = 0; i < nbds; i++) {
         bds[i] = boot_device2nibble(boot_device[i]);
         if (bds[i] == 0) {
-            error_report("Invalid boot device for PC: '%c'",
-                         boot_device[i]);
-            return(1);
+            error_setg(errp, "Invalid boot device for PC: '%c'",
+                       boot_device[i]);
+            return;
         }
     }
     rtc_set_memory(s, 0x3d, (bds[1] << 4) | bds[0]);
     rtc_set_memory(s, 0x38, (bds[2] << 4) | (fd_bootchk ? 0x0 : 0x1));
-    return(0);
 }
 
-static int pc_boot_set(void *opaque, const char *boot_device)
+static void pc_boot_set(void *opaque, const char *boot_device, Error **errp)
 {
-    return set_boot_dev(opaque, boot_device);
+    set_boot_dev(opaque, boot_device, errp);
 }
 
 typedef struct pc_cmos_init_late_arg {
@@ -365,6 +364,7 @@ void pc_cmos_init(ram_addr_t ram_size, ram_addr_t above_4g_mem_size,
     FDriveType fd_type[2] = { FDRIVE_DRV_NONE, FDRIVE_DRV_NONE };
     static pc_cmos_init_late_arg arg;
     PCMachineState *pc_machine = PC_MACHINE(machine);
+    Error *local_err = NULL;
 
     /* various important CMOS locations needed by PC/Bochs bios */
 
@@ -412,7 +412,9 @@ void pc_cmos_init(ram_addr_t ram_size, ram_addr_t above_4g_mem_size,
     object_property_set_link(OBJECT(machine), OBJECT(s),
                              "rtc_state", &error_abort);
 
-    if (set_boot_dev(s, boot_device)) {
+    set_boot_dev(s, boot_device, &local_err);
+    if (local_err) {
+        error_report("%s", error_get_pretty(local_err));
         exit(1);
     }
 
diff --git a/hw/ppc/mac_newworld.c b/hw/ppc/mac_newworld.c
index 89aee71..ee1ed8a 100644
--- a/hw/ppc/mac_newworld.c
+++ b/hw/ppc/mac_newworld.c
@@ -116,10 +116,10 @@ static const MemoryRegionOps unin_ops = {
     .endianness = DEVICE_NATIVE_ENDIAN,
 };
 
-static int fw_cfg_boot_set(void *opaque, const char *boot_device)
+static void fw_cfg_boot_set(void *opaque, const char *boot_device,
+                            Error **errp)
 {
     fw_cfg_add_i16(opaque, FW_CFG_BOOT_DEVICE, boot_device[0]);
-    return 0;
 }
 
 static uint64_t translate_kernel_address(void *opaque, uint64_t addr)
diff --git a/hw/ppc/mac_oldworld.c b/hw/ppc/mac_oldworld.c
index 32c21a4..15109c2 100644
--- a/hw/ppc/mac_oldworld.c
+++ b/hw/ppc/mac_oldworld.c
@@ -49,13 +49,12 @@
 #define CLOCKFREQ 266000000UL
 #define BUSFREQ 66000000UL
 
-static int fw_cfg_boot_set(void *opaque, const char *boot_device)
+static void fw_cfg_boot_set(void *opaque, const char *boot_device,
+                            Error **errp)
 {
     fw_cfg_add_i16(opaque, FW_CFG_BOOT_DEVICE, boot_device[0]);
-    return 0;
 }
 
-
 static uint64_t translate_kernel_address(void *opaque, uint64_t addr)
 {
     return (addr & 0x0fffffff) + KERNEL_LOAD_ADDR;
diff --git a/hw/sparc/sun4m.c b/hw/sparc/sun4m.c
index 8273199..df259ad 100644
--- a/hw/sparc/sun4m.c
+++ b/hw/sparc/sun4m.c
@@ -121,10 +121,10 @@ void DMA_register_channel (int nchan,
 {
 }
 
-static int fw_cfg_boot_set(void *opaque, const char *boot_device)
+static void fw_cfg_boot_set(void *opaque, const char *boot_device,
+                            Error **errp)
 {
     fw_cfg_add_i16(opaque, FW_CFG_BOOT_DEVICE, boot_device[0]);
-    return 0;
 }
 
 static void nvram_init(M48t59State *nvram, uint8_t *macaddr,
diff --git a/hw/sparc64/sun4u.c b/hw/sparc64/sun4u.c
index f42112c..acac8f9 100644
--- a/hw/sparc64/sun4u.c
+++ b/hw/sparc64/sun4u.c
@@ -124,10 +124,10 @@ void DMA_register_channel (int nchan,
 {
 }
 
-static int fw_cfg_boot_set(void *opaque, const char *boot_device)
+static void fw_cfg_boot_set(void *opaque, const char *boot_device,
+                            Error **errp)
 {
     fw_cfg_add_i16(opaque, FW_CFG_BOOT_DEVICE, boot_device[0]);
-    return 0;
 }
 
 static int sun4u_NVRAM_set_params(M48t59State *nvram, uint16_t NVRAM_size,
diff --git a/include/sysemu/sysemu.h b/include/sysemu/sysemu.h
index ee7fee7..503e5a4 100644
--- a/include/sysemu/sysemu.h
+++ b/include/sysemu/sysemu.h
@@ -220,8 +220,8 @@ void restore_boot_order(void *opaque);
 void validate_bootdevices(const char *devices, Error **errp);
 
 /* handler to set the boot_device order for a specific type of QEMUMachine */
-/* return 0 if success */
-typedef int QEMUBootSetHandler(void *opaque, const char *boot_order);
+typedef void QEMUBootSetHandler(void *opaque, const char *boot_order,
+                                Error **errp);
 void qemu_register_boot_set(QEMUBootSetHandler *func, void *opaque);
 void qemu_boot_set(const char *boot_order, Error **errp);
 
