diff --git a/include/asm-arm/ide.h b/include/asm-arm/ide.h
index 88f4d231ce4..a48019f99d0 100644
--- a/include/asm-arm/ide.h
+++ b/include/asm-arm/ide.h
@@ -13,10 +13,6 @@
 
 #ifdef __KERNEL__
 
-#ifndef MAX_HWIFS
-#define MAX_HWIFS	4
-#endif
-
 #define __ide_mm_insw(port,addr,len)	readsw(port,addr,len)
 #define __ide_mm_insl(port,addr,len)	readsl(port,addr,len)
 #define __ide_mm_outsw(port,addr,len)	writesw(port,addr,len)
diff --git a/include/asm-blackfin/ide.h b/include/asm-blackfin/ide.h
index 5b88de115bf..90bc50bd22e 100644
--- a/include/asm-blackfin/ide.h
+++ b/include/asm-blackfin/ide.h
@@ -17,8 +17,6 @@
 #ifdef __KERNEL__
 /****************************************************************************/
 
-#define MAX_HWIFS	1
-
 #include <asm-generic/ide_iops.h>
 
 /****************************************************************************/
diff --git a/include/asm-frv/ide.h b/include/asm-frv/ide.h
index 8c9a540d434..7ebcc56a222 100644
--- a/include/asm-frv/ide.h
+++ b/include/asm-frv/ide.h
@@ -18,10 +18,6 @@
 #include <asm/io.h>
 #include <asm/irq.h>
 
-#ifndef MAX_HWIFS
-#define MAX_HWIFS 8
-#endif
-
 /****************************************************************************/
 /*
  * some bits needed for parts of the IDE subsystem to compile
diff --git a/include/asm-h8300/ide.h b/include/asm-h8300/ide.h
index f8535ce7476..8f79ba2ff92 100644
--- a/include/asm-h8300/ide.h
+++ b/include/asm-h8300/ide.h
@@ -16,8 +16,6 @@
 #ifdef __KERNEL__
 /****************************************************************************/
 
-#define MAX_HWIFS	1
-
 #include <asm-generic/ide_iops.h>
 
 /****************************************************************************/
diff --git a/include/asm-m32r/ide.h b/include/asm-m32r/ide.h
index 72798d62422..d755d41b993 100644
--- a/include/asm-m32r/ide.h
+++ b/include/asm-m32r/ide.h
@@ -15,14 +15,6 @@
 
 #include <asm/m32r.h>
 
-#ifndef MAX_HWIFS
-# ifdef CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDEPCI
-#define MAX_HWIFS	10
-# else
-#define MAX_HWIFS	2
-# endif
-#endif
-
 static __inline__ int ide_default_irq(unsigned long base)
 {
 	switch (base) {
diff --git a/include/asm-m68k/ide.h b/include/asm-m68k/ide.h
index 909c6dfd385..1daf6cbdd9f 100644
--- a/include/asm-m68k/ide.h
+++ b/include/asm-m68k/ide.h
@@ -45,10 +45,6 @@
 #include <asm/macints.h>
 #endif
 
-#ifndef MAX_HWIFS
-#define MAX_HWIFS	4	/* same as the other archs */
-#endif
-
 /*
  * Get rid of defs from io.h - ide has its private and conflicting versions
  * Since so far no single m68k platform uses ISA/PCI I/O space for IDE, we
diff --git a/include/asm-mips/mach-generic/ide.h b/include/asm-mips/mach-generic/ide.h
index f34740ee677..8ee6bff030d 100644
--- a/include/asm-mips/mach-generic/ide.h
+++ b/include/asm-mips/mach-generic/ide.h
@@ -19,14 +19,6 @@
 #include <linux/stddef.h>
 #include <asm/processor.h>
 
-#ifndef MAX_HWIFS
-# ifdef CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDEPCI
-#define MAX_HWIFS	10
-# else
-#define MAX_HWIFS	6
-# endif
-#endif
-
 static __inline__ int ide_probe_legacy(void)
 {
 #ifdef CONFIG_PCI
diff --git a/include/asm-mn10300/ide.h b/include/asm-mn10300/ide.h
index dc235121ec4..6adcdd92e83 100644
--- a/include/asm-mn10300/ide.h
+++ b/include/asm-mn10300/ide.h
@@ -23,10 +23,6 @@
 #undef SUPPORT_VLB_SYNC
 #define SUPPORT_VLB_SYNC 0
 
-#ifndef MAX_HWIFS
-#define MAX_HWIFS 8
-#endif
-
 /*
  * some bits needed for parts of the IDE subsystem to compile
  */
diff --git a/include/asm-parisc/ide.h b/include/asm-parisc/ide.h
index db0c9441009..c246ef75017 100644
--- a/include/asm-parisc/ide.h
+++ b/include/asm-parisc/ide.h
@@ -13,10 +13,6 @@
 
 #ifdef __KERNEL__
 
-#ifndef MAX_HWIFS
-#define MAX_HWIFS	2
-#endif
-
 #define ide_request_irq(irq,hand,flg,dev,id)	request_irq((irq),(hand),(flg),(dev),(id))
 #define ide_free_irq(irq,dev_id)		free_irq((irq), (dev_id))
 #define ide_request_region(from,extent,name)	request_region((from), (extent), (name))
diff --git a/include/asm-powerpc/ide.h b/include/asm-powerpc/ide.h
index 3d90bf7d3d7..262def6a9f0 100644
--- a/include/asm-powerpc/ide.h
+++ b/include/asm-powerpc/ide.h
@@ -14,14 +14,6 @@
 #endif
 #include <asm/io.h>
 
-#ifndef MAX_HWIFS
-#ifdef __powerpc64__
-#define MAX_HWIFS	10
-#else
-#define MAX_HWIFS	8
-#endif
-#endif
-
 #define __ide_mm_insw(p, a, c)	readsw((void __iomem *)(p), (a), (c))
 #define __ide_mm_insl(p, a, c)	readsl((void __iomem *)(p), (a), (c))
 #define __ide_mm_outsw(p, a, c)	writesw((void __iomem *)(p), (a), (c))
diff --git a/include/asm-sparc/ide.h b/include/asm-sparc/ide.h
index 879fcec72dc..b7af3d65823 100644
--- a/include/asm-sparc/ide.h
+++ b/include/asm-sparc/ide.h
@@ -21,9 +21,6 @@
 #include <asm/psr.h>
 #endif
 
-#undef  MAX_HWIFS
-#define MAX_HWIFS	2
-
 #define __ide_insl(data_reg, buffer, wcount) \
 	__ide_insw(data_reg, buffer, (wcount)<<1)
 #define __ide_outsl(data_reg, buffer, wcount) \
diff --git a/include/asm-x86/ide.h b/include/asm-x86/ide.h
index 34050747f38..bc54879daed 100644
--- a/include/asm-x86/ide.h
+++ b/include/asm-x86/ide.h
@@ -11,15 +11,6 @@
 
 #ifdef __KERNEL__
 
-
-#ifndef MAX_HWIFS
-# ifdef CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDEPCI
-#define MAX_HWIFS	10
-# else
-#define MAX_HWIFS	6
-# endif
-#endif
-
 static __inline__ int ide_default_irq(unsigned long base)
 {
 	switch (base) {
diff --git a/include/asm-xtensa/ide.h b/include/asm-xtensa/ide.h
index cb995701c42..18342a2cc77 100644
--- a/include/asm-xtensa/ide.h
+++ b/include/asm-xtensa/ide.h
@@ -14,11 +14,6 @@
 
 #ifdef __KERNEL__
 
-
-#ifndef MAX_HWIFS
-# define MAX_HWIFS	1
-#endif
-
 #include <asm-generic/ide_iops.h>
 
 #endif	/* __KERNEL__ */
diff --git a/include/linux/ide.h b/include/linux/ide.h
index dbd0aeb3a56..76fe00b24b5 100644
--- a/include/linux/ide.h
+++ b/include/linux/ide.h
@@ -213,6 +213,14 @@ static inline int __ide_default_irq(unsigned long base)
 
 #include <asm/ide.h>
 
+#ifndef MAX_HWIFS
+#if defined(CONFIG_BLACKFIN) || defined(CONFIG_H8300) || defined(CONFIG_XTENSA)
+# define MAX_HWIFS	1
+#else
+# define MAX_HWIFS	10
+#endif
+#endif
+
 #if !defined(MAX_HWIFS) || defined(CONFIG_EMBEDDED)
 #undef MAX_HWIFS
 #define MAX_HWIFS	CONFIG_IDE_MAX_HWIFS