*************** static void rtl_init_mac_address(struct rtl8169_private *tp,
*** 1943,1951 ****
  				 void __iomem *ioaddr)
  {
  	struct pci_dev *pdev = tp->pci_dev;
- 	u8 cfg1;
  	int vpd_cap;
  	u8 mac[8];
  
  	cfg1 = RTL_R8(Config1);
  	if (!(cfg1  & VPD)) {
--- 1947,1956 ----
  				 void __iomem *ioaddr)
  {
  	struct pci_dev *pdev = tp->pci_dev;
  	int vpd_cap;
+ 	__le32 sig;
  	u8 mac[8];
+ 	u8 cfg1;
  
  	cfg1 = RTL_R8(Config1);
  	if (!(cfg1  & VPD)) {
*************** static void rtl_init_mac_address(struct rtl8169_private *tp,
*** 1960,1966 ****
  	if (!vpd_cap)
  		return;
  
- 	/* MAC address is stored in EEPROM at offset 0x0e
  	 * Realtek says: "The VPD address does not have to be a DWORD-aligned
  	 * address as defined in the PCI 2.2 Specifications, but the VPD data
  	 * is always consecutive 4-byte data starting from the VPD address
--- 1965,1980 ----
  	if (!vpd_cap)
  		return;
  
+ 	if (rtl_eeprom_read(pdev, vpd_cap, RTL_EEPROM_SIG_ADDR, &sig) < 0)
+ 		return;
+ 
+ 	if ((sig & RTL_EEPROM_SIG_MASK) != RTL_EEPROM_SIG) {
+ 		dev_info(&pdev->dev, "Missing EEPROM signature: %08x\n", sig);
+ 		return;
+ 	}
+ 
+ 	/*
+ 	 * MAC address is stored in EEPROM at offset 0x0e
  	 * Realtek says: "The VPD address does not have to be a DWORD-aligned
  	 * address as defined in the PCI 2.2 Specifications, but the VPD data
  	 * is always consecutive 4-byte data starting from the VPD address
*************** static void rtl_init_mac_address(struct rtl8169_private *tp,
*** 1982,1989 ****
  			 print_mac(buf, mac));
  	}
  
- 	/* Write MAC address */
- 	rtl_rar_set(tp, mac);
  }
  
  static int __devinit
--- 1996,2003 ----
  			 print_mac(buf, mac));
  	}
  
+ 	if (is_valid_ether_addr(mac))
+ 		rtl_rar_set(tp, mac);
  }
  
  static int __devinit