diff --git a/arch/arm/lib/bootm.c b/arch/arm/lib/bootm.c
index c0e4e15..7401f2f 100644
--- a/arch/arm/lib/bootm.c
+++ b/arch/arm/lib/bootm.c
@@ -28,32 +28,22 @@
 	unsigned long initrd_start = 0, initrd_size = 0, initrd_end = 0;
 	struct memory_bank *bank;
 	unsigned long load_address;
+	int ret;
 
-	if (data->os_res) {
-		load_address = data->os_res->start;
-	} else if (data->os_address != UIMAGE_INVALID_ADDRESS) {
-		load_address = data->os_address;
-	} else {
+	if (data->os_address == UIMAGE_INVALID_ADDRESS) {
 		bank = list_first_entry(&memory_banks,
 				struct memory_bank, list);
 		load_address = bank->start + SZ_32K;
 		if (bootm_verbose(data))
 			printf("no os load address, defaulting to 0x%08lx\n",
 				load_address);
+	} else {
+		load_address = data->os_address;
 	}
 
-	if (!data->os_res && data->os) {
-		data->os_res = uimage_load_to_sdram(data->os,
-			data->os_num, load_address);
-		if (!data->os_res)
-			return -ENOMEM;
-	}
-
-	if (!data->os_res) {
-		data->os_res = file_to_sdram(data->os_file, load_address);
-		if (!data->os_res)
-			return -ENOMEM;
-	}
+	ret = bootm_load_os(data, load_address);
+	if (ret)
+		return ret;
 
 	kernel = data->os_res->start + data->os_entry;
 
diff --git a/arch/blackfin/lib/blackfin_linux.c b/arch/blackfin/lib/blackfin_linux.c
index bb3c774..2561a7e 100644
--- a/arch/blackfin/lib/blackfin_linux.c
+++ b/arch/blackfin/lib/blackfin_linux.c
@@ -41,9 +41,11 @@
 	int (*appl)(char *cmdline);
 	const char *cmdline = linux_bootargs_get();
 	char *cmdlinedest = (char *) CMD_LINE_ADDR;
+	int ret;
 
-	if (!idata->os_res)
-		return -EINVAL;
+	ret = bootm_load_os(idata, idata->os_address);
+	if (ret)
+		return ret;
 
 	appl = (void *)(idata->os_address + idata->os_entry);
 	printf("Starting Kernel at 0x%p\n", appl);
diff --git a/arch/nios2/lib/bootm.c b/arch/nios2/lib/bootm.c
index cc96290..77da119 100644
--- a/arch/nios2/lib/bootm.c
+++ b/arch/nios2/lib/bootm.c
@@ -36,9 +36,11 @@
 {
 	void (*kernel)(int, int, int, const char *);
 	const char *commandline = linux_bootargs_get();
+	int ret;
 
-	if (!idata->os_res)
-		return -EINVAL;
+	ret = bootm_load_os(idata, idata->os_address);
+	if (ret)
+		return ret;
 
 	kernel = (void *)(idata->os_address + idata->os_entry);
 
diff --git a/arch/ppc/lib/ppclinux.c b/arch/ppc/lib/ppclinux.c
index 7c30ac3..e25efec 100644
--- a/arch/ppc/lib/ppclinux.c
+++ b/arch/ppc/lib/ppclinux.c
@@ -47,9 +47,11 @@
 {
 	void	(*kernel)(void *, void *, unsigned long,
 			unsigned long, unsigned long);
+	int ret;
 
-	if (!data->os_res)
-		return -EINVAL;
+	ret = bootm_load_os(data, data->os_address);
+	if (ret)
+		return ret;
 
 	data->oftree = of_get_fixed_tree(data->of_root_node);
 	if (!data->oftree) {
diff --git a/common/bootm.c b/common/bootm.c
index 2da6e59..5ad10d9 100644
--- a/common/bootm.c
+++ b/common/bootm.c
@@ -45,6 +45,46 @@
 	return NULL;
 }
 
+/*
+ * bootm_load_os() - load OS to RAM
+ *
+ * @data:		image data context
+ * @load_address:	The address where the OS should be loaded to
+ *
+ * This loads the OS to a RAM location. load_address must be a valid
+ * address. If the image_data doesn't have a OS specified it's considered
+ * an error.
+ *
+ * Return: 0 on success, negative error code otherwise
+ */
+int bootm_load_os(struct image_data *data, unsigned long load_address)
+{
+	if (data->os_res)
+		return 0;
+
+	if (load_address == UIMAGE_INVALID_ADDRESS)
+		return -EINVAL;
+
+	if (data->os) {
+		data->os_res = uimage_load_to_sdram(data->os,
+			data->os_num, load_address);
+		if (!data->os_res)
+			return -ENOMEM;
+
+		return 0;
+	}
+
+	if (data->os_file) {
+		data->os_res = file_to_sdram(data->os_file, load_address);
+		if (!data->os_res)
+			return -ENOMEM;
+
+		return 0;
+	}
+
+	return -EINVAL;
+}
+
 static int bootm_open_os_uimage(struct image_data *data)
 {
 	int ret;
@@ -75,15 +115,6 @@
 	if (data->os_address == UIMAGE_SOME_ADDRESS)
 		data->os_address = data->os->header.ih_load;
 
-	if (data->os_address != UIMAGE_INVALID_ADDRESS) {
-		data->os_res = uimage_load_to_sdram(data->os, 0,
-				data->os_address);
-		if (!data->os_res) {
-			uimage_close(data->os);
-			return -ENOMEM;
-		}
-	}
-
 	return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/include/boot.h b/include/boot.h
index 56f6c35..61ab5d0 100644
--- a/include/boot.h
+++ b/include/boot.h
@@ -108,6 +108,8 @@
 }
 #endif
 
+int bootm_load_os(struct image_data *data, unsigned long load_address);
+
 #define UIMAGE_SOME_ADDRESS (UIMAGE_INVALID_ADDRESS - 1)
 
 #endif /* __BOOT_H */