diff -rupN mkinitcpio-0.5.19/hooks/filesystems mkinitcpio-0.5.19.new/hooks/filesystems
--- mkinitcpio-0.5.19/hooks/filesystems	2008-05-19 08:56:43.000000000 -0700
+++ mkinitcpio-0.5.19.new/hooks/filesystems	2008-06-05 00:42:08.000000000 -0700
@@ -1,26 +1,39 @@
-# vim: set ft=sh:
+# vim: set ft=sh: emacs: -*- sh -*-
 run_hook ()
 {
     msg -n ":: Loading root filesystem module..."
-    if [ -n "${rootfstype}" ]; then
-        FSTYPE="${rootfstype}"
-    else
-        if [ ! -e "${root}" ]; then
-            msg "\nAttempting to create root device '${root}'"
 
-            if [ -n "${rootdelay}" ]; then
-                msg -n "Waiting for devices to settle..."
-                /bin/sleep "${rootdelay}"
-                msg "done."
-                export rootdelay=0
-            fi
+    # Turn rootdelay=XXX into rootpoll=XXX; this is because rootpoll
+    # is superior to rootdelay in that it waits at most the same
+    # amount of time as rootdelay would, but usually waits much less.
+    if [ -n "${rootdelay}" ]; then
+        echo "Consider using rootpoll=${rootdelay} instead of "
+        echo "rootdelay=${rootdelay}; rootpoll is faster."
+    fi
+    export rootpoll=${rootpoll:-$rootdelay}
+    export rootdelay=${rootdelay:+0}
 
+    # If the root device file does not exist, then we may have to wait for
+    # it to be created.  This is because some devices are discovered
+    # dynamically by the kernel and this can take time.
+    if [ ! -b "${root}" ]; then
+        if [ -n "${rootpoll}" -a "${rootpoll}" != "0" ]; then
+            msg -n "\nWaiting for devices to settle..."
+            while [ "${rootpoll}" -gt "0" -a ! -b "${root}" ]; do
+                /bin/sleep 1
+                rootpoll=$((${rootpoll}-1))
+            done
+            msg "done."
+        fi
+        
+        # If the root device still does not exist, try parseblock as a way
+        # to detect and create it.
+        if [ ! -b "${root}" ]; then
+            msg "\nRoot device '${root}' doesn't exist, attempting to create it"
             eval $(/bin/parseblock "${root}")
             if [ "${BLOCKNAME}" = "unknown" ]; then
-                FSTYPE="unknown"
                 echo "ERROR: Failed to parse block device name for '${root}'"
             elif [ -z "${BLOCKDEVICE}" ]; then
-                FSTYPE="unknown"
                 echo "ERROR: Failed to parse block device ids for '${root}'"
             else
                 export root="${BLOCKNAME}"
@@ -28,18 +41,22 @@ run_hook ()
                 /bin/mknod "${BLOCKNAME}" b ${BLOCKDEVICE} >/dev/null
             fi
         fi
+    fi
 
-        if [ -e "${root}" ]; then
-            eval $( /bin/fstype < "${root}" )
-        else
-            FSTYPE="unknown"
-        fi
-
+    # Now load the module for the root fs
+    if [ -n "${rootfstype}" ]; then
+        FSTYPE="${rootfstype}"
+    elif [ -b "${root}" ]; then
+        eval $( /bin/fstype < "${root}" )
+    else
+        FSTYPE="unknown"
     fi
-    msg "   ${FSTYPE}"
+    
     if [ "${FSTYPE}" = "unknown" ]; then
-        echo "ERROR: root fs cannot be detected. Try using the rootfstype= kernel parameter."
+        echo -n "ERROR: root fs cannot be detected. Try using the "
+        echo "rootfstype= kernel parameter."
     else
+        msg "Detected filesystem type ${FSTYPE} on ${root}"
         kinit_params="${kinit_params} rootfstype=${FSTYPE}"
         /sbin/modprobe -q "${FSTYPE}" >/dev/null 2>&1
     fi
diff -rupN mkinitcpio-0.5.19/hooks/fw mkinitcpio-0.5.19.new/hooks/fw
--- mkinitcpio-0.5.19/hooks/fw	2008-05-19 08:56:43.000000000 -0700
+++ mkinitcpio-0.5.19.new/hooks/fw	2008-06-05 00:42:20.000000000 -0700
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
-# vim: set ft=sh:
+# vim: set ft=sh: emacs: -*- sh -*-
 run_hook ()
 {
-    #if we have to root delay, default to 5 seconds
-    #  this will be handled by kinit and/or the
-    #  filesystems hook
-    export rootdelay=${rootdelay:-6}
+    # Booting from fw devices often requires that we wait until the
+    # device is ready.  The rootpoll option is the best way to do
+    # this.  This is the sole purpose of the fw hook - to set the
+    # rootpoll value if it wasn't already set.
+    export rootpoll=${rootpoll:-15}
 }
diff -rupN mkinitcpio-0.5.19/hooks/usb mkinitcpio-0.5.19.new/hooks/usb
--- mkinitcpio-0.5.19/hooks/usb	2008-05-19 08:56:43.000000000 -0700
+++ mkinitcpio-0.5.19.new/hooks/usb	2008-06-05 00:42:13.000000000 -0700
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
-# vim: set ft=sh:
+# vim: set ft=sh: emacs: -*- sh -*-
 run_hook ()
 {
-    #if we have to root delay, default to 5 seconds
-    #  this will be handled by kinit and/or the
-    #  filesystems hook
-    export rootdelay=${rootdelay:-6}
+    # Booting from usb devices often requires that we wait until the
+    # device is ready.  The rootpoll option is the best way to do
+    # this.  This is the sole purpose of the usb hook - to set the
+    # rootpoll value if it wasn't already set.
+    export rootpoll=${rootpoll:-15}
 }
diff -rupN mkinitcpio-0.5.19/init mkinitcpio-0.5.19.new/init
--- mkinitcpio-0.5.19/init	2008-05-19 08:56:43.000000000 -0700
+++ mkinitcpio-0.5.19.new/init	2008-06-05 00:39:13.000000000 -0700
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ for cmd in ${CMDLINE}; do
         \#*) break ;; # ignore everything after a # in the commandline
         [0123456Ss]) export runlevel="${cmd}" ;;
         single) export runlevel="S" ;; #some people use 'single'
-        #Allow "init=X" to pass-through
+        # Allow "init=X" to pass-through
         init=*) kinit_params="${kinit_params} ${cmd}" ;;
         # only export stuff that does work with dash :)
         *=*) cmd="$(replace -s= "${cmd}" '.' '_')"
@@ -78,47 +78,27 @@ if [ -e "/hooks" ]; then
     done
 fi
 
-if [ "${rootdelay}" != "0" ]; then
-    msg -n "Waiting for devices to settle..."
-    /bin/sleep "${rootdelay}"
-    export rootdelay=0
-    export kinit_params="$kinit_params rootdelay=0"
-    msg "done."
-fi
-
+# Now if a break was requested, do it now; if the root device doesn't
+# exist, this will give the user a chance to diagnose why without
+# being forced to reboot
 if [ "${break}" = "y" ]; then
     echo ":: Break requested, type 'exit' to resume operation"
     echo "   NOTE: klibc contains no 'ls' binary, use 'echo *' instead"
     PS1="ramfs$ " /bin/sh -i
 fi
 
+# If the root device still does not exist, then we're screwed.  Alert the
+# user and reboot.
 if [ ! -b "${root}" ]; then
-    # This duplicates code from the filesystem hook
-    # without this, mkinitcpio would fail for users who use
-    # neither the udev hook, nor the filesystem hook
-    msg "\nRoot device '${root}' doesn't exist, attempting to create it"
-
-    eval $(/bin/parseblock "${root}")
-    if [ "${BLOCKNAME}" = "unknown" ]; then
-        echo "ERROR: Failed to parse block device name for '${root}'"
-    elif [ -z "${BLOCKDEVICE}" ]; then
-        echo "ERROR: Failed to parse block device ids for '${root}'"
-    else
-        export root="${BLOCKNAME}"
-        echo "/bin/mknod \"${BLOCKNAME}\" b ${BLOCKDEVICE}"
-        /bin/mknod "${BLOCKNAME}" b ${BLOCKDEVICE} >/dev/null
-    fi
-    if [ ! -b "${root}" ]; then
-        err "Unable to create/detect root device '${root}'"
-        echo "Dropping to a recovery shell... type 'exit' to reboot"
-        echo "NOTE: klibc contains no 'ls' binary, use 'echo *' instead"
-        echo ""
-        echo "If the device '${root}' gets created while you are here,"
-        echo "try adding 'rootdelay=8' or higher to the kernel command-line"
-        PS1="ramfs$ " /bin/sh -i
-        msg "Rebooting..."
-        /bin/reboot
-        fi
+    err "Unable to create/detect root device '${root}'"
+    echo "Dropping to a recovery shell... type 'exit' to reboot"
+    echo "NOTE: klibc contains no 'ls' binary, use 'echo *' instead"
+    echo ""
+    echo "If the device '${root}' gets created while you are here,"
+    echo "try adding 'rootpoll=15' or higher to the kernel command-line"
+    PS1="ramfs$ " /bin/sh -i
+    msg "Rebooting..."
+    /bin/reboot
 fi
 
 msg ":: Initramfs Completed - control passing to kinit"
@@ -126,7 +106,7 @@ if [ -f "/message" ]; then
     msg "$(cat /message)"
 fi
 
-#Special handling if udev is running
+# Special handling if udev is running
 udevpid=$(/bin/minips -C udevd -o pid=)
 if [ -n "${udevpid}" ]; then
     /bin/kill -9 ${udevpid}