diff --git a/nicintel_eeprom.c b/nicintel_eeprom.c
index 33c0b0f..6c18848 100644
--- a/nicintel_eeprom.c
+++ b/nicintel_eeprom.c
@@ -435,18 +435,26 @@
 
 static int nicintel_ee_shutdown_82580(void *eecp)
 {
-	uint32_t old_eec = *(uint32_t *)eecp;
-	/* Request bitbanging and unselect the chip first to be safe. */
-	if (nicintel_ee_req() || nicintel_ee_bitset(EEC, EE_CS, 1))
-		return -1;
+	int ret = 0;
 
-	/* Try to restore individual bits we care about. */
-	int ret = nicintel_ee_bitset(EEC, EE_SCK, old_eec & BIT(EE_SCK));
-	ret |= nicintel_ee_bitset(EEC, EE_SI, old_eec & BIT(EE_SI));
-	ret |= nicintel_ee_bitset(EEC, EE_CS, old_eec & BIT(EE_CS));
-	/* REQ will be cleared by hardware anyway after 2 seconds of inactivity on the SPI pins (3.3.2.1). */
-	ret |= nicintel_ee_bitset(EEC, EE_REQ, old_eec & BIT(EE_REQ));
+	if (nicintel_pci->device_id != UNPROG_DEVICE) {
+		uint32_t old_eec = *(uint32_t *)eecp;
+		/* Request bitbanging and unselect the chip first to be safe. */
+		if (nicintel_ee_req() || nicintel_ee_bitset(EEC, EE_CS, 1)) {
+			ret = -1;
+			goto out;
+		}
 
+		/* Try to restore individual bits we care about. */
+		ret = nicintel_ee_bitset(EEC, EE_SCK, old_eec & BIT(EE_SCK));
+		ret |= nicintel_ee_bitset(EEC, EE_SI, old_eec & BIT(EE_SI));
+		ret |= nicintel_ee_bitset(EEC, EE_CS, old_eec & BIT(EE_CS));
+		/* REQ will be cleared by hardware anyway after 2 seconds of inactivity
+		 * on the SPI pins (3.3.2.1). */
+		ret |= nicintel_ee_bitset(EEC, EE_REQ, old_eec & BIT(EE_REQ));
+	}
+
+out:
 	free(eecp);
 	return ret;
 }
@@ -469,6 +477,8 @@
 		if (!nicintel_eebar)
 			return 1;
 
+		uint32_t *eecp = NULL;
+
 		nicintel_pci = dev;
 		if (dev->device_id != UNPROG_DEVICE) {
 			uint32_t eec = pci_mmio_readl(nicintel_eebar + EEC);
@@ -481,15 +491,15 @@
 				return 1;
 			}
 
-			uint32_t *eecp = malloc(sizeof(uint32_t));
+			eecp = malloc(sizeof(uint32_t));
 			if (eecp == NULL)
 				return 1;
 			*eecp = eec;
-
-			if (register_shutdown(nicintel_ee_shutdown_82580, eecp))
-				return 1;
 		}
 
+		if (register_shutdown(nicintel_ee_shutdown_82580, eecp))
+			return 1;
+
 		return register_opaque_master(&opaque_master_nicintel_ee_82580, NULL);
 	} else {
 		nicintel_eebar = rphysmap("Intel i210 NIC w/ emulated EEPROM",