diff --git a/src/system/kernel/fs/pipefs.cpp b/src/system/kernel/fs/pipefs.cpp
index 47606a228a..0828ed0367 100644
--- a/src/system/kernel/fs/pipefs.cpp
+++ b/src/system/kernel/fs/pipefs.cpp
@@ -58,6 +58,9 @@ class RingBuffer {
 		RingBuffer();
 		~RingBuffer();
 
+		status_t CreateBuffer();
+		void DeleteBuffer();
+
 		size_t Write(const void *buffer, size_t length);
 		size_t Read(void *buffer, size_t length);
 		ssize_t UserWrite(const void *buffer, ssize_t length);
@@ -170,6 +173,7 @@ class Inode {
 		ino_t		ID() const { return fID; }
 		const char	*Name() const { return fName; }
 
+		bool		IsActive() const { return fActive; }
 		int32		Type() const { return fType; }
 		void		SetMode(mode_t mode)
 						{ fType = (fType & ~S_IUMSK) | (mode & S_IUMSK); }
@@ -246,6 +250,7 @@ class Inode {
 
 		int32		fReaderCount;
 		int32		fWriterCount;
+		bool		fActive;
 
 		select_sync_pool	*fReadSelectSyncPool;
 		select_sync_pool	*fWriteSelectSyncPool;
@@ -280,20 +285,44 @@ extern fs_vnode_ops kVnodeOps;
 
 
 RingBuffer::RingBuffer()
+	: fBuffer(NULL)
 {
-	fBuffer = create_ring_buffer(PIPEFS_MAX_BUFFER_SIZE);
 }
 
 
 RingBuffer::~RingBuffer()
 {
-	delete_ring_buffer(fBuffer);
+	DeleteBuffer();
+}
+
+
+status_t
+RingBuffer::CreateBuffer()
+{
+	if (fBuffer != NULL)
+		return B_OK;
+
+	fBuffer = create_ring_buffer(PIPEFS_MAX_BUFFER_SIZE);
+	return (fBuffer != NULL ? B_OK : B_NO_MEMORY);
+}
+
+
+void
+RingBuffer::DeleteBuffer()
+{
+	if (fBuffer != NULL) {
+		delete_ring_buffer(fBuffer);
+		fBuffer = NULL;
+	}
 }
 
 
 inline size_t
 RingBuffer::Write(const void *buffer, size_t length)
 {
+	if (fBuffer == NULL)
+		return B_NO_MEMORY;
+
 	return ring_buffer_write(fBuffer, (const uint8 *)buffer, length);
 }
 
@@ -301,6 +330,9 @@ RingBuffer::Write(const void *buffer, size_t length)
 inline size_t
 RingBuffer::Read(void *buffer, size_t length)
 {
+	if (fBuffer == NULL)
+		return B_NO_MEMORY;
+
 	return ring_buffer_read(fBuffer, (uint8 *)buffer, length);
 }
 
@@ -308,6 +340,9 @@ RingBuffer::Read(void *buffer, size_t length)
 inline ssize_t
 RingBuffer::UserWrite(const void *buffer, ssize_t length)
 {
+	if (fBuffer == NULL)
+		return B_NO_MEMORY;
+
 	return ring_buffer_user_write(fBuffer, (const uint8 *)buffer, length);
 }
 
@@ -315,6 +350,9 @@ RingBuffer::UserWrite(const void *buffer, ssize_t length)
 inline ssize_t
 RingBuffer::UserRead(void *buffer, ssize_t length)
 {
+	if (fBuffer == NULL)
+		return B_NO_MEMORY;
+
 	return ring_buffer_user_read(fBuffer, (uint8 *)buffer, length);
 }
 
@@ -322,14 +360,14 @@ RingBuffer::UserRead(void *buffer, ssize_t length)
 inline size_t
 RingBuffer::Readable() const
 {
-	return ring_buffer_readable(fBuffer);
+	return (fBuffer != NULL ? ring_buffer_readable(fBuffer) : 0);
 }
 
 
 inline size_t
 RingBuffer::Writable() const
 {
-	return ring_buffer_writable(fBuffer);
+	return (fBuffer != NULL ? ring_buffer_writable(fBuffer) : 0);
 }
 
 
@@ -600,6 +638,7 @@ Inode::Inode(ino_t id, Inode *parent, const char *name, int32 type)
 	fWriteRequests(),
 	fReaderCount(0),
 	fWriterCount(0),
+	fActive(false),
 	fReadSelectSyncPool(NULL),
 	fWriteSelectSyncPool(NULL)
 {
@@ -667,7 +706,8 @@ Inode::WriteDataToBuffer(const void *_data, size_t *_length, bool nonBlocking)
 
 	while (dataSize > 0) {
 		// Wait until enough space in the buffer is available.
-		while (fBuffer.Writable() < minToWrite && fReaderCount > 0) {
+		while (!fActive
+				|| fBuffer.Writable() < minToWrite && fReaderCount > 0) {
 			if (nonBlocking)
 				return B_WOULD_BLOCK;
 
@@ -688,7 +728,7 @@ Inode::WriteDataToBuffer(const void *_data, size_t *_length, bool nonBlocking)
 		}
 
 		// write only as long as there are readers left
-		if (fReaderCount == 0) {
+		if (fReaderCount == 0 && fActive) {
 			if (written == 0)
 				send_signal(find_thread(NULL), SIGPIPE);
 			return EPIPE;
@@ -696,11 +736,11 @@ Inode::WriteDataToBuffer(const void *_data, size_t *_length, bool nonBlocking)
 
 		// write as much as we can
 
-		size_t toWrite = fBuffer.Writable();
+		size_t toWrite = (fActive ? fBuffer.Writable() : 0);
 		if (toWrite > dataSize)
 			toWrite = dataSize;
 
-		if (fBuffer.UserWrite(data, toWrite) < B_OK)
+		if (toWrite > 0 && fBuffer.UserWrite(data, toWrite) < B_OK)
 			return B_BAD_ADDRESS;
 
 		data += toWrite;
@@ -737,7 +777,7 @@ Inode::ReadDataFromBuffer(void *data, size_t *_length, bool nonBlocking,
 		if (nonBlocking)
 			return B_WOULD_BLOCK;
 
-		if (fWriterCount == 0)
+		if (fActive && fWriterCount == 0)
 			return B_OK;
 
 		error = WaitForReadRequest(request);
@@ -881,18 +921,29 @@ Inode::NotifyEndClosed(bool writer)
 }
 
 
-
 void
 Inode::Open(int openMode)
 {
 	if (!S_ISFIFO(fType))
 		return;
 
+	BenaphoreLocker locker(RequestLock());
+
 	if ((openMode & O_ACCMODE) == O_WRONLY)
-		atomic_add(&fWriterCount, 1);
+		fWriterCount++;
 
 	if ((openMode & O_ACCMODE) == O_RDONLY || (openMode & O_ACCMODE) == O_RDWR)
-		atomic_add(&fReaderCount, 1);
+		fReaderCount++;
+
+	if (fReaderCount > 0 && fWriterCount > 0) {
+		fBuffer.CreateBuffer();
+		fActive = true;
+
+		// notify all waiting writers that they can start
+		if (fWriteSelectSyncPool)
+			notify_select_event_pool(fWriteSelectSyncPool, B_SELECT_WRITE);
+		fWriteCondition.NotifyAll();
+	}
 }
 
 
@@ -906,15 +957,18 @@ Inode::Close(int openMode)
 
 	BenaphoreLocker locker(RequestLock());
 
-	if ((openMode & O_ACCMODE) == O_WRONLY
-		&& atomic_add(&fWriterCount, -1) == 1) {
+	if ((openMode & O_ACCMODE) == O_WRONLY && --fWriterCount == 0)
 		NotifyEndClosed(true);
-	}
 
 	if ((openMode & O_ACCMODE) == O_RDONLY || (openMode & O_ACCMODE) == O_RDWR) {
-		if (atomic_add(&fReaderCount, -1) == 1)
+		if (--fReaderCount == 0)
 			NotifyEndClosed(false);
 	}
+
+	if (fReaderCount == 0 && fWriterCount == 0) {
+		fActive = false;
+		fBuffer.DeleteBuffer();
+	}
 }
 
 
@@ -1351,8 +1405,7 @@ pipefs_read(fs_volume *_volume, fs_vnode *_node, void *_cookie,
 
 	BenaphoreLocker locker(inode->RequestLock());
 
-	if (inode->WriterCount() == 0) {
-
+	if (inode->IsActive() && inode->WriterCount() == 0) {
 		// as long there is no writer, and the pipe is empty,
 		// we always just return 0 to indicate end of file
 		if (inode->BytesAvailable() == 0) {