diff --git a/src/conf/domain_conf.c b/src/conf/domain_conf.c
index d6ac47c629..c29db14730 100644
--- a/src/conf/domain_conf.c
+++ b/src/conf/domain_conf.c
@@ -4939,10 +4939,76 @@ virDomainDefPostParseCPU(virDomainDefPtr def)
 }
 
 
+static int
+virDomainDefCollectBootOrder(virDomainDefPtr def ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
+                             virDomainDeviceDefPtr dev ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
+                             virDomainDeviceInfoPtr info,
+                             void *data)
+{
+    virHashTablePtr bootHash = data;
+    char *order = NULL;
+    int ret = -1;
+
+    if (info->bootIndex == 0)
+        return 0;
+
+    if (virAsprintf(&order, "%u", info->bootIndex) < 0)
+        goto cleanup;
+
+    if (virHashLookup(bootHash, order)) {
+        virReportError(VIR_ERR_CONFIG_UNSUPPORTED,
+                       _("boot order '%s' used for more than one device"),
+                       order);
+        goto cleanup;
+    }
+
+    if (virHashAddEntry(bootHash, order, (void *) 1) < 0)
+        goto cleanup;
+
+    ret = 0;
+
+ cleanup:
+    VIR_FREE(order);
+    return ret;
+}
+
+
+static int
+virDomainDefBootOrderPostParse(virDomainDefPtr def)
+{
+    virHashTablePtr bootHash = NULL;
+    int ret = -1;
+
+    if (!(bootHash = virHashCreate(5, NULL)))
+        goto cleanup;
+
+    if (virDomainDeviceInfoIterate(def, virDomainDefCollectBootOrder, bootHash) < 0)
+        goto cleanup;
+
+    if (def->os.nBootDevs > 0 && virHashSize(bootHash) > 0) {
+        virReportError(VIR_ERR_CONFIG_UNSUPPORTED, "%s",
+                       _("per-device boot elements cannot be used"
+                         " together with os/boot elements"));
+        goto cleanup;
+    }
+
+    if (def->os.nBootDevs == 0 && virHashSize(bootHash) == 0) {
+        def->os.nBootDevs = 1;
+        def->os.bootDevs[0] = VIR_DOMAIN_BOOT_DISK;
+    }
+
+    ret = 0;
+
+ cleanup:
+    virHashFree(bootHash);
+    return ret;
+}
+
+
 static int
 virDomainDefPostParseCommon(virDomainDefPtr def,
                             struct virDomainDefPostParseDeviceIteratorData *data,
-                            virHashTablePtr bootHash)
+                            virHashTablePtr bootHash ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED)
 {
     size_t i;
 
@@ -4953,20 +5019,6 @@ virDomainDefPostParseCommon(virDomainDefPtr def,
         return -1;
     }
 
-    if (def->os.type == VIR_DOMAIN_OSTYPE_HVM && bootHash) {
-        if (def->os.nBootDevs > 0 && virHashSize(bootHash) > 0) {
-            virReportError(VIR_ERR_CONFIG_UNSUPPORTED, "%s",
-                           _("per-device boot elements cannot be used"
-                             " together with os/boot elements"));
-            return -1;
-        }
-
-        if (def->os.nBootDevs == 0 && virHashSize(bootHash) == 0) {
-            def->os.nBootDevs = 1;
-            def->os.bootDevs[0] = VIR_DOMAIN_BOOT_DISK;
-        }
-    }
-
     if (virDomainVcpuDefPostParse(def) < 0)
         return -1;
 
@@ -4979,6 +5031,11 @@ virDomainDefPostParseCommon(virDomainDefPtr def,
     if (virDomainDefRejectDuplicatePanics(def) < 0)
         return -1;
 
+    if (def->os.type == VIR_DOMAIN_OSTYPE_HVM &&
+        !(data->xmlopt->config.features & VIR_DOMAIN_DEF_FEATURE_NO_BOOT_ORDER) &&
+        virDomainDefBootOrderPostParse(def) < 0)
+        return -1;
+
     if (virDomainDefPostParseTimer(def) < 0)
         return -1;
 
diff --git a/tests/qemuargv2xmldata/nomachine-aarch64.xml b/tests/qemuargv2xmldata/nomachine-aarch64.xml
index eb8f9db803..9492423389 100644
--- a/tests/qemuargv2xmldata/nomachine-aarch64.xml
+++ b/tests/qemuargv2xmldata/nomachine-aarch64.xml
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
   <vcpu placement='static'>1</vcpu>
   <os>
     <type arch='aarch64' machine='virt'>hvm</type>
+    <boot dev='hd'/>
   </os>
   <features>
     <gic version='2'/>
diff --git a/tests/qemuargv2xmldata/nomachine-ppc64.xml b/tests/qemuargv2xmldata/nomachine-ppc64.xml
index 439f9e9ac6..1f15a950e3 100644
--- a/tests/qemuargv2xmldata/nomachine-ppc64.xml
+++ b/tests/qemuargv2xmldata/nomachine-ppc64.xml
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
   <vcpu placement='static'>1</vcpu>
   <os>
     <type arch='ppc64' machine='pseries'>hvm</type>
+    <boot dev='hd'/>
   </os>
   <clock offset='utc'/>
   <on_poweroff>destroy</on_poweroff>
diff --git a/tests/qemuargv2xmldata/nomachine-x86_64.xml b/tests/qemuargv2xmldata/nomachine-x86_64.xml
index 71a36f0833..33cde4c55a 100644
--- a/tests/qemuargv2xmldata/nomachine-x86_64.xml
+++ b/tests/qemuargv2xmldata/nomachine-x86_64.xml
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
   <vcpu placement='static'>1</vcpu>
   <os>
     <type arch='x86_64' machine='pc-0.11'>hvm</type>
+    <boot dev='hd'/>
   </os>
   <features>
     <acpi/>
diff --git a/tests/sexpr2xmldata/sexpr2xml-fv-kernel.xml b/tests/sexpr2xmldata/sexpr2xml-fv-kernel.xml
index afb9030681..a3d54ae3c1 100644
--- a/tests/sexpr2xmldata/sexpr2xml-fv-kernel.xml
+++ b/tests/sexpr2xmldata/sexpr2xml-fv-kernel.xml
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
     <kernel>/var/lib/xen/vmlinuz.2Dn2YT</kernel>
     <initrd>/var/lib/xen/initrd.img.0u-Vhq</initrd>
     <cmdline> method=http://download.fedora.devel.redhat.com/pub/fedora/linux/core/test/5.91/x86_64/os  </cmdline>
+    <boot dev='hd'/>
   </os>
   <clock offset='variable' adjustment='0' basis='utc'/>
   <on_poweroff>destroy</on_poweroff>