diff --git a/dlls/ntdll/cdrom.c b/dlls/ntdll/cdrom.c
index 9a400d0d106..2046e11edbb 100644
--- a/dlls/ntdll/cdrom.c
+++ b/dlls/ntdll/cdrom.c
@@ -2014,7 +2014,7 @@ NTSTATUS CDROM_DeviceIoControl(HANDLE hDevice,
 {
     DWORD       sz = 0;
     NTSTATUS    status = STATUS_SUCCESS;
-    int fd, dev;
+    int fd, needs_close, dev;
 
     TRACE("%p %s %p %d %p %d %p\n",
           hDevice, iocodex(dwIoControlCode), lpInBuffer, nInBufferSize,
@@ -2022,10 +2022,10 @@ NTSTATUS CDROM_DeviceIoControl(HANDLE hDevice,
 
     piosb->Information = 0;
 
-    if ((status = wine_server_handle_to_fd( hDevice, 0, &fd, NULL ))) goto error;
+    if ((status = server_get_unix_fd( hDevice, 0, &fd, &needs_close, NULL ))) goto error;
     if ((status = CDROM_Open(fd, &dev)))
     {
-        wine_server_release_fd( hDevice, fd );
+        if (needs_close) close( fd );
         goto error;
     }
 
@@ -2281,7 +2281,7 @@ NTSTATUS CDROM_DeviceIoControl(HANDLE hDevice,
         status = STATUS_INVALID_PARAMETER;
         break;
     }
-    wine_server_release_fd( hDevice, fd );
+    if (needs_close) close( fd );
  error:
     piosb->u.Status = status;
     piosb->Information = sz;
diff --git a/dlls/ntdll/directory.c b/dlls/ntdll/directory.c
index 0ab16d267a8..d2c0d16adce 100644
--- a/dlls/ntdll/directory.c
+++ b/dlls/ntdll/directory.c
@@ -1284,7 +1284,7 @@ NTSTATUS WINAPI NtQueryDirectoryFile( HANDLE handle, HANDLE event,
                                       PUNICODE_STRING mask,
                                       BOOLEAN restart_scan )
 {
-    int cwd, fd;
+    int cwd, fd, needs_close;
     static const WCHAR wszWildcards[] = { '*','?',0 };
 
     TRACE("(%p %p %p %p %p %p 0x%08x 0x%08x 0x%08x %s 0x%08x\n",
@@ -1305,7 +1305,7 @@ NTSTATUS WINAPI NtQueryDirectoryFile( HANDLE handle, HANDLE event,
         return io->u.Status = STATUS_NOT_IMPLEMENTED;
     }
 
-    if ((io->u.Status = wine_server_handle_to_fd( handle, FILE_LIST_DIRECTORY, &fd, NULL )) != STATUS_SUCCESS)
+    if ((io->u.Status = server_get_unix_fd( handle, FILE_LIST_DIRECTORY, &fd, &needs_close, NULL )) != STATUS_SUCCESS)
         return io->u.Status;
 
     io->Information = 0;
@@ -1336,7 +1336,7 @@ NTSTATUS WINAPI NtQueryDirectoryFile( HANDLE handle, HANDLE event,
 
     RtlLeaveCriticalSection( &dir_section );
 
-    wine_server_release_fd( handle, fd );
+    if (needs_close) close( fd );
     if (cwd != -1) close( cwd );
     TRACE( "=> %x (%ld)\n", io->u.Status, io->Information );
     return io->u.Status;
@@ -1819,7 +1819,7 @@ BOOLEAN WINAPI RtlDoesFileExists_U(LPCWSTR file_name)
 NTSTATUS DIR_unmount_device( HANDLE handle )
 {
     NTSTATUS status;
-    int unix_fd;
+    int unix_fd, needs_close;
 
     SERVER_START_REQ( unmount_device )
     {
@@ -1829,7 +1829,7 @@ NTSTATUS DIR_unmount_device( HANDLE handle )
     SERVER_END_REQ;
     if (status) return status;
 
-    if (!(status = wine_server_handle_to_fd( handle, 0, &unix_fd, NULL )))
+    if (!(status = server_get_unix_fd( handle, 0, &unix_fd, &needs_close, NULL )))
     {
         struct stat st;
         char *mount_point = NULL;
@@ -1861,7 +1861,7 @@ NTSTATUS DIR_unmount_device( HANDLE handle )
                 RtlFreeHeap( GetProcessHeap(), 0, mount_point );
             }
         }
-        wine_server_release_fd( handle, unix_fd );
+        if (needs_close) close( unix_fd );
     }
     return status;
 }
@@ -1875,7 +1875,7 @@ NTSTATUS DIR_unmount_device( HANDLE handle )
  */
 NTSTATUS DIR_get_unix_cwd( char **cwd )
 {
-    int old_cwd, unix_fd;
+    int old_cwd, unix_fd, needs_close;
     CURDIR *curdir;
     HANDLE handle;
     NTSTATUS status;
@@ -1911,7 +1911,7 @@ NTSTATUS DIR_get_unix_cwd( char **cwd )
         if (status != STATUS_SUCCESS) goto done;
     }
 
-    if ((status = wine_server_handle_to_fd( handle, 0, &unix_fd, NULL )) == STATUS_SUCCESS)
+    if ((status = server_get_unix_fd( handle, 0, &unix_fd, &needs_close, NULL )) == STATUS_SUCCESS)
     {
         RtlEnterCriticalSection( &dir_section );
 
@@ -1940,7 +1940,7 @@ NTSTATUS DIR_get_unix_cwd( char **cwd )
         else status = FILE_GetNtStatus();
 
         RtlLeaveCriticalSection( &dir_section );
-        wine_server_release_fd( handle, unix_fd );
+        if (needs_close) close( unix_fd );
     }
     if (!curdir->Handle) NtClose( handle );
 
diff --git a/dlls/ntdll/file.c b/dlls/ntdll/file.c
index eecce673594..514a8a75769 100644
--- a/dlls/ntdll/file.c
+++ b/dlls/ntdll/file.c
@@ -287,6 +287,7 @@ typedef struct async_fileio
     int                 queue_apc_on_error;
     BOOL                avail_mode;
     int                 fd;
+    int                 needs_close;
     HANDLE              event;
 } async_fileio;
 
@@ -294,9 +295,8 @@ static void fileio_terminate(async_fileio *fileio, IO_STATUS_BLOCK* iosb)
 {
     TRACE("data: %p\n", fileio);
 
-    wine_server_release_fd( fileio->handle, fileio->fd );
-    if ( fileio->event != INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE )
-        NtSetEvent( fileio->event, NULL );
+    if (fileio->needs_close) close( fileio->fd );
+    if (fileio->event) NtSetEvent( fileio->event, NULL );
 
     if (fileio->apc && 
         (iosb->u.Status == STATUS_SUCCESS || fileio->queue_apc_on_error))
@@ -485,7 +485,7 @@ NTSTATUS WINAPI NtReadFile(HANDLE hFile, HANDLE hEvent,
                            PIO_STATUS_BLOCK io_status, void* buffer, ULONG length,
                            PLARGE_INTEGER offset, PULONG key)
 {
-    int unix_handle, flags;
+    int unix_handle, needs_close, flags;
 
     TRACE("(%p,%p,%p,%p,%p,%p,0x%08x,%p,%p),partial stub!\n",
           hFile,hEvent,apc,apc_user,io_status,buffer,length,offset,key);
@@ -493,12 +493,12 @@ NTSTATUS WINAPI NtReadFile(HANDLE hFile, HANDLE hEvent,
     if (!io_status) return STATUS_ACCESS_VIOLATION;
 
     io_status->Information = 0;
-    io_status->u.Status = wine_server_handle_to_fd( hFile, FILE_READ_DATA, &unix_handle, &flags );
+    io_status->u.Status = server_get_unix_fd( hFile, FILE_READ_DATA, &unix_handle, &needs_close, &flags );
     if (io_status->u.Status) return io_status->u.Status;
 
     if (flags & FD_FLAG_RECV_SHUTDOWN)
     {
-        wine_server_release_fd( hFile, unix_handle );
+        if (needs_close) close( unix_handle );
         return STATUS_PIPE_DISCONNECTED;
     }
 
@@ -508,13 +508,13 @@ NTSTATUS WINAPI NtReadFile(HANDLE hFile, HANDLE hEvent,
         {
             /* this shouldn't happen, but check it */
             FIXME("NIY-hEvent\n");
-            wine_server_release_fd( hFile, unix_handle );
+            if (needs_close) close( unix_handle );
             return STATUS_NOT_IMPLEMENTED;
         }
         io_status->u.Status = NtCreateEvent(&hEvent, EVENT_ALL_ACCESS, NULL, 0, 0);
         if (io_status->u.Status)
         {
-            wine_server_release_fd( hFile, unix_handle );
+            if (needs_close) close( unix_handle );
             return io_status->u.Status;
         }
     }
@@ -526,7 +526,7 @@ NTSTATUS WINAPI NtReadFile(HANDLE hFile, HANDLE hEvent,
 
         if (!(fileio = RtlAllocateHeap(GetProcessHeap(), 0, sizeof(async_fileio))))
         {
-            wine_server_release_fd( hFile, unix_handle );
+            if (needs_close) close( unix_handle );
             if (flags & FD_FLAG_TIMEOUT) NtClose(hEvent);
             return STATUS_NO_MEMORY;
         }
@@ -546,6 +546,7 @@ NTSTATUS WINAPI NtReadFile(HANDLE hFile, HANDLE hEvent,
         fileio->queue_apc_on_error = 0;
         fileio->avail_mode = (flags & FD_FLAG_AVAILABLE);
         fileio->fd = unix_handle;  /* FIXME */
+        fileio->needs_close = needs_close;
         fileio->event = hEvent;
         NtResetEvent(hEvent, NULL);
 
@@ -553,7 +554,7 @@ NTSTATUS WINAPI NtReadFile(HANDLE hFile, HANDLE hEvent,
         ret = fileio_queue_async(fileio, io_status, TRUE);
         if (ret != STATUS_SUCCESS)
         {
-            wine_server_release_fd( hFile, unix_handle );
+            if (needs_close) close( unix_handle );
             if (flags & FD_FLAG_TIMEOUT) NtClose(hEvent);
             return ret;
         }
@@ -594,11 +595,7 @@ NTSTATUS WINAPI NtReadFile(HANDLE hFile, HANDLE hEvent,
         fpi.CurrentByteOffset = *offset;
         io_status->u.Status = NtSetInformationFile(hFile, io_status, &fpi, sizeof(fpi), 
                                                    FilePositionInformation);
-        if (io_status->u.Status)
-        {
-            wine_server_release_fd( hFile, unix_handle );
-            return io_status->u.Status;
-        }
+        if (io_status->u.Status) goto done;
     }
     /* code for synchronous reads */
     while ((io_status->Information = read( unix_handle, buffer, length )) == -1)
@@ -620,7 +617,8 @@ NTSTATUS WINAPI NtReadFile(HANDLE hFile, HANDLE hEvent,
         else
             io_status->u.Status = STATUS_END_OF_FILE;
     }
-    wine_server_release_fd( hFile, unix_handle );
+done:
+    if (needs_close) close( unix_handle );
     TRACE("= 0x%08x (%lu)\n", io_status->u.Status, io_status->Information);
     return io_status->u.Status;
 }
@@ -707,7 +705,7 @@ NTSTATUS WINAPI NtWriteFile(HANDLE hFile, HANDLE hEvent,
                             const void* buffer, ULONG length,
                             PLARGE_INTEGER offset, PULONG key)
 {
-    int unix_handle, flags;
+    int unix_handle, needs_close, flags;
 
     TRACE("(%p,%p,%p,%p,%p,%p,0x%08x,%p,%p)!\n",
           hFile,hEvent,apc,apc_user,io_status,buffer,length,offset,key);
@@ -715,12 +713,12 @@ NTSTATUS WINAPI NtWriteFile(HANDLE hFile, HANDLE hEvent,
     if (!io_status) return STATUS_ACCESS_VIOLATION;
 
     io_status->Information = 0;
-    io_status->u.Status = wine_server_handle_to_fd( hFile, FILE_WRITE_DATA, &unix_handle, &flags );
+    io_status->u.Status = server_get_unix_fd( hFile, FILE_WRITE_DATA, &unix_handle, &needs_close, &flags );
     if (io_status->u.Status) return io_status->u.Status;
 
     if (flags & FD_FLAG_SEND_SHUTDOWN)
     {
-        wine_server_release_fd( hFile, unix_handle );
+        if (needs_close) close( unix_handle );
         return STATUS_PIPE_DISCONNECTED;
     }
 
@@ -730,13 +728,13 @@ NTSTATUS WINAPI NtWriteFile(HANDLE hFile, HANDLE hEvent,
         {
             /* this shouldn't happen, but check it */
             FIXME("NIY-hEvent\n");
-            wine_server_release_fd( hFile, unix_handle );
+            if (needs_close) close( unix_handle );
             return STATUS_NOT_IMPLEMENTED;
         }
         io_status->u.Status = NtCreateEvent(&hEvent, EVENT_ALL_ACCESS, NULL, 0, 0);
         if (io_status->u.Status)
         {
-            wine_server_release_fd( hFile, unix_handle );
+            if (needs_close) close( unix_handle );
             return io_status->u.Status;
         }
     }
@@ -748,7 +746,7 @@ NTSTATUS WINAPI NtWriteFile(HANDLE hFile, HANDLE hEvent,
 
         if (!(fileio = RtlAllocateHeap(GetProcessHeap(), 0, sizeof(async_fileio))))
         {
-            wine_server_release_fd( hFile, unix_handle );
+            if (needs_close) close( unix_handle );
             if (flags & FD_FLAG_TIMEOUT) NtClose(hEvent);
             return STATUS_NO_MEMORY;
         }
@@ -770,6 +768,7 @@ NTSTATUS WINAPI NtWriteFile(HANDLE hFile, HANDLE hEvent,
         fileio->queue_apc_on_error = 0;
         fileio->avail_mode = (flags & FD_FLAG_AVAILABLE);
         fileio->fd = unix_handle;  /* FIXME */
+        fileio->needs_close = needs_close;
         fileio->event = hEvent;
         NtResetEvent(hEvent, NULL);
 
@@ -778,7 +777,7 @@ NTSTATUS WINAPI NtWriteFile(HANDLE hFile, HANDLE hEvent,
         ret = fileio_queue_async(fileio, io_status, FALSE);
         if (ret != STATUS_SUCCESS)
         {
-            wine_server_release_fd( hFile, unix_handle );
+            if (needs_close) close( unix_handle );
             if (flags & FD_FLAG_TIMEOUT) NtClose(hEvent);
             return ret;
         }
@@ -818,11 +817,7 @@ NTSTATUS WINAPI NtWriteFile(HANDLE hFile, HANDLE hEvent,
         fpi.CurrentByteOffset = *offset;
         io_status->u.Status = NtSetInformationFile(hFile, io_status, &fpi, sizeof(fpi),
                                                    FilePositionInformation);
-        if (io_status->u.Status)
-        {
-            wine_server_release_fd( hFile, unix_handle );
-            return io_status->u.Status;
-        }
+        if (io_status->u.Status) goto done;
     }
 
     /* synchronous file write */
@@ -838,7 +833,8 @@ NTSTATUS WINAPI NtWriteFile(HANDLE hFile, HANDLE hEvent,
         else io_status->u.Status = FILE_GetNtStatus();
         break;
     }
-    wine_server_release_fd( hFile, unix_handle );
+done:
+    if (needs_close) close( unix_handle );
     return io_status->u.Status;
 }
 
@@ -1026,7 +1022,7 @@ NTSTATUS WINAPI NtFsControlFile(HANDLE handle, HANDLE event, PIO_APC_ROUTINE apc
     case FSCTL_PIPE_PEEK:
         {
             FILE_PIPE_PEEK_BUFFER *buffer = out_buffer;
-            int avail = 0, fd, flags;
+            int avail = 0, fd, needs_close, flags;
 
             if (out_size < FIELD_OFFSET( FILE_PIPE_PEEK_BUFFER, Data ))
             {
@@ -1034,12 +1030,12 @@ NTSTATUS WINAPI NtFsControlFile(HANDLE handle, HANDLE event, PIO_APC_ROUTINE apc
                 break;
             }
 
-            if ((io->u.Status = wine_server_handle_to_fd( handle, FILE_READ_DATA, &fd, &flags )))
+            if ((io->u.Status = server_get_unix_fd( handle, FILE_READ_DATA, &fd, &needs_close, &flags )))
                 break;
 
             if (flags & FD_FLAG_RECV_SHUTDOWN)
             {
-                wine_server_release_fd( handle, fd );
+                if (needs_close) close( fd );
                 io->u.Status = STATUS_PIPE_DISCONNECTED;
                 break;
             }
@@ -1048,7 +1044,7 @@ NTSTATUS WINAPI NtFsControlFile(HANDLE handle, HANDLE event, PIO_APC_ROUTINE apc
             if (ioctl( fd, FIONREAD, &avail ) != 0)
             {
                 TRACE("FIONREAD failed reason: %s\n",strerror(errno));
-                wine_server_release_fd( handle, fd );
+                if (needs_close) close( fd );
                 io->u.Status = FILE_GetNtStatus();
                 break;
             }
@@ -1064,7 +1060,7 @@ NTSTATUS WINAPI NtFsControlFile(HANDLE handle, HANDLE event, PIO_APC_ROUTINE apc
                 ret = poll( &pollfd, 1, 0 );
                 if (ret == -1 || (ret == 1 && (pollfd.revents & (POLLHUP|POLLERR))))
                 {
-                    wine_server_release_fd( handle, fd );
+                    if (needs_close) close( fd );
                     io->u.Status = STATUS_PIPE_BROKEN;
                     break;
                 }
@@ -1084,7 +1080,7 @@ NTSTATUS WINAPI NtFsControlFile(HANDLE handle, HANDLE event, PIO_APC_ROUTINE apc
                     if (res >= 0) io->Information += res;
                 }
             }
-            wine_server_release_fd( handle, fd );
+            if (needs_close) close( fd );
         }
         break;
 
@@ -1205,7 +1201,7 @@ NTSTATUS WINAPI NtQueryInformationFile( HANDLE hFile, PIO_STATUS_BLOCK io,
     };
 
     struct stat st;
-    int fd;
+    int fd, needs_close;
 
     TRACE("(%p,%p,%p,0x%08x,0x%08x)\n", hFile, io, ptr, len, class);
 
@@ -1223,9 +1219,9 @@ NTSTATUS WINAPI NtQueryInformationFile( HANDLE hFile, PIO_STATUS_BLOCK io,
 
     if (class != FilePipeLocalInformation)
     {
-        if ((io->u.Status = wine_server_handle_to_fd( hFile, 0, &fd, NULL )))
+        if ((io->u.Status = server_get_unix_fd( hFile, 0, &fd, &needs_close, NULL )))
             return io->u.Status;
-    } else fd = -1;
+    }
 
     switch (class)
     {
@@ -1398,7 +1394,7 @@ NTSTATUS WINAPI NtQueryInformationFile( HANDLE hFile, PIO_STATUS_BLOCK io,
         io->u.Status = STATUS_NOT_IMPLEMENTED;
         break;
     }
-    if (fd != -1) wine_server_release_fd( hFile, fd );
+    if (needs_close) close( fd );
     if (io->u.Status == STATUS_SUCCESS && !io->Information) io->Information = info_sizes[class];
     return io->u.Status;
 }
@@ -1423,11 +1419,11 @@ NTSTATUS WINAPI NtQueryInformationFile( HANDLE hFile, PIO_STATUS_BLOCK io,
 NTSTATUS WINAPI NtSetInformationFile(HANDLE handle, PIO_STATUS_BLOCK io,
                                      PVOID ptr, ULONG len, FILE_INFORMATION_CLASS class)
 {
-    int fd;
+    int fd, needs_close;
 
     TRACE("(%p,%p,%p,0x%08x,0x%08x)\n", handle, io, ptr, len, class);
 
-    if ((io->u.Status = wine_server_handle_to_fd( handle, 0, &fd, NULL )))
+    if ((io->u.Status = server_get_unix_fd( handle, 0, &fd, &needs_close, NULL )))
         return io->u.Status;
 
     io->u.Status = STATUS_SUCCESS;
@@ -1549,7 +1545,7 @@ NTSTATUS WINAPI NtSetInformationFile(HANDLE handle, PIO_STATUS_BLOCK io,
         io->u.Status = STATUS_NOT_IMPLEMENTED;
         break;
     }
-    wine_server_release_fd( handle, fd );
+    if (needs_close) close( fd );
     io->Information = 0;
     return io->u.Status;
 }
@@ -1813,10 +1809,10 @@ NTSTATUS WINAPI NtQueryVolumeInformationFile( HANDLE handle, PIO_STATUS_BLOCK io
                                               PVOID buffer, ULONG length,
                                               FS_INFORMATION_CLASS info_class )
 {
-    int fd;
+    int fd, needs_close;
     struct stat st;
 
-    if ((io->u.Status = wine_server_handle_to_fd( handle, 0, &fd, NULL )) != STATUS_SUCCESS)
+    if ((io->u.Status = server_get_unix_fd( handle, 0, &fd, &needs_close, NULL )) != STATUS_SUCCESS)
         return io->u.Status;
 
     io->u.Status = STATUS_NOT_IMPLEMENTED;
@@ -1905,7 +1901,7 @@ NTSTATUS WINAPI NtQueryVolumeInformationFile( HANDLE handle, PIO_STATUS_BLOCK io
         io->u.Status = STATUS_INVALID_PARAMETER;
         break;
     }
-    wine_server_release_fd( handle, fd );
+    if (needs_close) close( fd );
     return io->u.Status;
 }
 
diff --git a/dlls/ntdll/ntdll_misc.h b/dlls/ntdll/ntdll_misc.h
index 7ce4b02aac7..d18728fe708 100644
--- a/dlls/ntdll/ntdll_misc.h
+++ b/dlls/ntdll/ntdll_misc.h
@@ -62,6 +62,8 @@ extern void DECLSPEC_NORETURN server_protocol_perror( const char *err );
 extern void DECLSPEC_NORETURN server_exit_thread( int status );
 extern void DECLSPEC_NORETURN server_abort_thread( int status );
 extern int server_remove_fd_from_cache( obj_handle_t handle );
+extern int server_get_unix_fd( obj_handle_t handle, unsigned int access, int *unix_fd,
+                               int *flags, int *needs_close );
 
 /* module handling */
 extern NTSTATUS MODULE_DllThreadAttach( LPVOID lpReserved );
diff --git a/dlls/ntdll/serial.c b/dlls/ntdll/serial.c
index dde864a4405..7321e6ea390 100644
--- a/dlls/ntdll/serial.c
+++ b/dlls/ntdll/serial.c
@@ -980,13 +980,9 @@ static DWORD WINAPI check_events(int fd, DWORD mask,
 static DWORD CALLBACK wait_for_event(LPVOID arg)
 {
     async_commio *commio = (async_commio*) arg;
-    int fd;
+    int fd, needs_close;
 
-    if (wine_server_handle_to_fd( commio->hDevice, FILE_READ_DATA | FILE_WRITE_DATA, &fd, NULL ))
-    {
-        fd = -1;
-    }
-    else
+    if (!server_get_unix_fd( commio->hDevice, FILE_READ_DATA | FILE_WRITE_DATA, &fd, &needs_close, NULL ))
     {
         serial_irq_info new_irq_info;
         DWORD new_mstat, new_evtmask;
@@ -1020,10 +1016,9 @@ static DWORD CALLBACK wait_for_event(LPVOID arg)
                 break;
             }
         }
+        if (needs_close) close( fd );
     }
-    if (commio->hEvent != INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE)
-        NtSetEvent(commio->hEvent, NULL);
-    if (fd != -1) wine_server_release_fd( commio->hDevice, fd );
+    if (commio->hEvent) NtSetEvent(commio->hEvent, NULL);
     RtlFreeHeap(GetProcessHeap(), 0, commio);
     return 0;
 }
@@ -1126,7 +1121,7 @@ static inline NTSTATUS io_control(HANDLE hDevice,
 {
     DWORD       sz = 0, access = FILE_READ_DATA;
     NTSTATUS    status = STATUS_SUCCESS;
-    int         fd = -1;
+    int         fd = -1, needs_close = 0;
 
     TRACE("%p %s %p %d %p %d %p\n",
           hDevice, iocode2str(dwIoControlCode), lpInBuffer, nInBufferSize,
@@ -1135,7 +1130,7 @@ static inline NTSTATUS io_control(HANDLE hDevice,
     piosb->Information = 0;
 
     if (dwIoControlCode != IOCTL_SERIAL_GET_TIMEOUTS)
-        if ((status = wine_server_handle_to_fd( hDevice, access, &fd, NULL )))
+        if ((status = server_get_unix_fd( hDevice, access, &fd, &needs_close, NULL )))
             goto error;
 
     switch (dwIoControlCode)
@@ -1343,7 +1338,7 @@ static inline NTSTATUS io_control(HANDLE hDevice,
         status = STATUS_INVALID_PARAMETER;
         break;
     }
-    if (fd != -1) wine_server_release_fd( hDevice, fd );
+    if (needs_close) close( fd );
  error:
     piosb->u.Status = status;
     piosb->Information = sz;
diff --git a/dlls/ntdll/server.c b/dlls/ntdll/server.c
index a41fb69f4dd..2d6235c8126 100644
--- a/dlls/ntdll/server.c
+++ b/dlls/ntdll/server.c
@@ -524,6 +524,58 @@ int server_remove_fd_from_cache( obj_handle_t handle )
 }
 
 
+/***********************************************************************
+ *           server_get_unix_fd
+ *
+ * The returned unix_fd should be closed iff needs_close is non-zero.
+ */
+int server_get_unix_fd( obj_handle_t handle, unsigned int access, int *unix_fd,
+                        int *needs_close, int *flags )
+{
+    obj_handle_t fd_handle;
+    int ret = 0, removable = 0, fd;
+
+    *unix_fd = -1;
+    *needs_close = 0;
+
+    RtlEnterCriticalSection( &fd_cache_section );
+
+    fd = get_cached_fd( handle );
+    if (fd != -1 && !flags) goto done;
+
+    SERVER_START_REQ( get_handle_fd )
+    {
+        req->handle = handle;
+        req->access = access;
+        req->cached = (fd != -1);
+        if (!(ret = wine_server_call( req )))
+        {
+            removable = reply->flags & FD_FLAG_REMOVABLE;
+            if (flags) *flags = reply->flags;
+        }
+    }
+    SERVER_END_REQ;
+
+    if (!ret && fd == -1)
+    {
+        /* it wasn't in the cache, get it from the server */
+        fd = receive_fd( &fd_handle );
+        if (fd == -1)
+        {
+            ret = STATUS_TOO_MANY_OPENED_FILES;
+            goto done;
+        }
+        assert( fd_handle == handle );
+        *needs_close = removable || !add_fd_to_cache( handle, fd );
+    }
+
+done:
+    RtlLeaveCriticalSection( &fd_cache_section );
+    if (!ret) *unix_fd = fd;
+    return ret;
+}
+
+
 /***********************************************************************
  *           wine_server_fd_to_handle   (NTDLL.@)
  *
@@ -573,59 +625,12 @@ int wine_server_fd_to_handle( int fd, unsigned int access, unsigned int attribut
  */
 int wine_server_handle_to_fd( obj_handle_t handle, unsigned int access, int *unix_fd, int *flags )
 {
-    obj_handle_t fd_handle;
-    int ret = 0, removable = 0, fd = -1;
+    int needs_close, ret = server_get_unix_fd( handle, access, unix_fd, &needs_close, flags );
 
-    RtlEnterCriticalSection( &fd_cache_section );
-
-    *unix_fd = -1;
-
-    fd = get_cached_fd( handle );
-    if (fd != -1 && !flags)
+    if (!ret && !needs_close)
     {
-        if ((fd = dup(fd)) == -1) ret = FILE_GetNtStatus();
-        goto done;
+        if ((*unix_fd = dup(*unix_fd)) == -1) ret = FILE_GetNtStatus();
     }
-
-    SERVER_START_REQ( get_handle_fd )
-    {
-        req->handle = handle;
-        req->access = access;
-        req->cached = (fd != -1);
-        if (!(ret = wine_server_call( req )))
-        {
-            removable = reply->flags & FD_FLAG_REMOVABLE;
-            if (flags) *flags = reply->flags;
-        }
-    }
-    SERVER_END_REQ;
-    if (ret) goto done;
-
-    if (fd != -1)
-    {
-        if ((fd = dup(fd)) == -1) ret = FILE_GetNtStatus();
-        goto done;
-    }
-
-    /* it wasn't in the cache, get it from the server */
-    fd = receive_fd( &fd_handle );
-    if (fd == -1)
-    {
-        ret = STATUS_TOO_MANY_OPENED_FILES;
-        goto done;
-    }
-    assert( fd_handle == handle );
-
-    if (removable) goto done;  /* don't cache it */
-
-    if (add_fd_to_cache( handle, fd ))
-    {
-        if ((fd = dup(fd)) == -1) ret = FILE_GetNtStatus();
-    }
-
-done:
-    RtlLeaveCriticalSection( &fd_cache_section );
-    if (!ret) *unix_fd = fd;
     return ret;
 }
 
diff --git a/dlls/ntdll/tape.c b/dlls/ntdll/tape.c
index ecb1cc50909..8ce68f37b3f 100644
--- a/dlls/ntdll/tape.c
+++ b/dlls/ntdll/tape.c
@@ -512,14 +512,14 @@ NTSTATUS TAPE_DeviceIoControl( HANDLE device, HANDLE event,
 {
     DWORD sz = 0;
     NTSTATUS status = STATUS_INVALID_PARAMETER;
-    int fd;
+    int fd, needs_close;
 
     TRACE( "%p %s %p %d %p %d %p\n", device, io2str(io_control),
            in_buffer, in_size, out_buffer, out_size, io_status );
 
     io_status->Information = 0;
 
-    if ((status = wine_server_handle_to_fd( device, 0, &fd, NULL )))
+    if ((status = server_get_unix_fd( device, 0, &fd, &needs_close, NULL )))
         goto error;
 
     switch (io_control)
@@ -569,7 +569,7 @@ NTSTATUS TAPE_DeviceIoControl( HANDLE device, HANDLE event,
         break;
     }
 
-    wine_server_release_fd( device, fd );
+    if (needs_close) close( fd );
 
 error:
     io_status->u.Status = status;
diff --git a/dlls/ntdll/virtual.c b/dlls/ntdll/virtual.c
index 60708d10fb1..cce7ddd2a5e 100644
--- a/dlls/ntdll/virtual.c
+++ b/dlls/ntdll/virtual.c
@@ -1767,11 +1767,10 @@ NTSTATUS WINAPI NtMapViewOfSection( HANDLE handle, HANDLE process, PVOID *addr_p
                                     SIZE_T commit_size, const LARGE_INTEGER *offset_ptr, SIZE_T *size_ptr,
                                     SECTION_INHERIT inherit, ULONG alloc_type, ULONG protect )
 {
-    FILE_FS_DEVICE_INFORMATION device_info;
     NTSTATUS res;
     SIZE_T size = 0;
     SIZE_T mask = get_mask( zero_bits );
-    int unix_handle = -1;
+    int unix_handle = -1, flags, needs_close;
     int prot;
     void *base;
     struct file_view *view;
@@ -1811,22 +1810,20 @@ NTSTATUS WINAPI NtMapViewOfSection( HANDLE handle, HANDLE process, PVOID *addr_p
     SERVER_END_REQ;
     if (res) return res;
 
-    if ((res = wine_server_handle_to_fd( handle, 0, &unix_handle, NULL ))) return res;
-
-    if (FILE_GetDeviceInfo( unix_handle, &device_info ) == STATUS_SUCCESS)
-        removable = device_info.Characteristics & FILE_REMOVABLE_MEDIA;
+    if ((res = server_get_unix_fd( handle, 0, &unix_handle, &needs_close, &flags ))) return res;
+    removable = (flags & FD_FLAG_REMOVABLE) != 0;
 
     if (prot & VPROT_IMAGE)
     {
         if (shared_file)
         {
-            int shared_fd;
+            int shared_fd, shared_needs_close;
 
-            if ((res = wine_server_handle_to_fd( shared_file, FILE_READ_DATA|FILE_WRITE_DATA,
-                                                 &shared_fd, NULL ))) goto done;
+            if ((res = server_get_unix_fd( shared_file, FILE_READ_DATA|FILE_WRITE_DATA,
+                                           &shared_fd, &shared_needs_close, NULL ))) goto done;
             res = map_image( handle, unix_handle, base, size_low, mask, header_size,
                              shared_fd, removable, addr_ptr );
-            wine_server_release_fd( shared_file, shared_fd );
+            if (shared_needs_close) close( shared_fd );
             NtClose( shared_file );
         }
         else
@@ -1834,7 +1831,7 @@ NTSTATUS WINAPI NtMapViewOfSection( HANDLE handle, HANDLE process, PVOID *addr_p
             res = map_image( handle, unix_handle, base, size_low, mask, header_size,
                              -1, removable, addr_ptr );
         }
-        wine_server_release_fd( handle, unix_handle );
+        if (needs_close) close( unix_handle );
         if (!res) *size_ptr = size_low;
         return res;
     }
@@ -1921,7 +1918,7 @@ NTSTATUS WINAPI NtMapViewOfSection( HANDLE handle, HANDLE process, PVOID *addr_p
     RtlLeaveCriticalSection( &csVirtual );
 
 done:
-    wine_server_release_fd( handle, unix_handle );
+    if (needs_close) close( unix_handle );
     return res;
 }