diff --git a/softmmu/vl.c b/softmmu/vl.c
index 8640ddd3ec..41a685bb5d 100644
--- a/softmmu/vl.c
+++ b/softmmu/vl.c
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ bool enable_mlock = false;
 bool enable_cpu_pm = false;
 int nb_nics;
 NICInfo nd_table[MAX_NICS];
-int autostart;
+int autostart = 1;
 static enum {
     RTC_BASE_UTC,
     RTC_BASE_LOCALTIME,
@@ -1228,7 +1228,8 @@ struct VMChangeStateEntry {
     int priority;
 };
 
-static QTAILQ_HEAD(, VMChangeStateEntry) vm_change_state_head;
+static QTAILQ_HEAD(, VMChangeStateEntry) vm_change_state_head =
+    QTAILQ_HEAD_INITIALIZER(vm_change_state_head);
 
 /**
  * qemu_add_vm_change_state_handler_prio:
@@ -2968,11 +2969,44 @@ static void qemu_maybe_daemonize(const char *pid_file)
     qemu_add_exit_notifier(&qemu_unlink_pidfile_notifier);
 }
 
+static void qemu_init_subsystems(void)
+{
+    Error *err;
+
+    os_set_line_buffering();
+
+    module_call_init(MODULE_INIT_TRACE);
+
+    qemu_init_cpu_list();
+    qemu_init_cpu_loop();
+    qemu_mutex_lock_iothread();
+
+    atexit(qemu_run_exit_notifiers);
+
+    module_call_init(MODULE_INIT_QOM);
+    module_call_init(MODULE_INIT_MIGRATION);
+
+    runstate_init();
+    precopy_infrastructure_init();
+    postcopy_infrastructure_init();
+    monitor_init_globals();
+
+    if (qcrypto_init(&err) < 0) {
+        error_reportf_err(err, "cannot initialize crypto: ");
+        exit(1);
+    }
+
+    os_setup_early_signal_handling();
+
+    bdrv_init_with_whitelist();
+    socket_init();
+}
 
 void qemu_init(int argc, char **argv, char **envp)
 {
     int i;
-    int snapshot, linux_boot;
+    int snapshot = 0;
+    int linux_boot;
     const char *initrd_filename;
     const char *kernel_filename, *kernel_cmdline;
     const char *boot_order = NULL;
@@ -2993,7 +3027,6 @@ void qemu_init(int argc, char **argv, char **envp)
     ram_addr_t maxram_size;
     uint64_t ram_slots = 0;
     FILE *vmstate_dump_file = NULL;
-    Error *main_loop_err = NULL;
     Error *err = NULL;
     const char *mem_path = NULL;
     bool have_custom_ram_size;
@@ -3001,22 +3034,6 @@ void qemu_init(int argc, char **argv, char **envp)
     QemuPluginList plugin_list = QTAILQ_HEAD_INITIALIZER(plugin_list);
     int mem_prealloc = 0; /* force preallocation of physical target memory */
 
-    os_set_line_buffering();
-
-    error_init(argv[0]);
-    module_call_init(MODULE_INIT_TRACE);
-
-    qemu_init_cpu_list();
-    qemu_init_cpu_loop();
-
-    qemu_mutex_lock_iothread();
-
-    atexit(qemu_run_exit_notifiers);
-    qemu_init_exec_dir(argv[0]);
-
-    module_call_init(MODULE_INIT_QOM);
-    module_call_init(MODULE_INIT_MIGRATION);
-
     qemu_add_opts(&qemu_drive_opts);
     qemu_add_drive_opts(&qemu_legacy_drive_opts);
     qemu_add_drive_opts(&qemu_common_drive_opts);
@@ -3051,27 +3068,10 @@ void qemu_init(int argc, char **argv, char **envp)
     qemu_add_opts(&qemu_fw_cfg_opts);
     module_call_init(MODULE_INIT_OPTS);
 
-    runstate_init();
-    precopy_infrastructure_init();
-    postcopy_infrastructure_init();
-    monitor_init_globals();
-
-    if (qcrypto_init(&err) < 0) {
-        error_reportf_err(err, "cannot initialize crypto: ");
-        exit(1);
-    }
-
-    QTAILQ_INIT(&vm_change_state_head);
-    os_setup_early_signal_handling();
-
-    cpu_option = NULL;
-    snapshot = 0;
-
-    nb_nics = 0;
-
-    bdrv_init_with_whitelist();
+    error_init(argv[0]);
+    qemu_init_exec_dir(argv[0]);
 
-    autostart = 1;
+    qemu_init_subsystems();
 
     /* first pass of option parsing */
     optind = 1;
@@ -3952,13 +3952,10 @@ void qemu_init(int argc, char **argv, char **envp)
     qemu_process_help_options();
     qemu_maybe_daemonize(pid_file);
 
-    if (qemu_init_main_loop(&main_loop_err)) {
-        error_report_err(main_loop_err);
-        exit(1);
-    }
+    qemu_init_main_loop(&error_fatal);
+    cpu_timers_init();
 
     user_register_global_props();
-
     replay_configure(icount_opts);
 
     if (incoming && !preconfig_exit_requested) {
@@ -3995,6 +3992,7 @@ void qemu_init(int argc, char **argv, char **envp)
     }
 
     cpu_exec_init_all();
+    page_size_init();
 
     if (machine_class->hw_version) {
         qemu_set_hw_version(machine_class->hw_version);
@@ -4137,9 +4135,6 @@ void qemu_init(int argc, char **argv, char **envp)
         exit(1);
     }
 
-    page_size_init();
-    socket_init();
-
     qemu_opts_foreach(qemu_find_opts("object"),
                       user_creatable_add_opts_foreach,
                       object_create_initial, &error_fatal);
@@ -4256,9 +4251,6 @@ void qemu_init(int argc, char **argv, char **envp)
         semihosting_arg_fallback(kernel_filename, kernel_cmdline);
     }
 
-    /* initialize cpu timers and VCPU throttle modules */
-    cpu_timers_init();
-
     if (default_net) {
         QemuOptsList *net = qemu_find_opts("net");
         qemu_opts_set(net, NULL, "type", "nic", &error_abort);
