diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index e19e9a2a3..dc0eb6d30 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -234,34 +234,24 @@ if test "[${e_cv_enable_files}]" = yes; then
 fi
 AC_MSG_RESULT([$e_cv_enable_files])
 
-device_backend="ehal"
 AC_MSG_CHECKING([which device backend to use])
 AC_ARG_ENABLE([device-hal],
    AS_HELP_STRING([--enable-device-hal],[enable hal device backend @<:@default=enabled@:>@]),
    [e_cv_want_device_hal=$enableval]
    AC_CACHE_VAL([e_cv_want_device_hal], [e_cv_want_device_hal=yes]))
-if test "x$e_cv_want_device_hal" != "xno";then
-  PKG_CHECK_EXISTS([ehal], e_cv_want_device_hal=yes,e_cv_want_device_hal=no)
-else
-  e_cv_want_device_hal=no
-fi
+
 AC_ARG_ENABLE([device-udev],
    AS_HELP_STRING([--enable-device-udev],[enable udev support @<:@default=disabled@:>@]),
    [e_cv_want_device_udev=$enableval],
    AC_CACHE_VAL([e_cv_want_device_udev], [e_cv_want_device_udev=no]))
+
 if test "x$e_cv_want_device_udev" = "xyes";then
-  PKG_CHECK_EXISTS([eeze_udev], e_cv_want_device_udev=yes,e_cv_want_device_udev=no)
+      device_backend=eeze_udev
+      AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED([HAVE_EEZE_UDEV],[1],[enable udev support])
 else
-  e_cv_want_device_udev=no
+      device_backend=ehal
 fi
-AS_IF(
-   [test "x$e_cv_want_device_hal" = "xyes" && test "x$e_cv_want_device_udev" != "xyes"],
-      [device_backend="ehal"],
-   [test "x$e_cv_want_device_udev" = "xyes"],
-      [device_backend="eeze_udev"]
-      AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED([HAVE_EEZE_UDEV],[1],[enable udev support]),
-   AC_MSG_ERROR(No usable device backend (eeze_udev/ehal) found, or attempted to disable hal support!)
-)
+
 AC_MSG_RESULT($device_backend)
 
 # doxygen program for documentation building