diff --git a/cmd/erasure-sets.go b/cmd/erasure-sets.go
index b58bade0c..cc487f720 100644
--- a/cmd/erasure-sets.go
+++ b/cmd/erasure-sets.go
@@ -264,13 +264,22 @@ func (s *erasureSets) connectDisks() {
 			disk.SetDiskLoc(s.poolIndex, setIndex, diskIndex)
 			disk.SetFormatData(formatData)
 			s.erasureDisks[setIndex][diskIndex] = disk
-			s.erasureDisksMu.Unlock()
 
-			if disk.IsLocal() && globalIsDistErasure {
+			if disk.IsLocal() {
 				globalLocalDrivesMu.Lock()
-				globalLocalSetDrives[s.poolIndex][setIndex][diskIndex] = disk
+				if globalIsDistErasure {
+					globalLocalSetDrives[s.poolIndex][setIndex][diskIndex] = disk
+				}
+				for i, ldisk := range globalLocalDrives {
+					_, k, l := ldisk.GetDiskLoc()
+					if k == setIndex && l == diskIndex {
+						globalLocalDrives[i] = disk
+						break
+					}
+				}
 				globalLocalDrivesMu.Unlock()
 			}
+			s.erasureDisksMu.Unlock()
 		}(endpoint)
 	}
 
diff --git a/cmd/format-erasure.go b/cmd/format-erasure.go
index 41a7a5366..eae474461 100644
--- a/cmd/format-erasure.go
+++ b/cmd/format-erasure.go
@@ -306,7 +306,12 @@ func countErrs(errs []error, err error) int {
 	return i
 }
 
-// Check if unformatted disks are equal to write quorum.
+// Does all errors indicate we need to initialize all disks?.
+func shouldInitErasureDisks(errs []error) bool {
+	return countErrs(errs, errUnformattedDisk) == len(errs)
+}
+
+// Check if unformatted disks are equal to 50%+1 of all the drives.
 func quorumUnformattedDisks(errs []error) bool {
 	return countErrs(errs, errUnformattedDisk) >= (len(errs)/2)+1
 }
@@ -773,9 +778,6 @@ func initFormatErasure(ctx context.Context, storageDisks []StorageAPI, setCount,
 		hostCount := make(map[string]int, setDriveCount)
 		for j := 0; j < setDriveCount; j++ {
 			disk := storageDisks[i*setDriveCount+j]
-			if disk == nil {
-				continue
-			}
 			newFormat := format.Clone()
 			newFormat.Erasure.This = format.Erasure.Sets[i][j]
 			if deploymentID != "" {
@@ -800,14 +802,8 @@ func initFormatErasure(ctx context.Context, storageDisks []StorageAPI, setCount,
 						logger.Info("   - Drive: %s", disk.String())
 					}
 				})
-				var warning string
-				if wantAtMost == 0 {
-					warning = fmt.Sprintf("Host %v has all drives of set. ", host)
-				} else {
-					warning = fmt.Sprintf("Host %v has more than %v drives of set. ", host, wantAtMost)
-				}
-				logger.Info(color.Yellow("WARNING: ") + warning +
-					"A host failure will result in data becoming unavailable.")
+				logger.Info(color.Yellow("WARNING:")+" Host %v has more than %v drives of set. "+
+					"A host failure will result in data becoming unavailable.", host, wantAtMost)
 			}
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/cmd/prepare-storage.go b/cmd/prepare-storage.go
index beec2ebcc..e0ad6a942 100644
--- a/cmd/prepare-storage.go
+++ b/cmd/prepare-storage.go
@@ -208,15 +208,8 @@ func connectLoadInitFormats(verboseLogging bool, firstDisk bool, endpoints Endpo
 		return nil, nil, err
 	}
 
-	// Return error when quorum unformatted disks - indicating we are
-	// waiting for first server to be online.
-	unformattedDisks := quorumUnformattedDisks(sErrs)
-	if unformattedDisks && !firstDisk {
-		return nil, nil, errNotFirstDisk
-	}
-
 	// All disks report unformatted we should initialized everyone.
-	if unformattedDisks && firstDisk {
+	if shouldInitErasureDisks(sErrs) && firstDisk {
 		logger.Info("Formatting %s pool, %v set(s), %v drives per set.",
 			humanize.Ordinal(poolCount), setCount, setDriveCount)
 
@@ -232,6 +225,19 @@ func connectLoadInitFormats(verboseLogging bool, firstDisk bool, endpoints Endpo
 		return storageDisks, format, nil
 	}
 
+	// Return error when quorum unformatted disks - indicating we are
+	// waiting for first server to be online.
+	unformattedDisks := quorumUnformattedDisks(sErrs)
+	if unformattedDisks && !firstDisk {
+		return nil, nil, errNotFirstDisk
+	}
+
+	// Return error when quorum unformatted disks but waiting for rest
+	// of the servers to be online.
+	if unformattedDisks && firstDisk {
+		return nil, nil, errFirstDiskWait
+	}
+
 	format, err = getFormatErasureInQuorum(formatConfigs)
 	if err != nil {
 		logger.LogIf(GlobalContext, err)
diff --git a/cmd/xl-storage.go b/cmd/xl-storage.go
index 170767a30..aadec5b9f 100644
--- a/cmd/xl-storage.go
+++ b/cmd/xl-storage.go
@@ -229,14 +229,24 @@ func makeFormatErasureMetaVolumes(disk StorageAPI) error {
 
 // Initialize a new storage disk.
 func newXLStorage(ep Endpoint, cleanUp bool) (s *xlStorage, err error) {
-	path := ep.Path
-	if path, err = getValidPath(path); err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+	s = &xlStorage{
+		drivePath:  ep.Path,
+		endpoint:   ep,
+		globalSync: globalFSOSync,
+		poolIndex:  -1,
+		setIndex:   -1,
+		diskIndex:  -1,
 	}
 
-	info, err := disk.GetInfo(path, true)
+	s.drivePath, err = getValidPath(ep.Path)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+		s.drivePath = ep.Path
+		return s, err
+	}
+
+	info, err := disk.GetInfo(s.drivePath, true)
+	if err != nil {
+		return s, err
 	}
 
 	if !globalIsCICD && !globalIsErasureSD {
@@ -247,7 +257,7 @@ func newXLStorage(ep Endpoint, cleanUp bool) (s *xlStorage, err error) {
 			// size less than or equal to the threshold as rootDrives.
 			rootDrive = info.Total <= globalRootDiskThreshold
 		} else {
-			rootDrive, err = disk.IsRootDisk(path, SlashSeparator)
+			rootDrive, err = disk.IsRootDisk(s.drivePath, SlashSeparator)
 			if err != nil {
 				return nil, err
 			}
@@ -257,15 +267,6 @@ func newXLStorage(ep Endpoint, cleanUp bool) (s *xlStorage, err error) {
 		}
 	}
 
-	s = &xlStorage{
-		drivePath:  path,
-		endpoint:   ep,
-		globalSync: globalFSOSync,
-		poolIndex:  -1,
-		setIndex:   -1,
-		diskIndex:  -1,
-	}
-
 	// Sanitize before setting it
 	if info.NRRequests > 0 {
 		s.nrRequests = info.NRRequests
@@ -285,11 +286,11 @@ func newXLStorage(ep Endpoint, cleanUp bool) (s *xlStorage, err error) {
 	formatData, formatFi, err := formatErasureMigrate(s.drivePath)
 	if err != nil && !errors.Is(err, os.ErrNotExist) {
 		if os.IsPermission(err) {
-			return nil, errDiskAccessDenied
+			return s, errDiskAccessDenied
 		} else if isSysErrIO(err) {
-			return nil, errFaultyDisk
+			return s, errFaultyDisk
 		}
-		return nil, err
+		return s, err
 	}
 	s.formatData = formatData
 	s.formatFileInfo = formatFi
@@ -297,7 +298,7 @@ func newXLStorage(ep Endpoint, cleanUp bool) (s *xlStorage, err error) {
 
 	// Create all necessary bucket folders if possible.
 	if err = makeFormatErasureMetaVolumes(s); err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+		return s, err
 	}
 
 	if len(s.formatData) > 0 {