diff --git a/common/asshelp.c b/common/asshelp.c
index 41ba1796f..2053c55e6 100644
--- a/common/asshelp.c
+++ b/common/asshelp.c
@@ -524,10 +524,7 @@ start_new_service (assuan_context_t *r_ctx,
         {
 #ifdef HAVE_W32_SYSTEM
           err = gnupg_process_spawn (program? program : program_name, argv,
-                                     (GNUPG_PROCESS_DETACHED
-                                      |GNUPG_PROCESS_STDIN_NULL
-                                      |GNUPG_PROCESS_STDOUT_NULL
-                                      |GNUPG_PROCESS_STDERR_NULL),
+                                     GNUPG_PROCESS_DETACHED,
                                      NULL, NULL, NULL);
 #else /*!W32*/
           err = gnupg_process_spawn (program? program : program_name, argv,
diff --git a/common/exechelp-posix.c b/common/exechelp-posix.c
index af79aab3e..363936068 100644
--- a/common/exechelp-posix.c
+++ b/common/exechelp-posix.c
@@ -1034,8 +1034,7 @@ my_exec (const char *pgmname, const char *argv[], struct spawn_cb_arg *sca)
 }
 
 static gpg_err_code_t
-spawn_detached (gnupg_process_t process,
-                const char *pgmname, const char *argv[],
+spawn_detached (const char *pgmname, const char *argv[],
                 void (*spawn_cb) (struct spawn_cb_arg *), void *spawn_cb_arg)
 {
   gpg_err_code_t ec;
@@ -1044,7 +1043,6 @@ spawn_detached (gnupg_process_t process,
   /* FIXME: Is this GnuPG specific or should we keep it.  */
   if (getuid() != geteuid())
     {
-      xfree (process);
       xfree (argv);
       return GPG_ERR_BUG;
     }
@@ -1052,7 +1050,6 @@ spawn_detached (gnupg_process_t process,
   if (access (pgmname, X_OK))
     {
       ec = gpg_err_code_from_syserror ();
-      xfree (process);
       xfree (argv);
       return ec;
     }
@@ -1064,7 +1061,6 @@ spawn_detached (gnupg_process_t process,
     {
       ec = gpg_err_code_from_syserror ();
       log_error (_("error forking process: %s\n"), gpg_strerror (ec));
-      xfree (process);
       xfree (argv);
       return ec;
     }
@@ -1101,12 +1097,6 @@ spawn_detached (gnupg_process_t process,
   else
     post_syscall ();
 
-  process->pid = (pid_t)-1;
-  process->fd_in = -1;
-  process->fd_out = -1;
-  process->fd_err = -1;
-  process->wstatus = -1;
-  process->terminated = 1;
   return 0;
 }
 
@@ -1156,6 +1146,24 @@ gnupg_process_spawn (const char *pgmname, const char *argv1[],
     for (i=0, j=1; argv1[i]; i++, j++)
       argv[j] = argv1[i];
 
+  if ((flags & GNUPG_PROCESS_DETACHED))
+    {
+      if ((flags & GNUPG_PROCESS_STDFDS_SETTING))
+        {
+          xfree (argv);
+          return GPG_ERR_INV_FLAG;
+        }
+
+      /* In detached case, it must be no R_PROCESS.  */
+      if (r_process)
+        {
+          xfree (argv);
+          return GPG_ERR_INV_ARG;
+        }
+
+      return spawn_detached (pgmname, argv, spawn_cb, spawn_cb_arg);
+    }
+
   process = xtrycalloc (1, sizeof (struct gnupg_process));
   if (process == NULL)
     {
@@ -1166,19 +1174,6 @@ gnupg_process_spawn (const char *pgmname, const char *argv1[],
   process->pgmname = pgmname;
   process->flags = flags;
 
-  if ((flags & GNUPG_PROCESS_DETACHED))
-    {
-      if ((flags & GNUPG_PROCESS_STDFDS_SETTING))
-        {
-          xfree (process);
-          xfree (argv);
-          return GPG_ERR_INV_FLAG;
-        }
-
-      *r_process = process;
-      return spawn_detached (process, pgmname, argv, spawn_cb, spawn_cb_arg);
-    }
-
   if ((flags & GNUPG_PROCESS_STDINOUT_SOCKETPAIR))
     {
       ec = do_create_socketpair (fd_in);
diff --git a/common/exechelp-w32.c b/common/exechelp-w32.c
index dfbb3a155..48aa98487 100644
--- a/common/exechelp-w32.c
+++ b/common/exechelp-w32.c
@@ -1096,8 +1096,7 @@ post_syscall (void)
 
 
 static gpg_err_code_t
-spawn_detached (gnupg_process_t process,
-                const char *pgmname, char *cmdline,
+spawn_detached (const char *pgmname, char *cmdline,
                 void (*spawn_cb) (struct spawn_cb_arg *), void *spawn_cb_arg)
 {
   SECURITY_ATTRIBUTES sec_attr;
@@ -1113,7 +1112,6 @@ spawn_detached (gnupg_process_t process,
   ec = gnupg_access (pgmname, X_OK);
   if (ec)
     {
-      xfree (process);
       xfree (cmdline);
       return ec;
     }
@@ -1191,13 +1189,6 @@ spawn_detached (gnupg_process_t process,
 
   CloseHandle (pi.hThread);
   CloseHandle (pi.hProcess);
-
-  process->hProcess = INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE;
-  process->hd_in = INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE;
-  process->hd_out = INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE;
-  process->hd_err = INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE;
-  process->exitcode = -1;
-  process->terminated = 1;
   return 0;
 }
 
@@ -1238,14 +1229,32 @@ gnupg_process_spawn (const char *pgmname, const char *argv[],
 
   check_syscall_func ();
 
-  if (r_process)
-    *r_process = NULL;
-
   /* Build the command line.  */
   ec = build_w32_commandline (pgmname, argv, &cmdline);
   if (ec)
     return ec;
 
+  if ((flags & GNUPG_PROCESS_DETACHED))
+    {
+      if ((flags & GNUPG_PROCESS_STDFDS_SETTING))
+        {
+          xfree (cmdline);
+          return GPG_ERR_INV_FLAG;
+        }
+
+      /* In detached case, it must be no R_PROCESS.  */
+      if (r_process)
+        {
+          xfree (cmdline);
+          return GPG_ERR_INV_ARG;
+        }
+
+      return spawn_detached (pgmname, cmdline, spawn_cb, spawn_cb_arg);
+    }
+
+  if (r_process)
+    *r_process = NULL;
+
   process = xtrymalloc (sizeof (struct gnupg_process));
   if (process == NULL)
     {
@@ -1256,19 +1265,6 @@ gnupg_process_spawn (const char *pgmname, const char *argv[],
   process->pgmname = pgmname;
   process->flags = flags;
 
-  if ((flags & GNUPG_PROCESS_DETACHED))
-    {
-      if ((flags & GNUPG_PROCESS_STDFDS_SETTING))
-        {
-          xfree (process);
-          xfree (cmdline);
-          return GPG_ERR_INV_FLAG;
-        }
-
-      *r_process = process;
-      return spawn_detached (process, pgmname, cmdline, spawn_cb, spawn_cb_arg);
-    }
-
   if ((flags & GNUPG_PROCESS_STDINOUT_SOCKETPAIR))
     {
       xfree (process);
diff --git a/g13/be-encfs.c b/g13/be-encfs.c
index 9adb1e092..c7873816b 100644
--- a/g13/be-encfs.c
+++ b/g13/be-encfs.c
@@ -82,9 +82,7 @@ run_umount_helper (const char *mountpoint)
   args[2] = NULL;
 
   err = gnupg_process_spawn (pgmname, args,
-                             (GNUPG_PROCESS_DETACHED | GNUPG_PROCESS_STDIN_NULL
-                              | GNUPG_PROCESS_STDOUT_NULL
-                              | GNUPG_PROCESS_STDERR_NULL),
+                             GNUPG_PROCESS_DETACHED,
                              NULL, NULL, NULL);
   if (err)
     log_error ("failed to run '%s': %s\n",
diff --git a/scd/app.c b/scd/app.c
index 74944c8ed..3ca9e3a04 100644
--- a/scd/app.c
+++ b/scd/app.c
@@ -2374,10 +2374,7 @@ report_change (int slot, int old_status, int cur_status)
 
       fname = make_filename (gnupg_homedir (), "scd-event", NULL);
       err = gnupg_process_spawn (fname, args,
-                                 (GNUPG_PROCESS_DETACHED
-                                  | GNUPG_PROCESS_STDIN_NULL
-                                  | GNUPG_PROCESS_STDOUT_NULL
-                                  | GNUPG_PROCESS_STDERR_NULL),
+                                 GNUPG_PROCESS_DETACHED,
                                  setup_env, envstr, NULL);
       if (err && gpg_err_code (err) != GPG_ERR_ENOENT)
         log_error ("failed to run event handler '%s': %s\n",