diff --git a/src/gopheros/device/driver.go b/src/gopheros/device/driver.go
index aec2c38..15a6316 100644
--- a/src/gopheros/device/driver.go
+++ b/src/gopheros/device/driver.go
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 package device
 
-import "gopheros/kernel"
+import (
+	"gopheros/kernel"
+	"io"
+)
 
 // Driver is an interface implemented by all drivers.
 type Driver interface {
@@ -10,8 +13,10 @@ type Driver interface {
 	// DriverVersion returns the driver version.
 	DriverVersion() (major uint16, minor uint16, patch uint16)
 
-	// DriverInit initializes the device driver.
-	DriverInit() *kernel.Error
+	// DriverInit initializes the device driver. If the driver init code
+	// needs to log some output, it can use the supplied io.Writer in
+	// conjunction with a call to kfmt.Fprint.
+	DriverInit(io.Writer) *kernel.Error
 }
 
 // ProbeFn is a function that scans for the presence of a particular
diff --git a/src/gopheros/device/tty/vt.go b/src/gopheros/device/tty/vt.go
index ba48be0..9acadf3 100644
--- a/src/gopheros/device/tty/vt.go
+++ b/src/gopheros/device/tty/vt.go
@@ -258,7 +258,7 @@ func (t *VT) DriverVersion() (uint16, uint16, uint16) {
 }
 
 // DriverInit initializes this driver.
-func (t *VT) DriverInit() *kernel.Error { return nil }
+func (t *VT) DriverInit(_ io.Writer) *kernel.Error { return nil }
 
 func probeForVT() device.Driver {
 	return NewVT(DefaultTabWidth, DefaultScrollback)
diff --git a/src/gopheros/device/tty/vt_test.go b/src/gopheros/device/tty/vt_test.go
index b1bf40f..066d25f 100644
--- a/src/gopheros/device/tty/vt_test.go
+++ b/src/gopheros/device/tty/vt_test.go
@@ -324,7 +324,7 @@ func TestVtSetState(t *testing.T) {
 func TestVTDriverInterface(t *testing.T) {
 	var dev device.Driver = NewVT(0, 0)
 
-	if err := dev.DriverInit(); err != nil {
+	if err := dev.DriverInit(nil); err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 
diff --git a/src/gopheros/device/video/console/vga_text.go b/src/gopheros/device/video/console/vga_text.go
index d30291d..f5be66b 100644
--- a/src/gopheros/device/video/console/vga_text.go
+++ b/src/gopheros/device/video/console/vga_text.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"gopheros/kernel/cpu"
 	"gopheros/kernel/hal/multiboot"
 	"image/color"
+	"io"
 	"reflect"
 	"unsafe"
 )
@@ -197,7 +198,7 @@ func (cons *VgaTextConsole) DriverVersion() (uint16, uint16, uint16) {
 }
 
 // DriverInit initializes this driver.
-func (cons *VgaTextConsole) DriverInit() *kernel.Error { return nil }
+func (cons *VgaTextConsole) DriverInit(_ io.Writer) *kernel.Error { return nil }
 
 // probeForVgaTextConsole checks for the presence of a vga text console.
 func probeForVgaTextConsole() device.Driver {
diff --git a/src/gopheros/device/video/console/vga_text_test.go b/src/gopheros/device/video/console/vga_text_test.go
index 0c81441..3d5cb25 100644
--- a/src/gopheros/device/video/console/vga_text_test.go
+++ b/src/gopheros/device/video/console/vga_text_test.go
@@ -311,7 +311,7 @@ func TestVgaTextSetPaletteColor(t *testing.T) {
 func TestVgaTextDriverInterface(t *testing.T) {
 	var dev device.Driver = NewVgaTextConsole(80, 25, 0)
 
-	if err := dev.DriverInit(); err != nil {
+	if err := dev.DriverInit(nil); err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 
diff --git a/src/gopheros/kernel/hal/hal.go b/src/gopheros/kernel/hal/hal.go
index 3f5d06f..ff91e05 100644
--- a/src/gopheros/kernel/hal/hal.go
+++ b/src/gopheros/kernel/hal/hal.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package hal
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"gopheros/device"
 	"gopheros/device/tty"
 	"gopheros/device/video/console"
@@ -13,7 +14,10 @@ type managedDevices struct {
 	activeTTY     tty.Device
 }
 
-var devices managedDevices
+var (
+	devices managedDevices
+	strBuf  bytes.Buffer
+)
 
 // ActiveTTY returns the currently active TTY
 func ActiveTTY() tty.Device {
@@ -43,7 +47,10 @@ func DetectHardware() {
 // each detected device. The function returns a list of device drivers that
 // were successfully initialized.
 func probe(hwProbeFns []device.ProbeFn) []device.Driver {
-	var drivers []device.Driver
+	var (
+		drivers []device.Driver
+		w       = kfmt.PrefixWriter{Sink: kfmt.GetOutputSink()}
+	)
 
 	for _, probeFn := range hwProbeFns {
 		drv := probeFn()
@@ -51,16 +58,18 @@ func probe(hwProbeFns []device.ProbeFn) []device.Driver {
 			continue
 		}
 
+		strBuf.Reset()
 		major, minor, patch := drv.DriverVersion()
+		kfmt.Fprintf(&strBuf, "[hal] %s(%d.%d.%d): ", drv.DriverName(), major, minor, patch)
+		w.Prefix = strBuf.Bytes()
 
-		kfmt.Printf("[hal] %s(%d.%d.%d): ", drv.DriverName(), major, minor, patch)
-		if err := drv.DriverInit(); err != nil {
-			kfmt.Printf("init failed: %s\n", err.Message)
+		if err := drv.DriverInit(&w); err != nil {
+			kfmt.Fprintf(&w, "init failed: %s\n", err.Message)
 			continue
 		}
 
+		kfmt.Fprintf(&w, "initialized\n")
 		drivers = append(drivers, drv)
-		kfmt.Printf("initialized\n")
 	}
 
 	return drivers
diff --git a/src/gopheros/kernel/kfmt/fmt.go b/src/gopheros/kernel/kfmt/fmt.go
index 7780dcd..3683c2c 100644
--- a/src/gopheros/kernel/kfmt/fmt.go
+++ b/src/gopheros/kernel/kfmt/fmt.go
@@ -31,6 +31,14 @@ var (
 	outputSink io.Writer
 )
 
+// GetOutputSink returns the default target for calls to Printf.
+func GetOutputSink() io.Writer {
+	if outputSink == nil {
+		return &earlyPrintBuffer
+	}
+	return outputSink
+}
+
 // SetOutputSink sets the default target for calls to Printf to w and copies
 // any data accumulated in the earlyPrintBuffer to itt .
 func SetOutputSink(w io.Writer) {
diff --git a/src/gopheros/kernel/kfmt/fmt_test.go b/src/gopheros/kernel/kfmt/fmt_test.go
index 90d9bf0..f41f5bd 100644
--- a/src/gopheros/kernel/kfmt/fmt_test.go
+++ b/src/gopheros/kernel/kfmt/fmt_test.go
@@ -149,9 +149,17 @@ func TestPrintf(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 	}
 
+	if sink := GetOutputSink(); sink != &earlyPrintBuffer {
+		t.Fatal("expected GetOutputSink() to return the earlyPrintBuffer when no output sink has been set")
+	}
+
 	var buf bytes.Buffer
 	SetOutputSink(&buf)
 
+	if sink := GetOutputSink(); sink != &buf {
+		t.Fatal("expected GetOutputSink() to return the value passed to SetOutputSink")
+	}
+
 	for specIndex, spec := range specs {
 		buf.Reset()
 		spec.fn()
diff --git a/src/gopheros/kernel/kfmt/prefix_writer.go b/src/gopheros/kernel/kfmt/prefix_writer.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b326dbd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/gopheros/kernel/kfmt/prefix_writer.go
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+package kfmt
+
+import "io"
+
+// PrefixWriter is an io.Writer that wraps another io.Writer and injects a
+// prefix at the beginning of each line.
+type PrefixWriter struct {
+	// A writer where all writes get sent to.
+	Sink io.Writer
+
+	// The prefix injected at the beginning of each line.
+	Prefix []byte
+
+	bytesAfterPrefix int
+}
+
+// Write writes len(p) bytes from p to the underlying data stream and returns
+// back the number of bytes written. The PrefixWriter keeps track of the
+// beginning of new lines and injects the configured prefix at each new line.
+// The injected prefix is not included in the number of written bytes returned
+// by this method.
+func (w *PrefixWriter) Write(p []byte) (int, error) {
+	var (
+		written              int
+		startIndex, curIndex int
+	)
+
+	if w.bytesAfterPrefix == 0 && len(p) != 0 {
+		w.Sink.Write(w.Prefix)
+	}
+
+	for ; curIndex < len(p); curIndex++ {
+		if p[curIndex] == '\n' {
+			n, err := w.Sink.Write(p[startIndex : curIndex+1])
+			if curIndex+1 != len(p) {
+				w.Sink.Write(w.Prefix)
+			}
+			written += n
+			if err != nil {
+				return written, err
+			}
+			w.bytesAfterPrefix = 0
+			startIndex = curIndex + 1
+		}
+	}
+
+	if startIndex < curIndex {
+		n, err := w.Sink.Write(p[startIndex:curIndex])
+		written += n
+		w.bytesAfterPrefix = n
+		if err != nil {
+			return written, err
+		}
+	}
+
+	return written, nil
+}
diff --git a/src/gopheros/kernel/kfmt/prefix_writer_test.go b/src/gopheros/kernel/kfmt/prefix_writer_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0a005ab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/gopheros/kernel/kfmt/prefix_writer_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+package kfmt
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"errors"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestPrefixWriter(t *testing.T) {
+	specs := []struct {
+		input string
+		exp   string
+	}{
+		{
+			"",
+			"",
+		},
+		{
+			"\n",
+			"prefix: \n",
+		},
+		{
+			"no line break anywhere",
+			"prefix: no line break anywhere",
+		},
+		{
+			"line feed at the end\n",
+			"prefix: line feed at the end\n",
+		},
+		{
+			"\nthe big brown\nfog jumped\nover the lazy\ndog",
+			"prefix: \nprefix: the big brown\nprefix: fog jumped\nprefix: over the lazy\nprefix: dog",
+		},
+	}
+
+	var (
+		buf bytes.Buffer
+		w   = PrefixWriter{
+			Sink:   &buf,
+			Prefix: []byte("prefix: "),
+		}
+	)
+
+	for specIndex, spec := range specs {
+		buf.Reset()
+		w.bytesAfterPrefix = 0
+
+		wrote, err := w.Write([]byte(spec.input))
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Errorf("[spec %d] unexpected error: %v", specIndex, err)
+		}
+
+		if expLen := len(spec.input); expLen != wrote {
+			t.Errorf("[spec %d] expected writer to write %d bytes; wrote %d", specIndex, expLen, wrote)
+		}
+
+		if got := buf.String(); got != spec.exp {
+			t.Errorf("[spec %d] expected output:\n%q\ngot:\n%q", specIndex, spec.exp, got)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestPrefixWriterErrors(t *testing.T) {
+	specs := []string{
+		"no line break anywhere",
+		"\nthe big brown\nfog jumped\nover the lazy\ndog",
+	}
+
+	var (
+		expErr = errors.New("write failed")
+		w      = PrefixWriter{
+			Sink:   writerThatAlwaysErrors{expErr},
+			Prefix: []byte("prefix: "),
+		}
+	)
+
+	for specIndex, spec := range specs {
+		w.bytesAfterPrefix = 0
+		_, err := w.Write([]byte(spec))
+		if err != expErr {
+			t.Errorf("[spec %d] expected error: %v; got %v", specIndex, expErr, err)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+type writerThatAlwaysErrors struct {
+	err error
+}
+
+func (w writerThatAlwaysErrors) Write(_ []byte) (int, error) {
+	return 0, w.err
+}