diff --git a/engine/storage/volume/src/org/apache/cloudstack/storage/volume/VolumeServiceImpl.java b/engine/storage/volume/src/org/apache/cloudstack/storage/volume/VolumeServiceImpl.java
index ac507cf4629..3e5a5466fd0 100644
--- a/engine/storage/volume/src/org/apache/cloudstack/storage/volume/VolumeServiceImpl.java
+++ b/engine/storage/volume/src/org/apache/cloudstack/storage/volume/VolumeServiceImpl.java
@@ -158,8 +158,9 @@ public class VolumeServiceImpl implements VolumeService {
         return null;
     }
 
+    @Override
     public boolean connectVolumeToHost(VolumeInfo volumeInfo, Host host, DataStore dataStore) {
-        DataStoreDriver dataStoreDriver = dataStore.getDriver();
+        DataStoreDriver dataStoreDriver = dataStore != null ? dataStore.getDriver() : null;
 
         if (dataStoreDriver instanceof PrimaryDataStoreDriver) {
             return ((PrimaryDataStoreDriver)dataStoreDriver).connectVolumeToHost(volumeInfo, host, dataStore);
@@ -168,8 +169,9 @@ public class VolumeServiceImpl implements VolumeService {
         return false;
     }
 
+    @Override
     public void disconnectVolumeFromHost(VolumeInfo volumeInfo, Host host, DataStore dataStore) {
-        DataStoreDriver dataStoreDriver = dataStore.getDriver();
+        DataStoreDriver dataStoreDriver = dataStore != null ? dataStore.getDriver() : null;
 
         if (dataStoreDriver instanceof PrimaryDataStoreDriver) {
             ((PrimaryDataStoreDriver)dataStoreDriver).disconnectVolumeFromHost(volumeInfo, host, dataStore);
diff --git a/plugins/hypervisors/xen/src/com/cloud/hypervisor/XenServerGuru.java b/plugins/hypervisors/xen/src/com/cloud/hypervisor/XenServerGuru.java
index 4f21a021b75..529e26125f3 100644
--- a/plugins/hypervisors/xen/src/com/cloud/hypervisor/XenServerGuru.java
+++ b/plugins/hypervisors/xen/src/com/cloud/hypervisor/XenServerGuru.java
@@ -108,7 +108,11 @@ public class XenServerGuru extends HypervisorGuruBase implements HypervisorGuru
                 if (volume.getVolumeType() == Volume.Type.DATADISK) {
                     StoragePoolVO storagePool = _storagePoolDao.findById(volume.getPoolId());
 
-                    if (storagePool.isManaged()) {
+                    // storagePool should be null if we are expunging a volume that was never
+                    // attached to a VM that was started (the "trick" for storagePool to be null
+                    // is that none of the VMs this volume may have been attached to were ever started,
+                    // so the volume was never assigned to a storage pool)
+                    if (storagePool != null && storagePool.isManaged()) {
                         DataTO volTO = _volFactory.getVolume(volume.getId()).getTO();
                         DiskTO disk = new DiskTO(volTO, volume.getDeviceId(), volume.getPath(), volume.getVolumeType());
 
diff --git a/server/src/com/cloud/storage/VolumeApiServiceImpl.java b/server/src/com/cloud/storage/VolumeApiServiceImpl.java
index ac0c438aab9..8d475dd2cee 100644
--- a/server/src/com/cloud/storage/VolumeApiServiceImpl.java
+++ b/server/src/com/cloud/storage/VolumeApiServiceImpl.java
@@ -1482,12 +1482,13 @@ public class VolumeApiServiceImpl extends ManagerBase implements VolumeApiServic
             }
         }
 
-        DataStore dataStore = dataStoreMgr.getDataStore(volume.getPoolId(), DataStoreRole.Primary);
-
         if (!sendCommand || (answer != null && answer.getResult())) {
             // Mark the volume as detached
             _volsDao.detachVolume(volume.getId());
 
+            // volume.getPoolId() should be null if the VM we are attaching the disk to has never been started before
+            DataStore dataStore = volume.getPoolId() != null ? dataStoreMgr.getDataStore(volume.getPoolId(), DataStoreRole.Primary) : null;
+
             volService.disconnectVolumeFromHost(volFactory.getVolume(volume.getId()), host, dataStore);
 
             return _volsDao.findById(volumeId);
@@ -1955,10 +1956,12 @@ public class VolumeApiServiceImpl extends ManagerBase implements VolumeApiServic
             }
         }
 
-        DataStore dataStore = dataStoreMgr.getDataStore(volumeToAttachStoragePool.getId(), DataStoreRole.Primary);
+        // volumeToAttachStoragePool should be null if the VM we are attaching the disk to has never been started before
+        DataStore dataStore = volumeToAttachStoragePool != null ? dataStoreMgr.getDataStore(volumeToAttachStoragePool.getId(), DataStoreRole.Primary) : null;
 
         boolean queryForChap = true;
 
+        // if we don't have a host, the VM we are attaching the disk to has never been started before
         if (host != null) {
             try {
                 // if connectVolumeToHost returns true, then we do not want to use CHAP because the volume is already connected to the host(s)