diff --git a/pkgs/os-specific/linux/powertop/0001-CONFIG_INOTIFY_USER-instead-of-CONFIG_INOTIFY.patch b/pkgs/os-specific/linux/powertop/0001-CONFIG_INOTIFY_USER-instead-of-CONFIG_INOTIFY.patch
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..46caed050f4e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/os-specific/linux/powertop/0001-CONFIG_INOTIFY_USER-instead-of-CONFIG_INOTIFY.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+From 89e46f3270e3b6d704959c4d0f44ae6bab8f7616 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
+From: Florian Friesdorf <flo@chaoflow.net>
+Date: Thu, 13 Oct 2011 10:14:34 +0200
+Subject: [PATCH] CONFIG_INOTIFY_USER instead of CONFIG_INOTIFY
+
+since 2.6.36 the former fully replaced the latter
+---
+ powertop.c |    4 ++--
+ 1 files changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
+
+diff --git a/powertop.c b/powertop.c
+index 74eb328..8df3652 100644
+--- a/powertop.c
++++ b/powertop.c
+@@ -1191,8 +1191,8 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
+ 		suggest_kernel_config("CONFIG_CPU_FREQ_STAT", 1,
+ 				    _("Suggestion: Enable the CONFIG_CPU_FREQ_STAT kernel configuration option.\n"
+ 				      "This option allows PowerTOP to show P-state percentages \n" "P-states correspond to CPU frequencies."), 2);
+-		suggest_kernel_config("CONFIG_INOTIFY", 1,
+-				    _("Suggestion: Enable the CONFIG_INOTIFY kernel configuration option.\n"
++		suggest_kernel_config("CONFIG_INOTIFY_USER", 1,
++				    _("Suggestion: Enable the CONFIG_INOTIFY_USER kernel configuration option.\n"
+ 				      "This option allows programs to wait for changes in files and directories\n"
+ 				      "instead of having to poll for these changes"), 5);
+ 
+-- 
+1.7.6
+
diff --git a/pkgs/os-specific/linux/powertop/default.nix b/pkgs/os-specific/linux/powertop/default.nix
index e0575b33c49c..7c66556df29f 100644
--- a/pkgs/os-specific/linux/powertop/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/os-specific/linux/powertop/default.nix
@@ -6,7 +6,10 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
     url = http://www.lesswatts.org/projects/powertop/download/powertop-1.13.tar.gz;
     sha256 = "164dqp6msdaxpi2bmvwawasyrf1sfvanlc9ddp97v1wnjh46dj1b";
   };
-  patches = [./powertop-1.13.patch];
+  patches = [
+    ./powertop-1.13.patch
+    ./0001-CONFIG_INOTIFY_USER-instead-of-CONFIG_INOTIFY.patch
+  ];
   buildInputs = [ncurses gettext];
   meta = {
     description = "Analyze power consumption on Intel-based laptops";