Index: eval.c
===================================================================
--- eval.c	(revision 65)
+++ eval.c	(revision 68)
@@ -512,7 +512,15 @@ evaluate_subexp_standard (struct type *e
 					  name, strlen (name));
 	if (regno == -1)
 	  error (_("Register $%s not available."), name);
-	if (noside == EVAL_AVOID_SIDE_EFFECTS)
+
+	/* In EVAL_AVOID_SIDE_EFFECTS mode, we only need to return
+	   a value with the appropriate register type.  Unfortunately,
+	   we don't have easy access to the type of user registers.
+	   So for these registers, we fetch the register value regardless
+	   of the evaluation mode.  */
+	if (noside == EVAL_AVOID_SIDE_EFFECTS
+	    && regno < (gdbarch_num_regs (current_gdbarch)
+			+ gdbarch_num_pseudo_regs (current_gdbarch)))
 	  val = value_zero (register_type (current_gdbarch, regno), not_lval);
 	else
 	  val = value_of_register (regno, get_selected_frame (NULL));
Index: testsuite/gdb.base/ptype.exp
===================================================================
--- testsuite/gdb.base/ptype.exp	(revision 65)
+++ testsuite/gdb.base/ptype.exp	(revision 68)
@@ -639,4 +639,7 @@ if [runto_main] then {
   gdb_test "ptype {{0,1,2},{3,4,5}}"	"type = int \\\[2\\\]\\\[3\\\]"
   gdb_test "ptype {4,5,6}\[2\]"	"type = int"
   gdb_test "ptype *&{4,5,6}\[1\]"	"type = int"
+
+  # Test ptype of user register
+  gdb_test "ptype \$pc" "void \\(\\*\\)\\(\\)" "ptype \$pc"
 }