diff --git a/tests/auto/dbus/qdbusconnection/tst_qdbusconnection.cpp b/tests/auto/dbus/qdbusconnection/tst_qdbusconnection.cpp
index 9b16cf74a55..8dc94d3e073 100644
--- a/tests/auto/dbus/qdbusconnection/tst_qdbusconnection.cpp
+++ b/tests/auto/dbus/qdbusconnection/tst_qdbusconnection.cpp
@@ -40,6 +40,11 @@
 #include <QtTest/QtTest>
 #include <QtDBus/QtDBus>
 
+#ifdef Q_OS_UNIX
+#  include <sys/types.h>
+#  include <signal.h>
+#endif
+
 void MyObject::method(const QDBusMessage &msg)
 {
     path = msg.path();
@@ -1357,23 +1362,39 @@ void tst_QDBusConnection::callVirtualObjectLocal()
 
 void tst_QDBusConnection::pendingCallWhenDisconnected()
 {
+#ifdef QT_NO_PROCESS
+    QSKIP("Test requires QProcess");
+#else
     if (!QCoreApplication::instance())
         QSKIP("Test requires a QCoreApplication");
 
-    QDBusServer *server = new QDBusServer;
-    QDBusConnection con = QDBusConnection::connectToPeer(server->address(), "disconnect");
-    QTestEventLoop::instance().enterLoop(2);
-    QVERIFY(con.isConnected());
-    QDBusMessage message = QDBusMessage::createMethodCall("", "/", QString(), "method");
-    QDBusPendingCall reply = con.asyncCall(message);
+    QProcess daemon;
+    daemon.start("dbus-daemon", QStringList() << "--session" << "--nofork" << "--print-address");
+    QVERIFY2(daemon.waitForReadyRead(2000),
+             "Daemon didn't print its address in time; error: \"" + daemon.errorString().toLocal8Bit() +
+             "\"; stderr:\n" + daemon.readAllStandardError());
 
-    delete server;
+    QString address = QString::fromLocal8Bit(daemon.readAll().trimmed());
+    QDBusConnection con = QDBusConnection::connectToBus(address, "disconnect");
+    QVERIFY2(con.isConnected(), (con.lastError().name() + ": " + con.lastError().message()).toLocal8Bit());
 
-    QTestEventLoop::instance().enterLoop(2);
+    // confirm we're connected and we're alone in this bus
+    QCOMPARE(con.baseService(), QString(":1.0"));
+
+    // kill the bus
+    daemon.terminate();
+    daemon.waitForFinished();
+
+    // send something, which we should get an error with
+    QDBusMessage message = QDBusMessage::createMethodCall("org.freedesktop.DBus", "/", QString(), "ListNames");
+    QDBusPendingCall reply = con.asyncCall(message);
+
+    reply.waitForFinished();
     QVERIFY(!con.isConnected());
     QVERIFY(reply.isFinished());
     QVERIFY(reply.isError());
-    QVERIFY(reply.error().type() == QDBusError::Disconnected);
+    QCOMPARE(reply.error().type(), QDBusError::Disconnected);
+#endif
 }
 
 QString MyObject::path;