diff --git a/auto/cc/sunc b/auto/cc/sunc
index dd9ccedfba..8f12d7cd7f 100644
--- a/auto/cc/sunc
+++ b/auto/cc/sunc
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ if [ -x $NGX_AUTOTEST ]; then
     ngx_sunc_ver=`$NGX_AUTOTEST`
 fi
 
-rm $NGX_AUTOTEST*
+rm -rf $NGX_AUTOTEST*
 
 # 1424 == 0x590, Sun Studio 12
 
diff --git a/auto/endianness b/auto/endianness
index 87311a0f16..93da2f80d9 100644
--- a/auto/endianness
+++ b/auto/endianness
@@ -34,10 +34,10 @@ if [ -x $NGX_AUTOTEST ]; then
         echo " big endian"
     fi
 
-    rm $NGX_AUTOTEST*
+    rm -rf $NGX_AUTOTEST*
 
 else
-    rm $NGX_AUTOTEST*
+    rm -rf $NGX_AUTOTEST*
 
     echo
     echo "$0: error: cannot detect system byte ordering"
diff --git a/auto/feature b/auto/feature
index c13e51dfb8..1145f28684 100644
--- a/auto/feature
+++ b/auto/feature
@@ -120,4 +120,4 @@ else
     echo "----------"    >> $NGX_AUTOCONF_ERR
 fi
 
-rm $NGX_AUTOTEST*
+rm -rf $NGX_AUTOTEST*
diff --git a/auto/include b/auto/include
index 3466fda15b..e34dabdae1 100644
--- a/auto/include
+++ b/auto/include
@@ -58,4 +58,4 @@ else
     echo "----------"    >> $NGX_AUTOCONF_ERR
 fi
 
-rm $NGX_AUTOTEST*
+rm -rf $NGX_AUTOTEST*
diff --git a/auto/lib/test b/auto/lib/test
index 907e2353b7..ba943a29d4 100644
--- a/auto/lib/test
+++ b/auto/lib/test
@@ -37,4 +37,4 @@ else
     echo " not found"
 fi
 
-rm $NGX_AUTOTEST*
+rm -rf $NGX_AUTOTEST*
diff --git a/auto/types/sizeof b/auto/types/sizeof
index e1d405c650..9215a545fc 100644
--- a/auto/types/sizeof
+++ b/auto/types/sizeof
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ if [ -x $NGX_AUTOTEST ]; then
 fi
 
 
-rm -f $NGX_AUTOTEST
+rm -rf $NGX_AUTOTEST*
 
 
 case $ngx_size in
diff --git a/auto/types/typedef b/auto/types/typedef
index d81229331f..8b5c3689ce 100644
--- a/auto/types/typedef
+++ b/auto/types/typedef
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ END
         fi
     fi
 
-    rm -f $NGX_AUTOTEST
+    rm -rf $NGX_AUTOTEST*
 
     if [ $ngx_found = no ]; then
         echo $ngx_n " $ngx_try not found$ngx_c"
diff --git a/auto/types/uintptr_t b/auto/types/uintptr_t
index 2f19080352..f3cdccb227 100644
--- a/auto/types/uintptr_t
+++ b/auto/types/uintptr_t
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ else
     echo $ngx_n " uintptr_t not found" $ngx_c
 fi
 
-rm $NGX_AUTOTEST*
+rm -rf $NGX_AUTOTEST*
 
 
 if [ $found = no ]; then