diff --git a/Lib/bsddb/test/test_associate.py b/Lib/bsddb/test/test_associate.py
index 05ef83cb6fa..ff10cd75f4f 100644
--- a/Lib/bsddb/test/test_associate.py
+++ b/Lib/bsddb/test/test_associate.py
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ musicdata = {
 class AssociateErrorTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
     def setUp(self):
         self.filename = self.__class__.__name__ + '.db'
-        homeDir = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(sys.argv[0]), 'db_home')
+        homeDir = os.path.join(tempfile.gettempdir(), 'db_home')
         self.homeDir = homeDir
         try:
             os.mkdir(homeDir)
diff --git a/Lib/bsddb/test/test_basics.py b/Lib/bsddb/test/test_basics.py
index e6022ba5129..c027ada74a1 100644
--- a/Lib/bsddb/test/test_basics.py
+++ b/Lib/bsddb/test/test_basics.py
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ class BasicTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
 
     def setUp(self):
         if self.useEnv:
-            homeDir = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(sys.argv[0]), 'db_home')
+            homeDir = os.path.join(tempfile.gettempdir(), 'db_home')
             self.homeDir = homeDir
             try:
                 shutil.rmtree(homeDir)
diff --git a/Lib/bsddb/test/test_dbobj.py b/Lib/bsddb/test/test_dbobj.py
index 1ef382e0fa2..6086d77f72b 100644
--- a/Lib/bsddb/test/test_dbobj.py
+++ b/Lib/bsddb/test/test_dbobj.py
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 import sys, os, string
 import unittest
 import glob
+import tempfile
 
 try:
     # For Pythons w/distutils pybsddb
@@ -19,7 +20,7 @@ class dbobjTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
     db_name = 'test-dbobj.db'
 
     def setUp(self):
-        homeDir = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(sys.argv[0]), 'db_home')
+        homeDir = os.path.join(tempfile.gettempdir(), 'db_home')
         self.homeDir = homeDir
         try: os.mkdir(homeDir)
         except os.error: pass
diff --git a/Lib/bsddb/test/test_dbshelve.py b/Lib/bsddb/test/test_dbshelve.py
index 722ee5b407d..baf85a0f6b6 100644
--- a/Lib/bsddb/test/test_dbshelve.py
+++ b/Lib/bsddb/test/test_dbshelve.py
@@ -231,7 +231,7 @@ class ThreadHashShelveTestCase(BasicShelveTestCase):
 class BasicEnvShelveTestCase(DBShelveTestCase):
     def do_open(self):
         self.homeDir = homeDir = os.path.join(
-            os.path.dirname(sys.argv[0]), 'db_home')
+            tempfile.gettempdir(), 'db_home')
         try: os.mkdir(homeDir)
         except os.error: pass
         self.env = db.DBEnv()
diff --git a/Lib/bsddb/test/test_dbtables.py b/Lib/bsddb/test/test_dbtables.py
index 26e3d3650bc..7fbbf8b1437 100644
--- a/Lib/bsddb/test/test_dbtables.py
+++ b/Lib/bsddb/test/test_dbtables.py
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ try:
     pickle = cPickle
 except ImportError:
     import pickle
+import tempfile
 
 import unittest
 from test_all import verbose
@@ -46,7 +47,7 @@ class TableDBTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
     db_name = 'test-table.db'
 
     def setUp(self):
-        homeDir = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(sys.argv[0]), 'db_home')
+        homeDir = os.path.join(tempfile.gettempdir(), 'db_home')
         self.homeDir = homeDir
         try: os.mkdir(homeDir)
         except os.error: pass
diff --git a/Lib/bsddb/test/test_env_close.py b/Lib/bsddb/test/test_env_close.py
index c1129417d1d..5738febe0ef 100644
--- a/Lib/bsddb/test/test_env_close.py
+++ b/Lib/bsddb/test/test_env_close.py
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ else:
 
 class DBEnvClosedEarlyCrash(unittest.TestCase):
     def setUp(self):
-        self.homeDir = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(sys.argv[0]), 'db_home')
+        self.homeDir = os.path.join(tempfile.gettempdir(), 'db_home')
         try: os.mkdir(self.homeDir)
         except os.error: pass
         tempfile.tempdir = self.homeDir
diff --git a/Lib/bsddb/test/test_join.py b/Lib/bsddb/test/test_join.py
index 73edd114ee4..731f33a4202 100644
--- a/Lib/bsddb/test/test_join.py
+++ b/Lib/bsddb/test/test_join.py
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ class JoinTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
 
     def setUp(self):
         self.filename = self.__class__.__name__ + '.db'
-        homeDir = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(sys.argv[0]), 'db_home')
+        homeDir = os.path.join(tempfile.gettempdir(), 'db_home')
         self.homeDir = homeDir
         try: os.mkdir(homeDir)
         except os.error: pass
diff --git a/Lib/bsddb/test/test_lock.py b/Lib/bsddb/test/test_lock.py
index 7d7779805d8..ac29f83d061 100644
--- a/Lib/bsddb/test/test_lock.py
+++ b/Lib/bsddb/test/test_lock.py
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ except ImportError:
 class LockingTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
 
     def setUp(self):
-        homeDir = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(sys.argv[0]), 'db_home')
+        homeDir = os.path.join(tempfile.gettempdir(), 'db_home')
         self.homeDir = homeDir
         try: os.mkdir(homeDir)
         except os.error: pass
diff --git a/Lib/bsddb/test/test_misc.py b/Lib/bsddb/test/test_misc.py
index 88f700b4697..6b2df073c9f 100644
--- a/Lib/bsddb/test/test_misc.py
+++ b/Lib/bsddb/test/test_misc.py
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 import os
 import sys
 import unittest
+import tempfile
 
 try:
     # For Pythons w/distutils pybsddb
@@ -17,7 +18,7 @@ except ImportError:
 class MiscTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
     def setUp(self):
         self.filename = self.__class__.__name__ + '.db'
-        homeDir = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(sys.argv[0]), 'db_home')
+        homeDir = os.path.join(tempfile.gettempdir(), 'db_home')
         self.homeDir = homeDir
         try:
             os.mkdir(homeDir)
diff --git a/Lib/bsddb/test/test_recno.py b/Lib/bsddb/test/test_recno.py
index f1ea56afdba..484e7d79fa5 100644
--- a/Lib/bsddb/test/test_recno.py
+++ b/Lib/bsddb/test/test_recno.py
@@ -203,10 +203,10 @@ class SimpleRecnoTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
         just a line in the file, but you can set a different record delimiter
         if needed.
         """
-        source = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(sys.argv[0]),
-                              'db_home/test_recno.txt')
-        if not os.path.isdir('db_home'):
-            os.mkdir('db_home')
+        homeDir = os.path.join(tempfile.gettempdir(), 'db_home')
+        source = os.path.join(homeDir, 'test_recno.txt')
+        if not os.path.isdir(homeDir):
+            os.mkdir(homeDir)
         f = open(source, 'w') # create the file
         f.close()
 
diff --git a/Lib/bsddb/test/test_thread.py b/Lib/bsddb/test/test_thread.py
index 31964f0b223..94bbc1a3f43 100644
--- a/Lib/bsddb/test/test_thread.py
+++ b/Lib/bsddb/test/test_thread.py
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ class BaseThreadedTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
         if verbose:
             dbutils._deadlock_VerboseFile = sys.stdout
 
-        homeDir = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(sys.argv[0]), 'db_home')
+        homeDir = os.path.join(tempfile.gettempdir(), 'db_home')
         self.homeDir = homeDir
         try:
             os.mkdir(homeDir)