diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index f30bb9dec..ac59e97d0 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+2013-12-16  Vladimir Serbinenko  <phcoder@gmail.com>
+
+	Define functions explicitly rather than using --defsym in tests
+	whenever possible. Respect locality in remaining cases.
+
 2013-12-16  Vladimir Serbinenko  <phcoder@gmail.com>
 
 	* grub-core/genmoddep.awk: Remove explicit getline < /dev/stdin.
diff --git a/acinclude.m4 b/acinclude.m4
index 0e867e35c..32d5477d1 100644
--- a/acinclude.m4
+++ b/acinclude.m4
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@ AC_DEFUN([grub_PROG_TARGET_CC],
 AC_CACHE_VAL(grub_cv_prog_target_cc,
 [AC_LINK_IFELSE([AC_LANG_PROGRAM([[
 asm (".globl start; start:");
+void __main (void);
+void __main (void) {}
 int main (void);
 ]], [[]])],
   		[grub_cv_prog_target_cc=yes],
@@ -288,7 +290,12 @@ AC_DEFUN([grub_CHECK_BSS_START_SYMBOL],
 [AC_REQUIRE([AC_PROG_CC])
 AC_MSG_CHECKING([if __bss_start is defined by the compiler])
 AC_CACHE_VAL(grub_cv_check_uscore_uscore_bss_start_symbol,
-[AC_LINK_IFELSE([AC_LANG_PROGRAM([[]],
+[AC_LINK_IFELSE([AC_LANG_PROGRAM([[
+asm (".globl start; start:");
+void __main (void);
+void __main (void) {}
+int main (void);
+]],
 		[[asm ("incl __bss_start")]])],
 		[grub_cv_check_uscore_uscore_bss_start_symbol=yes],
 		[grub_cv_check_uscore_uscore_bss_start_symbol=no])])
@@ -297,7 +304,11 @@ AC_MSG_RESULT([$grub_cv_check_uscore_uscore_bss_start_symbol])
 
 AC_MSG_CHECKING([if edata is defined by the compiler])
 AC_CACHE_VAL(grub_cv_check_edata_symbol,
-[AC_LINK_IFELSE([AC_LANG_PROGRAM([[]],
+[AC_LINK_IFELSE([AC_LANG_PROGRAM([[
+asm (".globl start; start:");
+void __main (void);
+void __main (void) {}
+int main (void);]],
 		[[asm ("incl edata")]])],
 		[grub_cv_check_edata_symbol=yes],
 		[grub_cv_check_edata_symbol=no])])
@@ -306,7 +317,11 @@ AC_MSG_RESULT([$grub_cv_check_edata_symbol])
 
 AC_MSG_CHECKING([if _edata is defined by the compiler])
 AC_CACHE_VAL(grub_cv_check_uscore_edata_symbol,
-[AC_LINK_IFELSE([AC_LANG_PROGRAM([[]],
+[AC_LINK_IFELSE([AC_LANG_PROGRAM([[
+asm (".globl start; start:");
+void __main (void);
+void __main (void) {}
+int main (void);]],
 		[[asm ("incl _edata")]])],
 		[grub_cv_check_uscore_edata_symbol=yes],
 		[grub_cv_check_uscore_edata_symbol=no])])
@@ -330,7 +345,11 @@ AC_DEFUN([grub_CHECK_END_SYMBOL],
 [AC_REQUIRE([AC_PROG_CC])
 AC_MSG_CHECKING([if end is defined by the compiler])
 AC_CACHE_VAL(grub_cv_check_end_symbol,
-[AC_LINK_IFELSE([AC_LANG_PROGRAM([[]],
+[AC_LINK_IFELSE([AC_LANG_PROGRAM([[
+asm (".globl start; start:");
+void __main (void);
+void __main (void) {}
+int main (void);]],
 		[[asm ("incl end")]])],
 		[grub_cv_check_end_symbol=yes],
 		[grub_cv_check_end_symbol=no])])
@@ -339,7 +358,11 @@ AC_MSG_RESULT([$grub_cv_check_end_symbol])
 
 AC_MSG_CHECKING([if _end is defined by the compiler])
 AC_CACHE_VAL(grub_cv_check_uscore_end_symbol,
-[AC_LINK_IFELSE([AC_LANG_PROGRAM([[]],
+[AC_LINK_IFELSE([AC_LANG_PROGRAM([[
+asm (".globl start; start:");
+void __main (void);
+void __main (void) {}
+int main (void);]],
 		[[asm ("incl _end")]])],
 		[grub_cv_check_uscore_end_symbol=yes],
 		[grub_cv_check_uscore_end_symbol=no])])
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index a4058a266..b7bc4f810 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -514,7 +514,12 @@ AC_CACHE_CHECK([which extra warnings work], [grub_cv_target_cc_w_extra_flags], [
   grub_cv_target_cc_w_extra_flags=
   for x in $EXTRA_WARN_FLAGS; do
       CFLAGS="$TARGET_CFLAGS $x -Werror"
-      AC_LINK_IFELSE([AC_LANG_PROGRAM([[]], [[]])], [flag=1], [flag=0])
+      AC_LINK_IFELSE([AC_LANG_PROGRAM([[
+asm (".globl start; start:");
+void __main (void);
+void __main (void) {}
+int main (void);
+]], [[]])], [flag=1], [flag=0])
       if test x$flag = x1 ; then
          grub_cv_target_cc_w_extra_flags="$grub_cv_target_cc_w_extra_flags $x"
       fi
@@ -959,7 +964,7 @@ CC="$TARGET_CC"
 if test "x$TARGET_APPLE_LINKER" = x1 ; then
 CFLAGS="$TARGET_CFLAGS -nostdlib -static -Wno-error"
 else
-CFLAGS="$TARGET_CFLAGS -nostdlib -Wl,--defsym,___main=0x8100 -Wno-error"
+CFLAGS="$TARGET_CFLAGS -nostdlib -Wno-error"
 fi
 CPPFLAGS="$TARGET_CPPFLAGS"
 if test x$target_cpu = xi386 || test x$target_cpu = xx86_64 || test "x$grub_cv_cc_target_clang" = xyes ; then
@@ -973,10 +978,11 @@ LIBS="$TARGET_LIBGCC"
 grub_ASM_USCORE
 if test "x$TARGET_APPLE_LINKER" = x0 ; then
 if test x$grub_cv_asm_uscore = xyes; then
-CFLAGS="$TARGET_CFLAGS -nostdlib -Wl,--defsym,_abort=_main"
+DEFSYM="-Wl,--defsym,_abort=_main -Wl,--defsym,__main=_main"
 else
-CFLAGS="$TARGET_CFLAGS -nostdlib -Wl,--defsym,abort=main"
+DEFSYM="-Wl,--defsym,abort=main -Wl,--defsym,_main=main -Wl,--defsym,__main=main"
 fi
+CFLAGS="$TARGET_CFLAGS -nostdlib $DEFSYM"
 fi
 
 # Check for libgcc symbols
@@ -985,7 +991,7 @@ AC_CHECK_FUNCS(__bswapsi2 __bswapdi2 __ashldi3 __ashrdi3 __lshrdi3 __ucmpdi2 _re
 if test "x$TARGET_APPLE_LINKER" = x1 ; then
 CFLAGS="$TARGET_CFLAGS -nostdlib -static"
 else
-CFLAGS="$TARGET_CFLAGS -nostdlib -Wl,--defsym,___main=0x8100"
+CFLAGS="$TARGET_CFLAGS -nostdlib"
 fi
 LIBS=""
 
@@ -999,7 +1005,7 @@ if test "x$target_cpu" = xi386; then
   if test "$platform" != emu && test "x$TARGET_APPLE_LINKER" != x1 ; then
     if test ! -z "$TARGET_IMG_LDSCRIPT"; then
       # Check symbols provided by linker script.
-      CFLAGS="$TARGET_CFLAGS -nostdlib ${TARGET_IMG_LDFLAGS_AC} ${TARGET_IMG_BASE_LDOPT},0x8000 -Wl,--defsym,___main=0x8100"
+      CFLAGS="$TARGET_CFLAGS -nostdlib ${TARGET_IMG_LDFLAGS_AC} ${TARGET_IMG_BASE_LDOPT},0x8000"
     fi
     grub_CHECK_BSS_START_SYMBOL
     grub_CHECK_END_SYMBOL