diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index a52a998a1..5b3cf5b4d 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -476,6 +476,11 @@ EXTRA_DIST += ChangeLog ChangeLog-2015
 
 syslinux_test: $(top_builddir)/config.status tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04_grub.cfg
 
+# Mimic simplify_filename from grub-core/lib/syslinux_parse.c, so that we
+# can predict its behaviour in tests.  We have to pre-substitute this before
+# calling config.status, as config.status offers no reliable way to hook in
+# a command between setting ac_abs_top_srcdir and emitting output files.
 tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04_grub.cfg: $(top_builddir)/config.status tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04_grub.cfg.in
-	(for x in tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04_grub.cfg.in ; do cat $(srcdir)/"$$x"; done) | $(top_builddir)/config.status --file=$@:-
+	simplified_abs_top_srcdir=`echo "$(abs_top_srcdir)" | sed 's,//,/,g; s,/\./,/,g; :loop; s,/[^/][^/]*/\.\.\(/\|$$\),\1,; t loop'`; \
+	sed "s,@simplified_abs_top_srcdir@,$$simplified_abs_top_srcdir,g" $(srcdir)/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04_grub.cfg.in | $(top_builddir)/config.status --file=$@:-
 CLEANFILES += tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04_grub.cfg
diff --git a/grub-core/lib/syslinux_parse.c b/grub-core/lib/syslinux_parse.c
index c96d85ee5..4afa99279 100644
--- a/grub-core/lib/syslinux_parse.c
+++ b/grub-core/lib/syslinux_parse.c
@@ -807,6 +807,10 @@ print_file (struct output_buffer *outbuf,
   return print_escaped (outbuf, from, to);
 }
 
+/*
+ * Makefile.am mimics this when generating tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04_grub.cfg,
+ * so changes here may need to be reflected there too.
+ */
 static void
 simplify_filename (char *str)
 {
diff --git a/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04_grub.cfg.in b/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04_grub.cfg.in
index 846e4acf0..441dec045 100644
--- a/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04_grub.cfg.in
+++ b/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04_grub.cfg.in
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ menuentry 'Test memory' --hotkey 'm' --id 'memtest' {
   linux$linux_suffix '/'/'/install/mt86plus' 
 }
 menuentry 'Boot from first hard disk' --hotkey 'b' --id 'hd' {
-# File (host)/@abs_top_srcdir@/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04/isolinux/gtk.cfg not found
+# File (host)/@simplified_abs_top_srcdir@/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04/isolinux/gtk.cfg not found
   # UNSUPPORTED command 'menu begin advanced'
   # UNSUPPORTED command 'menu title Advanced options'
   # UNSUPPORTED command 'menu color title	* #FFFFFFFF *'
@@ -63,14 +63,14 @@ menuentry 'Boot from first hard disk' --hotkey 'b' --id 'hd' {
 }
 menuentry 'Back..' --hotkey 'b' --id 'mainmenu' {
   # UNSUPPORTED command 'menu exit'
-# File (host)/@abs_top_srcdir@/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04/isolinux/adgtk.cfg not found
+# File (host)/@simplified_abs_top_srcdir@/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04/isolinux/adgtk.cfg not found
   # UNSUPPORTED command 'menu end'
   # UNSUPPORTED entry type 0
 true;
 }
 menuentry 'Help' --hotkey 'h' --id 'help' {
   # UNSUPPORTED command 'ui gfxboot bootlogo'
-#'@abs_top_srcdir@/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04/isolinux'/'prompt.cfg' (host)@abs_top_srcdir@/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04/isolinux/prompt.cfg:
+#'@abs_top_srcdir@/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04/isolinux'/'prompt.cfg' (host)@simplified_abs_top_srcdir@/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04/isolinux/prompt.cfg:
   background_image '@abs_top_srcdir@/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04/isolinux/'/'splash.png'
   # UNSUPPORTED command 'display f1.txt'
   # UNSUPPORTED command 'menu hshift 13'
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ menuentry 'Test memory' --hotkey 'm' --id 'memtest' {
   linux$linux_suffix '/'/'/install/mt86plus' 
 }
 menuentry 'Boot from first hard disk' --hotkey 'b' --id 'hd' {
-# File (host)/@abs_top_srcdir@/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04/isolinux//gtk.cfg not found
+# File (host)/@simplified_abs_top_srcdir@/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04/isolinux//gtk.cfg not found
   # UNSUPPORTED command 'menu begin advanced'
   # UNSUPPORTED command 'menu title Advanced options'
   # UNSUPPORTED command 'menu color title	* #FFFFFFFF *'
@@ -136,13 +136,13 @@ menuentry 'Boot from first hard disk' --hotkey 'b' --id 'hd' {
 }
 menuentry 'Back..' --hotkey 'b' --id 'mainmenu' {
   # UNSUPPORTED command 'menu exit'
-# File (host)/@abs_top_srcdir@/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04/isolinux//adgtk.cfg not found
+# File (host)/@simplified_abs_top_srcdir@/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04/isolinux//adgtk.cfg not found
   # UNSUPPORTED command 'menu end'
   # UNSUPPORTED entry type 0
 true;
 }
 menuentry 'Help' --hotkey 'h' --id 'help' {
-#'@abs_top_srcdir@/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04/isolinux/'/'prompt.cfg' (host)@abs_top_srcdir@/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04/isolinux/prompt.cfg:
+#'@abs_top_srcdir@/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04/isolinux/'/'prompt.cfg' (host)@simplified_abs_top_srcdir@/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04/isolinux/prompt.cfg:
   syslinux_configfile -r '/'/'/' -c '@abs_top_srcdir@/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04/isolinux/'/'' '@abs_top_srcdir@/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04/isolinux/'/'prompt.cfg'
 }
 menuentry 'menu' --id 'menu' {
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ menuentry 'menu' --id 'menu' {
   # UNSUPPORTED command 'f8 f8.txt'
   # UNSUPPORTED command 'f9 f9.txt'
   # UNSUPPORTED command 'f0 f10.txt'
-#'@abs_top_srcdir@/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04/isolinux/'/'isolinux.cfg' (host)@abs_top_srcdir@/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04/isolinux/isolinux.cfg:
+#'@abs_top_srcdir@/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04/isolinux/'/'isolinux.cfg' (host)@simplified_abs_top_srcdir@/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04/isolinux/isolinux.cfg:
   background_image '@abs_top_srcdir@/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04/isolinux//'/'splash.png'
 # D-I config version 2.0
   # UNSUPPORTED command 'menu hshift 13'
@@ -200,7 +200,7 @@ menuentry 'Test memory' --hotkey 'm' --id 'memtest' {
   linux$linux_suffix '/'/'/install/mt86plus' 
 }
 menuentry 'Boot from first hard disk' --hotkey 'b' --id 'hd' {
-# File (host)/@abs_top_srcdir@/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04/isolinux///gtk.cfg not found
+# File (host)/@simplified_abs_top_srcdir@/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04/isolinux///gtk.cfg not found
   # UNSUPPORTED command 'menu begin advanced'
   # UNSUPPORTED command 'menu title Advanced options'
   # UNSUPPORTED command 'menu color title	* #FFFFFFFF *'
@@ -222,14 +222,14 @@ menuentry 'Boot from first hard disk' --hotkey 'b' --id 'hd' {
 }
 menuentry 'Back..' --hotkey 'b' --id 'mainmenu' {
   # UNSUPPORTED command 'menu exit'
-# File (host)/@abs_top_srcdir@/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04/isolinux///adgtk.cfg not found
+# File (host)/@simplified_abs_top_srcdir@/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04/isolinux///adgtk.cfg not found
   # UNSUPPORTED command 'menu end'
   # UNSUPPORTED entry type 0
 true;
 }
 menuentry 'Help' --hotkey 'h' --id 'help' {
   # UNSUPPORTED command 'ui gfxboot bootlogo'
-#'@abs_top_srcdir@/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04/isolinux//'/'prompt.cfg' (host)@abs_top_srcdir@/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04/isolinux/prompt.cfg:
+#'@abs_top_srcdir@/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04/isolinux//'/'prompt.cfg' (host)@simplified_abs_top_srcdir@/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04/isolinux/prompt.cfg:
   syslinux_configfile -r '/'/'/' -c '@abs_top_srcdir@/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04/isolinux//'/'' '@abs_top_srcdir@/tests/syslinux/ubuntu10.04/isolinux//'/'prompt.cfg'
 }
 }