diff -urNp coreutils-8.1-orig/tests/test-lib.sh coreutils-8.1/tests/test-lib.sh
--- coreutils-8.1-orig/tests/test-lib.sh	2009-11-24 09:35:12.000000000 +0100
+++ coreutils-8.1/tests/test-lib.sh	2009-11-24 09:37:17.000000000 +0100
@@ -23,6 +23,31 @@ if test $? != 11; then
   Exit 77
 fi
 
+# Having an unsearchable directory in PATH causes execve to fail with EACCES
+# when applied to an unresolvable program name, contrary to the desired ENOENT.
+# Avoid the problem by rewriting PATH to exclude unsearchable directories.
+sanitize_path_()
+{
+ local saved_IFS=$IFS
+ IFS=:
+ set - $PATH
+ IFS=$saved_IFS
+
+ local d d1
+ local colon=
+ local new_path=
+ for d in "$@"; do
+ test -z "$d" && d1=. || d1=$d
+ if ls -d "$d1/." > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+ new_path="$new_path$colon$d"
+ colon=':'
+ fi
+ done
+
+ PATH=$new_path
+ export PATH
+}
+
 skip_test_()
 {
   echo "$0: skipping test: $@" | head -1 1>&9
@@ -396,5 +421,7 @@ else
   compare() { cmp "$@"; }
 fi
 
+sanitize_path_
+
 # Initialize; all bourne shell scripts end with "Exit $fail".
 fail=0