diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 1471b35d96..cd17f3d65d 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -665,14 +665,6 @@ QEMU_INCLUDES="$QEMU_INCLUDES -iquote ${source_path}/disas/libvixl"
 CFLAGS="-std=gnu99 -Wall"
 
 
-# running configure in the source tree?
-# we know that's the case if configure is there.
-if test -f "./configure"; then
-    pwd_is_source_path="y"
-else
-    pwd_is_source_path="n"
-fi
-
 check_define() {
 cat > $TMPC <<EOF
 #if !defined($1)
@@ -4262,9 +4254,7 @@ EOF
       if test -d "${source_path}/dtc/libfdt" || test -e "${source_path}/.git" ; then
           fdt=git
           mkdir -p dtc
-          if [ "$pwd_is_source_path" != "y" ] ; then
-              symlink "$source_path/dtc/Makefile" "dtc/Makefile"
-          fi
+          symlink "$source_path/dtc/Makefile" "dtc/Makefile"
           fdt_cflags="-I${source_path}/dtc/libfdt"
           fdt_ldflags="-Ldtc/libfdt"
           fdt_libs="$fdt_libs"
@@ -8088,7 +8078,7 @@ do
 done
 mkdir -p $DIRS
 for f in $LINKS ; do
-    if [ -e "$source_path/$f" ] && [ "$pwd_is_source_path" != "y" ]; then
+    if [ -e "$source_path/$f" ]; then
         symlink "$source_path/$f" "$f"
     fi
 done