diff --git a/Lib/test/test_array.py b/Lib/test/test_array.py
index 7474a27207a..832f192b0a5 100755
--- a/Lib/test/test_array.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_array.py
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
    Roger E. Masse
 """
 import array
-from test_support import verbose
+from test_support import verbose, TESTFN, unlink
 
 def main():
 
@@ -12,10 +12,11 @@ def main():
     for type in (['b', 'h', 'i', 'l', 'f', 'd']):
 	testtype(type, 1)
 
+    unlink(TESTFN)
+
 
 def testtype(type, example):
 
-    
 	a = array.array(type)
 	a.append(example)
 	if verbose:
@@ -27,10 +28,14 @@ def testtype(type, example):
 	    a.byteswap()
 
 	if a.typecode == 'c':
-	    f = open('/etc/passwd', 'r')
+	    f = open(TESTFN, "w")
+	    f.write("The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.\n")
+	    f.close()
+	    f = open(TESTFN, 'r')
 	    a.fromfile(f, 10)
+	    f.close()
 	    if verbose:
-		print 'char array with 10 bytes of /etc/passwd appended: ', a
+		print 'char array with 10 bytes of TESTFN appended: ', a
 	    a.fromlist(['a', 'b', 'c'])
 	    if verbose:
 		print 'char array with list appended: ', a
@@ -38,8 +43,9 @@ def testtype(type, example):
 	a.insert(0, example)
 	if verbose:
 	    print 'array of %s after inserting another:' % a.typecode, a
-	f = open('/dev/null', 'w')
+	f = open(TESTFN, 'w')
 	a.tofile(f)
+	f.close()
 	a.tolist()
 	a.tostring()
 	if verbose:
@@ -48,5 +54,6 @@ def testtype(type, example):
 	    print 'array of %s converted to a string: ' \
 	           % a.typecode, a.tostring()
 
+
 main()