diff --git a/src/os/linux/vm/os_linux.cpp b/src/os/linux/vm/os_linux.cpp
index 330e347a7e5fb0f4ea9d752e362879c7f4512dd4..5d34fc50c7d8b134255487f2d33f6f4e961ba9df 100644
--- a/src/os/linux/vm/os_linux.cpp
+++ b/src/os/linux/vm/os_linux.cpp
@@ -1610,10 +1610,9 @@ int os::current_process_id() {
 
 const char* os::dll_file_extension() { return ".so"; }
 
-const char* os::get_temp_directory() {
-  const char *prop = Arguments::get_property("java.io.tmpdir");
-  return prop == NULL ? "/tmp" : prop;
-}
+// This must be hard coded because it's the system's temporary
+// directory not the java application's temp directory, ala java.io.tmpdir.
+const char* os::get_temp_directory() { return "/tmp"; }
 
 static bool file_exists(const char* filename) {
   struct stat statbuf;
diff --git a/src/os/solaris/vm/os_solaris.cpp b/src/os/solaris/vm/os_solaris.cpp
index f6f816cf3adcb4f6c934d69e70a2f9ce326b2afb..80c7c4d50581ac1b6e9aea2c23e090a4eb92f4ae 100644
--- a/src/os/solaris/vm/os_solaris.cpp
+++ b/src/os/solaris/vm/os_solaris.cpp
@@ -1884,10 +1884,9 @@ void os::set_error_file(const char *logfile) {}
 
 const char* os::dll_file_extension() { return ".so"; }
 
-const char* os::get_temp_directory() {
-  const char *prop = Arguments::get_property("java.io.tmpdir");
-  return prop == NULL ? "/tmp" : prop;
-}
+// This must be hard coded because it's the system's temporary
+// directory not the java application's temp directory, ala java.io.tmpdir.
+const char* os::get_temp_directory() { return "/tmp"; }
 
 static bool file_exists(const char* filename) {
   struct stat statbuf;
diff --git a/src/os/windows/vm/os_windows.cpp b/src/os/windows/vm/os_windows.cpp
index 0422063c50e949f37c8771860cbcc64c086d239a..2eeb3d3339297bbd41c8261d41a2c2700c00944b 100644
--- a/src/os/windows/vm/os_windows.cpp
+++ b/src/os/windows/vm/os_windows.cpp
@@ -1044,9 +1044,9 @@ os::closedir(DIR *dirp)
     return 0;
 }
 
+// This must be hard coded because it's the system's temporary
+// directory not the java application's temp directory, ala java.io.tmpdir.
 const char* os::get_temp_directory() {
-  const char *prop = Arguments::get_property("java.io.tmpdir");
-  if (prop != 0) return prop;
   static char path_buf[MAX_PATH];
   if (GetTempPath(MAX_PATH, path_buf)>0)
     return path_buf;
diff --git a/src/share/vm/utilities/vmError.cpp b/src/share/vm/utilities/vmError.cpp
index 4b8e055d4964b2efce151fc4bda6d9cc59ff6f79..662e5a7c91a80c14a5c8c7a3b4cd95bd00b08d14 100644
--- a/src/share/vm/utilities/vmError.cpp
+++ b/src/share/vm/utilities/vmError.cpp
@@ -874,11 +874,13 @@ void VMError::report_and_die() {
       }
 
       if (fd == -1) {
-        // try temp directory
         const char * tmpdir = os::get_temp_directory();
-        jio_snprintf(buffer, sizeof(buffer), "%s%shs_err_pid%u.log",
-                     tmpdir, os::file_separator(), os::current_process_id());
-        fd = open(buffer, O_WRONLY | O_CREAT | O_TRUNC, 0666);
+        // try temp directory if it exists.
+        if (tmpdir != NULL && tmpdir[0] != '\0') {
+          jio_snprintf(buffer, sizeof(buffer), "%s%shs_err_pid%u.log",
+                       tmpdir, os::file_separator(), os::current_process_id());
+          fd = open(buffer, O_WRONLY | O_CREAT | O_TRUNC, 0666);
+        }
       }
 
       if (fd != -1) {