diff --git a/src/Makefile.am b/src/Makefile.am
index c639e37e3ee3b1907b986eb069eeb3bf0ce3daa1..b71e69485f37c69e6287ced1a34c2611de9a1250 100644
--- a/src/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/Makefile.am
@@ -3079,7 +3079,8 @@ if WITH_NETWORK
 	      $(DESTDIR)$(confdir)/qemu/networks/default.xml && \
 	    rm $(DESTDIR)$(confdir)/qemu/networks/default.xml.t; }
 	( cd $(DESTDIR)$(confdir)/qemu/networks/autostart && \
-	    $(LN_S) -f ../default.xml default.xml )
+	  rm -f default.xml && \
+	  $(LN_S) ../default.xml default.xml )
 endif WITH_NETWORK
 
 uninstall-local:: uninstall-init uninstall-systemd
diff --git a/tools/Makefile.am b/tools/Makefile.am
index e963b9116fa9dea819d424af8d5e057d58871fbd..c5a6a0de8730ed375d909347e8ed334484a50689 100644
--- a/tools/Makefile.am
+++ b/tools/Makefile.am
@@ -424,7 +424,8 @@ NSS_SO_VER = 1
 
 install-exec-hook:
 	( cd $(DESTDIR)$(libdir) && \
-	  $(LN_S) -f libnss_libvirt.so.$(NSS_SO_VER) nss_libvirt.so.$(NSS_SO_VER) )
+	  rm -f nss_libvirt.so.$(NSS_SO_VER) && \
+	  $(LN_S) libnss_libvirt.so.$(NSS_SO_VER) nss_libvirt.so.$(NSS_SO_VER) )
 
 uninstall-local:
 	-rm -f $(DESTDIR)$(libdir)/nss_libvirt.so.$(NSS_SO_VER)