--- a/lib/util/become_daemon.c
+++ b/lib/util/become_daemon.c
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@
 {
 	pid_t newpid;
 	if (do_fork) {
-		newpid = fork();
+		newpid = -1;
 		if (newpid == -1) {
 			exit_daemon("Fork failed", errno);
 		}
--- a/lib/util/fault.c
+++ b/lib/util/fault.c
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@
 			}
 
 			DEBUG(0, ("smb_panic(): calling panic action [%s]\n", cmdstring));
-			result = system(cmdstring);
+			result = -1;
 
 			if (result == -1)
 				DEBUG(0, ("smb_panic(): fork failed in panic action: %s\n",
--- a/lib/util/sys_popen.c
+++ b/lib/util/sys_popen.c
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@
 		goto err_exit;
 	}
 
-	entry->child_pid = fork();
+	entry->child_pid = -1;
 
 	if (entry->child_pid == -1) {
 		DBG_ERR("fork failed: %s\n", strerror(errno));
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@
 		for (p = popen_chain; p; p = p->next)
 			close(p->fd);
 
-		ret = execv(argl[0], argl);
+		ret = -1;
 		if (ret == -1) {
 			DBG_ERR("ERROR executing command "
 			  "'%s': %s\n", command, strerror(errno));
--- a/lib/util/tfork.c
+++ b/lib/util/tfork.c
@@ -511,7 +511,7 @@
 	ready_pipe_worker_fd = p[0];
 	ready_pipe_caller_fd = p[1];
 
-	pid = fork();
+	pid = -1;
 	if (pid == -1) {
 		close(status_sp_caller_fd);
 		close(status_sp_waiter_fd);
@@ -580,7 +580,7 @@
 	close(event_pipe_caller_fd);
 	close(ready_pipe_caller_fd);
 
-	pid = fork();
+	pid = -1;
 	if (pid == -1) {
 		state->waiter_errno = errno;
 		_exit(0);
--- a/lib/util/util_runcmd.c
+++ b/lib/util/util_runcmd.c
@@ -261,7 +261,6 @@
 	}
 	va_end(ap);
 
-	(void)execvp(state->arg0, argv);
 	fprintf(stderr, "Failed to exec child - %s\n", strerror(errno));
 	_exit(255);
 	return NULL;
--- a/source3/lib/background.c
+++ b/source3/lib/background.c
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@
 		return;
 	}
 
-	res = fork();
+	res = -1;
 	if (res == -1) {
 		int err = errno;
 		close(fds[0]);
--- a/source3/lib/server_prefork.c
+++ b/source3/lib/server_prefork.c
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@
 		pfp->pool[i].allowed_clients = 1;
 		pfp->pool[i].started = now;
 
-		pid = fork();
+		pid = -1;
 		switch (pid) {
 		case -1:
 			DEBUG(1, ("Failed to prefork child n. %d !\n", i));
@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@
 		pfp->pool[i].allowed_clients = 1;
 		pfp->pool[i].started = now;
 
-		pid = fork();
+		pid = -1;
 		switch (pid) {
 		case -1:
 			DEBUG(1, ("Failed to prefork child n. %d !\n", j));
--- a/source3/lib/smbrun.c
+++ b/source3/lib/smbrun.c
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@
 
 	saved_handler = CatchChildLeaveStatus();
                                    	
-	if ((pid=fork()) < 0) {
+	if ((pid=-1) < 0) {
 		DEBUG(0,("smbrun: fork failed with error %s\n", strerror(errno) ));
 		(void)CatchSignal(SIGCLD, saved_handler);
 		if (outfd) {
@@ -193,15 +193,6 @@
 				exit(82);
 		}
 
-		if (env != NULL) {
-			execle("/bin/sh","sh","-c",
-				newcmd ? (const char *)newcmd : cmd, NULL,
-				env);
-		} else {
-			execl("/bin/sh","sh","-c",
-				newcmd ? (const char *)newcmd : cmd, NULL);
-		}
-
 		SAFE_FREE(newcmd);
 	}
 	
@@ -263,7 +254,7 @@
 
 	saved_handler = CatchChildLeaveStatus();
                                    	
-	if ((pid=fork()) < 0) {
+	if ((pid=-1) < 0) {
 		DEBUG(0, ("smbrunsecret: fork failed with error %s\n", strerror(errno)));
 		(void)CatchSignal(SIGCLD, saved_handler);
 		return errno;
@@ -346,8 +333,6 @@
 	   2 point to /dev/null from the startup code */
 	closefrom(3);
 
-	execl("/bin/sh", "sh", "-c", cmd, NULL);  
-
 	/* not reached */
 	exit(82);
 	return 1;
--- a/source3/lib/util.c
+++ b/source3/lib/util.c
@@ -695,7 +695,7 @@
 	cmd = lp_panic_action(talloc_tos(), lp_sub);
 	if (cmd && *cmd) {
 		DEBUG(0, ("smb_panic(): calling panic action [%s]\n", cmd));
-		result = system(cmd);
+		result = -1;
 
 		if (result == -1)
 			DEBUG(0, ("smb_panic(): fork failed in panic action: %s\n",
--- a/source4/heimdal/lib/roken/simple_exec.c
+++ b/source4/heimdal/lib/roken/simple_exec.c
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@
 	pipe(out_fd);
     if(stderr_fd != NULL)
 	pipe(err_fd);
-    pid = fork();
+    pid = -1;
     switch(pid) {
     case 0:
 	va_start(ap, file);
@@ -196,7 +196,6 @@
 
 	closefrom(3);
 
-	execv(file, argv);
 	exit((errno == ENOENT) ? EX_NOTFOUND : EX_NOEXEC);
     case -1:
 	if(stdin_fd != NULL) {
@@ -233,12 +232,11 @@
 simple_execvp_timed(const char *file, char *const args[],
 		    time_t (*func)(void *), void *ptr, time_t timeout)
 {
-    pid_t pid = fork();
+    pid_t pid = -1;
     switch(pid){
     case -1:
 	return SE_E_FORKFAILED;
     case 0:
-	execvp(file, args);
 	exit((errno == ENOENT) ? EX_NOTFOUND : EX_NOEXEC);
     default:
 	return wait_for_process_timed(pid, func, ptr, timeout);
@@ -256,12 +254,11 @@
 simple_execve_timed(const char *file, char *const args[], char *const envp[],
 		    time_t (*func)(void *), void *ptr, time_t timeout)
 {
-    pid_t pid = fork();
+    pid_t pid = -1;
     switch(pid){
     case -1:
 	return SE_E_FORKFAILED;
     case 0:
-	execve(file, args, envp);
 	exit((errno == ENOENT) ? EX_NOTFOUND : EX_NOEXEC);
     default:
 	return wait_for_process_timed(pid, func, ptr, timeout);
--- a/source4/libcli/resolve/dns_ex.c
+++ b/source4/libcli/resolve/dns_ex.c
@@ -620,7 +620,7 @@
 	}
 	tevent_fd_set_auto_close(state->fde);
 
-	state->child = fork();
+	state->child = -1;
 	if (state->child == (pid_t)-1) {
 		composite_error(c, map_nt_error_from_unix_common(errno));
 		return c;
--- a/tests/fcntl_lock.c
+++ b/tests/fcntl_lock.c
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@
 
 	alarm(10);
 
-	if (!(pid=fork())) {
+	if (!(pid=-1)) {
 		sleep(2);
 		fd = open(DATA, O_RDONLY);
 
--- a/third_party/popt/popt.c
+++ b/third_party/popt/popt.c
@@ -562,7 +562,7 @@
 #endif
 
 /*@-nullstate@*/
-    rc = execvp(argv[0], (char *const *)argv);
+    rc = -1;
 /*@=nullstate@*/
 
 exit: