diff --git a/meta/classes/imagetest-qemu.bbclass b/meta/classes/imagetest-qemu.bbclass
index 25304de5ef..18798e025c 100644
--- a/meta/classes/imagetest-qemu.bbclass
+++ b/meta/classes/imagetest-qemu.bbclass
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ def qemuimagetest_main(d):
         os.environ["DISPLAY"] = bb.data.getVar("DISPLAY", d, True)
         os.environ["COREBASE"] = bb.data.getVar("COREBASE", d, True)
         os.environ["TOPDIR"] = bb.data.getVar("TOPDIR", d, True)
+        os.environ["TMPDIR"] = bb.data.getVar("TMPDIR", d, True)
         os.environ["TEST_STATUS"] = bb.data.getVar("TEST_STATUS", d, True)
         os.environ["TARGET_IPSAVE"] = bb.data.getVar("TARGET_IPSAVE", d, True)
         os.environ["TEST_SERIALIZE"] = bb.data.getVar("TEST_SERIALIZE", d, True)
diff --git a/scripts/qemuimage-testlib b/scripts/qemuimage-testlib
index c2dbf6027f..9ffaa7c785 100755
--- a/scripts/qemuimage-testlib
+++ b/scripts/qemuimage-testlib
@@ -457,6 +457,7 @@ Test_Create_Qemu()
 		timeout=50
 	else
 		rm -rf $TEST_ROOTFS_IMAGE
+		echo "Copying rootfs $ROOTFS_IMAGE to $TEST_ROOTFS_IMAGE"
 		$CP $ROOTFS_IMAGE $TEST_ROOTFS_IMAGE
 		if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
 			Test_Info "Image ${ROOTFS_IMAGE} copy to ${TEST_ROOTFS_IMAGE} failed, return fail"
@@ -466,8 +467,8 @@ Test_Create_Qemu()
 		export MACHINE=$QEMUARCH
 
 		# Create Qemu in localhost VNC Port 1
-		echo "Running xterm -display ${DISPLAY} -e 'BUILDDIR=${TOPDIR} ${RUNQEMU} ${KERNEL} ${TEST_ROOTFS_IMAGE}' &"
-	    	xterm -display ${DISPLAY} -e "BUILDDIR=${TOPDIR} ${RUNQEMU} ${KERNEL} ${TEST_ROOTFS_IMAGE}" &
+		echo "Running xterm -display ${DISPLAY} -e 'TMPDIR=${TMPDIR} ${RUNQEMU} ${KERNEL} ${TEST_ROOTFS_IMAGE} && /bin/sleep 60' &"
+	    	xterm -display ${DISPLAY} -e "TMPDIR=${TMPDIR} ${RUNQEMU} ${KERNEL} ${TEST_ROOTFS_IMAGE} && /bin/sleep 60" &
 	
 		# Get the pid of the xterm processor, which will be used in Test_Kill_Qemu
 		PID=$!
diff --git a/scripts/runqemu b/scripts/runqemu
index 74938f7404..364fa1cb14 100755
--- a/scripts/runqemu
+++ b/scripts/runqemu
@@ -55,8 +55,6 @@ SCRIPT_QEMU_OPT=""
 SCRIPT_QEMU_EXTRA_OPT=""
 SCRIPT_KERNEL_OPT=""
 
-TMPDIR=""
-
 # Determine whether the file is a kernel or QEMU image, and set the
 # appropriate variables
 process_filename() {