diff --git a/mercurial/localrepo.py b/mercurial/localrepo.py
--- a/mercurial/localrepo.py
+++ b/mercurial/localrepo.py
@@ -505,16 +505,12 @@ class localrepository(repo.repository):
 
     def wwrite(self, filename, data, flags):
         data = self._filter("decode", filename, data)
-        if "l" in flags:
-            self.wopener.symlink(data, filename)
-        else:
-            try:
-                if self._link(filename):
-                    os.unlink(self.wjoin(filename))
-            except OSError:
-                pass
-            self.wopener(filename, 'w').write(data)
-            util.set_exec(self.wjoin(filename), "x" in flags)
+        try:
+            os.unlink(self.wjoin(filename))
+        except OSError:
+            pass
+        self.wopener(filename, 'w').write(data)
+        util.set_flags(self.wjoin(filename), flags)
 
     def wwritedata(self, filename, data):
         return self._filter("decode", filename, data)
diff --git a/tests/test-ro-message b/tests/test-ro-message
deleted file mode 100755
--- a/tests/test-ro-message
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,17 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/sh
-HG=hg
-"$HG" init
-mkdir b
-echo 'Bouncy' >b/bouncy
-echo 'tricycle' >b/vehicle
-"$HG" add b/bouncy
-"$HG" add b/vehicle
-"$HG" commit -m 'Adding bouncy'
-echo 'bouncy' >>b/bouncy
-"$HG" commit -m 'Making it bouncier'
-"$HG" update -C 0
-echo 'stationary' >>b/vehicle
-"$HG" commit -m 'Clarifying the vehicle.'
-"$HG" update -C 1
-chmod a-w b/vehicle
-"$HG" merge 2 2>&1 | sed 's|^\(.*[ 	]\).*/\([^/]*/[^/]*/[^/]*\)$|\1\2|g'
diff --git a/tests/test-ro-message.out b/tests/test-ro-message.out
deleted file mode 100644
--- a/tests/test-ro-message.out
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,3 +0,0 @@
-1 files updated, 0 files merged, 0 files removed, 0 files unresolved
-2 files updated, 0 files merged, 0 files removed, 0 files unresolved
-abort: Permission denied: test-ro-message/b/vehicle