diff --git a/hgext/largefiles/lfutil.py b/hgext/largefiles/lfutil.py
--- a/hgext/largefiles/lfutil.py
+++ b/hgext/largefiles/lfutil.py
@@ -36,11 +36,7 @@ def reporemove(repo, list, unlink=False)
         try:
             if unlink:
                 for f in list:
-                    try:
-                        util.unlinkpath(repo.wjoin(f))
-                    except OSError, inst:
-                        if inst.errno != errno.ENOENT:
-                            raise
+                    util.unlinkpath(repo.wjoin(f), ignoremissing=True)
             repo[None].forget(list)
         finally:
             wlock.release()
diff --git a/hgext/mq.py b/hgext/mq.py
--- a/hgext/mq.py
+++ b/hgext/mq.py
@@ -1329,11 +1329,7 @@ class queue(object):
                 # created while patching
                 for f in all_files:
                     if f not in repo.dirstate:
-                        try:
-                            util.unlinkpath(repo.wjoin(f))
-                        except OSError, inst:
-                            if inst.errno != errno.ENOENT:
-                                raise
+                        util.unlinkpath(repo.wjoin(f), ignoremissing=True)
                 self.ui.warn(_('done\n'))
                 raise
 
@@ -1442,11 +1438,7 @@ class queue(object):
                 self.backup(repo, tobackup)
 
                 for f in a:
-                    try:
-                        util.unlinkpath(repo.wjoin(f))
-                    except OSError, e:
-                        if e.errno != errno.ENOENT:
-                            raise
+                    util.unlinkpath(repo.wjoin(f), ignoremissing=True)
                     repo.dirstate.drop(f)
                 for f in m + r:
                     fctx = ctx[f]
diff --git a/mercurial/commands.py b/mercurial/commands.py
--- a/mercurial/commands.py
+++ b/mercurial/commands.py
@@ -4957,11 +4957,7 @@ def remove(ui, repo, *pats, **opts):
             for f in list:
                 if f in added:
                     continue # we never unlink added files on remove
-                try:
-                    util.unlinkpath(repo.wjoin(f))
-                except OSError, inst:
-                    if inst.errno != errno.ENOENT:
-                        raise
+                util.unlinkpath(repo.wjoin(f), ignoremissing=True)
         repo[None].forget(list)
     finally:
         wlock.release()
diff --git a/mercurial/merge.py b/mercurial/merge.py
--- a/mercurial/merge.py
+++ b/mercurial/merge.py
@@ -382,11 +382,10 @@ def applyupdates(repo, action, wctx, mct
             if f == '.hgsubstate': # subrepo states need updating
                 subrepo.submerge(repo, wctx, mctx, wctx, overwrite)
             try:
-                util.unlinkpath(repo.wjoin(f))
+                util.unlinkpath(repo.wjoin(f), ignoremissing=True)
             except OSError, inst:
-                if inst.errno != errno.ENOENT:
-                    repo.ui.warn(_("update failed to remove %s: %s!\n") %
-                                 (f, inst.strerror))
+                repo.ui.warn(_("update failed to remove %s: %s!\n") %
+                             (f, inst.strerror))
             removed += 1
         elif m == "m": # merge
             if f == '.hgsubstate': # subrepo states need updating
diff --git a/mercurial/patch.py b/mercurial/patch.py
--- a/mercurial/patch.py
+++ b/mercurial/patch.py
@@ -439,11 +439,7 @@ class fsbackend(abstractbackend):
                 util.setflags(self._join(fname), False, True)
 
     def unlink(self, fname):
-        try:
-            util.unlinkpath(self._join(fname))
-        except OSError, inst:
-            if inst.errno != errno.ENOENT:
-                raise
+        util.unlinkpath(self._join(fname), ignoremissing=True)
 
     def writerej(self, fname, failed, total, lines):
         fname = fname + ".rej"
diff --git a/mercurial/posix.py b/mercurial/posix.py
--- a/mercurial/posix.py
+++ b/mercurial/posix.py
@@ -443,9 +443,13 @@ def termwidth():
 def makedir(path, notindexed):
     os.mkdir(path)
 
-def unlinkpath(f):
+def unlinkpath(f, ignoremissing=False):
     """unlink and remove the directory if it is empty"""
-    os.unlink(f)
+    try:
+        os.unlink(f)
+    except OSError, e:
+        if not (ignoremissing and e.errno == errno.ENOENT):
+            raise
     # try removing directories that might now be empty
     try:
         os.removedirs(os.path.dirname(f))
diff --git a/mercurial/windows.py b/mercurial/windows.py
--- a/mercurial/windows.py
+++ b/mercurial/windows.py
@@ -275,9 +275,13 @@ def _removedirs(name):
             break
         head, tail = os.path.split(head)
 
-def unlinkpath(f):
+def unlinkpath(f, ignoremissing=False):
     """unlink and remove the directory if it is empty"""
-    unlink(f)
+    try:
+        unlink(f)
+    except OSError, e:
+        if not (ignoremissing and e.errno == errno.ENOENT):
+            raise
     # try removing directories that might now be empty
     try:
         _removedirs(os.path.dirname(f))