diff --git a/tests/qtest/migration-test.c b/tests/qtest/migration-test.c
index 0f80dbfe80..eb6a11e758 100644
--- a/tests/qtest/migration-test.c
+++ b/tests/qtest/migration-test.c
@@ -111,14 +111,47 @@ static char *bootpath;
 #include "tests/migration/aarch64/a-b-kernel.h"
 #include "tests/migration/s390x/a-b-bios.h"
 
-static void init_bootfile(void *content, size_t len)
+static void bootfile_create(char *dir)
 {
+    const char *arch = qtest_get_arch();
+    unsigned char *content;
+    size_t len;
+
+    bootpath = g_strdup_printf("%s/bootsect", dir);
+    if (strcmp(arch, "i386") == 0 || strcmp(arch, "x86_64") == 0) {
+        /* the assembled x86 boot sector should be exactly one sector large */
+        g_assert(sizeof(x86_bootsect) == 512);
+        content = x86_bootsect;
+        len = sizeof(x86_bootsect);
+    } else if (g_str_equal(arch, "s390x")) {
+        content = s390x_elf;
+        len = sizeof(s390x_elf);
+    } else if (strcmp(arch, "ppc64") == 0) {
+        /*
+         * sane architectures can be programmed at the boot prompt
+         */
+        return;
+    } else if (strcmp(arch, "aarch64") == 0) {
+        content = aarch64_kernel;
+        len = sizeof(aarch64_kernel);
+        g_assert(sizeof(aarch64_kernel) <= ARM_TEST_MAX_KERNEL_SIZE);
+    } else {
+        g_assert_not_reached();
+    }
+
     FILE *bootfile = fopen(bootpath, "wb");
 
     g_assert_cmpint(fwrite(content, len, 1, bootfile), ==, 1);
     fclose(bootfile);
 }
 
+static void bootfile_delete(void)
+{
+    unlink(bootpath);
+    g_free(bootpath);
+    bootpath = NULL;
+}
+
 /*
  * Wait for some output in the serial output file,
  * we get an 'A' followed by an endless string of 'B's
@@ -622,15 +655,11 @@ static int test_migrate_start(QTestState **from, QTestState **to,
     got_src_stop = false;
     got_dst_resume = false;
     if (strcmp(arch, "i386") == 0 || strcmp(arch, "x86_64") == 0) {
-        /* the assembled x86 boot sector should be exactly one sector large */
-        assert(sizeof(x86_bootsect) == 512);
-        init_bootfile(x86_bootsect, sizeof(x86_bootsect));
         memory_size = "150M";
         arch_opts = g_strdup_printf("-drive file=%s,format=raw", bootpath);
         start_address = X86_TEST_MEM_START;
         end_address = X86_TEST_MEM_END;
     } else if (g_str_equal(arch, "s390x")) {
-        init_bootfile(s390x_elf, sizeof(s390x_elf));
         memory_size = "128M";
         arch_opts = g_strdup_printf("-bios %s", bootpath);
         start_address = S390_TEST_MEM_START;
@@ -645,14 +674,11 @@ static int test_migrate_start(QTestState **from, QTestState **to,
                                       "until'", end_address, start_address);
         arch_opts = g_strdup("-nodefaults -machine vsmt=8");
     } else if (strcmp(arch, "aarch64") == 0) {
-        init_bootfile(aarch64_kernel, sizeof(aarch64_kernel));
         memory_size = "150M";
         arch_opts = g_strdup_printf("-machine virt,gic-version=max -cpu max "
                                     "-kernel %s", bootpath);
         start_address = ARM_TEST_MEM_START;
         end_address = ARM_TEST_MEM_END;
-
-        g_assert(sizeof(aarch64_kernel) <= ARM_TEST_MAX_KERNEL_SIZE);
     } else {
         g_assert_not_reached();
     }
@@ -2493,9 +2519,6 @@ static QTestState *dirtylimit_start_vm(void)
     const char *arch = qtest_get_arch();
 
     assert((strcmp(arch, "x86_64") == 0));
-    assert(sizeof(x86_bootsect) == 512);
-    init_bootfile(x86_bootsect, sizeof(x86_bootsect));
-
     cmd = g_strdup_printf("-accel kvm,dirty-ring-size=4096 "
                           "-name dirtylimit-test,debug-threads=on "
                           "-m 150M -smp 1 "
@@ -2671,7 +2694,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
                        g_get_tmp_dir(), err->message);
     }
     g_assert(tmpfs);
-    bootpath = g_strdup_printf("%s/bootsect", tmpfs);
+    bootfile_create(tmpfs);
 
     module_call_init(MODULE_INIT_QOM);
 
@@ -2815,8 +2838,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 
     g_assert_cmpint(ret, ==, 0);
 
-    cleanup("bootsect");
-    g_free(bootpath);
+    bootfile_delete();
     ret = rmdir(tmpfs);
     if (ret != 0) {
         g_test_message("unable to rmdir: path (%s): %s",
