diff --git a/tests/roots/test-root/autodoc.txt b/tests/roots/test-root/autodoc.txt
index 39d9dd5a7..959ab2d67 100644
--- a/tests/roots/test-root/autodoc.txt
+++ b/tests/roots/test-root/autodoc.txt
@@ -3,8 +3,6 @@ Autodoc tests
 
 Just testing a few autodoc possibilities...
 
-.. automodule:: util
-
 .. automodule:: autodoc_target
    :members:
 
@@ -28,12 +26,6 @@ Just testing a few autodoc possibilities...
    :members:
 
 
-.. automodule:: autodoc_fodder
-   :noindex:
-
-   .. autoclass:: MarkupError
-
-
 .. currentmodule:: autodoc_target
 
 .. autoclass:: InstAttCls
diff --git a/tests/roots/test-root/autodoc_fodder.py b/tests/roots/test-root/autodoc_fodder.py
deleted file mode 100644
index e5fd74139..000000000
--- a/tests/roots/test-root/autodoc_fodder.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,7 +0,0 @@
-
-class MarkupError(object):
-    """
-    .. note:: This is a docstring with a
-    small markup error which should have
-    correct location information.
-    """
diff --git a/tests/roots/test-root/images.txt b/tests/roots/test-root/images.txt
index 55bc6f61c..1dc591a02 100644
--- a/tests/roots/test-root/images.txt
+++ b/tests/roots/test-root/images.txt
@@ -4,9 +4,6 @@ Sphinx image handling
 .. first, a simple test with direct filename
 .. image:: img.png
 
-.. a non-existing image with direct filename
-.. image:: foo.png
-
 .. an image with path name (relative to this directory!)
 .. image:: subdir/img.png
    :height: 100
diff --git a/tests/roots/test-root/includes.txt b/tests/roots/test-root/includes.txt
index e921a966c..5deec9864 100644
--- a/tests/roots/test-root/includes.txt
+++ b/tests/roots/test-root/includes.txt
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ Testing downloadable files
 
 Download :download:`img.png` here.
 Download :download:`this <subdir/img.png>` there.
-Don't download :download:`this <nonexisting.png>`.
 
 Test file and literal inclusion
 ===============================
diff --git a/tests/roots/test-root/subdir/include.inc b/tests/roots/test-root/subdir/include.inc
index 1211300c2..d89275d1d 100644
--- a/tests/roots/test-root/subdir/include.inc
+++ b/tests/roots/test-root/subdir/include.inc
@@ -2,4 +2,4 @@
 
 .. Paths in included files are relative to the file that
    includes them
-.. image:: ../root/img.png
+.. image:: subdir/img.png
diff --git a/tests/test_builder.py b/tests/test_builder.py
index 09c64ab86..35197a8ef 100644
--- a/tests/test_builder.py
+++ b/tests/test_builder.py
@@ -10,11 +10,12 @@
 import pytest
 
 
-@pytest.mark.sphinx('dummy', srcdir="test_builder")
+@pytest.mark.sphinx('dummy', srcdir="test_builder", freshenv=True)
 def test_incremental_reading(app):
     # first reading
     updated = app.builder.read()
     assert set(updated) == app.env.found_docs == set(app.env.all_docs)
+    assert updated == sorted(updated)  # sorted by alphanumeric
 
     # test if exclude_patterns works ok
     assert 'subdir/excluded' not in app.env.found_docs
@@ -27,29 +28,20 @@ def test_incremental_reading(app):
     # second reading
     updated = app.builder.read()
 
-    # "includes" and "images" are in there because they contain references
-    # to nonexisting downloadable or image files, which are given another
-    # chance to exist
-    assert set(updated) == set(['index', 'new', 'includes', 'images'])
+    assert set(updated) == set(['index', 'new'])
     assert 'autodoc' not in app.env.all_docs
     assert 'autodoc' not in app.env.found_docs
 
 
-@pytest.mark.sphinx('dummy')
-def test_env_read_docs(app):
-    """By default, docnames are read in alphanumeric order"""
-    def on_env_read_docs_1(app, env, docnames):
-        pass
+@pytest.mark.sphinx('dummy', testroot='warnings', freshenv=True)
+def test_incremental_reading_for_missing_files(app):
+    # first reading
+    updated = app.builder.read()
+    assert set(updated) == app.env.found_docs == set(app.env.all_docs)
 
-    app.connect('env-before-read-docs', on_env_read_docs_1)
+    # second reading
+    updated = app.builder.read()
 
-    read_docnames = app.builder.read()
-    assert len(read_docnames) > 2 and read_docnames == sorted(read_docnames)
-
-    def on_env_read_docs_2(app, env, docnames):
-        docnames.remove('images')
-
-    app.connect('env-before-read-docs', on_env_read_docs_2)
-
-    read_docnames = app.builder.read()
-    assert len(read_docnames) == 2
+    # "index" is listed up to updated because it contains references
+    # to nonexisting downloadable or image files
+    assert set(updated) == set(['index'])
diff --git a/tests/test_environment.py b/tests/test_environment.py
index 0226e43b8..df0aa20b0 100644
--- a/tests/test_environment.py
+++ b/tests/test_environment.py
@@ -17,8 +17,6 @@ from sphinx.testing.comparer import PathComparer
 @pytest.mark.sphinx('dummy')
 def test_images(app):
     app.build()
-    assert ('image file not readable: foo.png'
-            in app._warning.getvalue())
 
     tree = app.env.get_doctree('images')
     htmlbuilder = StandaloneHTMLBuilder(app)
diff --git a/tests/test_ext_apidoc.py b/tests/test_ext_apidoc.py
index 5bcbb3cc4..3f5f367c4 100644
--- a/tests/test_ext_apidoc.py
+++ b/tests/test_ext_apidoc.py
@@ -49,7 +49,6 @@ def apidoc_params(request):
 def test_simple(make_app, apidoc):
     outdir = apidoc.outdir
     assert (outdir / 'conf.py').isfile()
-    assert (outdir / 'autodoc_fodder.rst').isfile()
     assert (outdir / 'index.rst').isfile()
 
     app = make_app('text', srcdir=outdir)
@@ -273,7 +272,6 @@ def test_excludes_module_should_not_be_skipped(apidoc):
 def test_multibyte_parameters(make_app, apidoc):
     outdir = apidoc.outdir
     assert (outdir / 'conf.py').isfile()
-    assert (outdir / 'autodoc_fodder.rst').isfile()
     assert (outdir / 'index.rst').isfile()
 
     conf_py = (outdir / 'conf.py').text()