diff --git a/compat/mingw.c b/compat/mingw.c
index d131092a6e..0df1a3d5ea 100644
--- a/compat/mingw.c
+++ b/compat/mingw.c
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 #include <shellapi.h>
 #include "../strbuf.h"
 #include "../cache.h"
+#include "../run-command.h"
 
 unsigned int _CRT_fmode = _O_BINARY;
 static const int delay[] = { 0, 1, 10, 20, 40 };
@@ -158,6 +159,54 @@ int mingw_mkdir(const char *path, int mode)
 	return ret;
 }
 
+static int ask_user_yes_no(const char *format, ...)
+{
+	char answer[5];
+	char question[4096];
+	const char *retry_hook[] = { NULL, NULL, NULL };
+	va_list args;
+
+	if ((retry_hook[0] = getenv("GIT_ASK_YESNO"))) {
+
+		va_start(args, format);
+		vsnprintf(question, sizeof(question), format, args);
+		va_end(args);
+
+		retry_hook[1] = question;
+		return !run_command_v_opt(retry_hook, 0);
+	}
+
+	if (!isatty(_fileno(stdin)))
+		return 0;
+
+	while (1) {
+		va_start(args, format);
+		vfprintf(stderr, format, args);
+		va_end(args);
+		fprintf(stderr, " (y/n)? ");
+
+		if (fgets(answer, sizeof(answer), stdin)) {
+			/* remove the newline */
+			if (answer[strlen(answer)-2] == '\r')
+				answer[strlen(answer)-2] = '\0';
+			if (answer[strlen(answer)-1] == '\n')
+				answer[strlen(answer)-1] = '\0';
+		} else
+			return 0;
+
+		if (answer[0] == 'y' && strlen(answer) == 1)
+			return 1;
+		if (!strncasecmp(answer, "yes", sizeof(answer)))
+			return 1;
+		if (answer[0] == 'n' && strlen(answer) == 1)
+			return 0;
+		if (!strncasecmp(answer, "no", sizeof(answer)))
+			return 0;
+		fprintf(stderr, "I did not understand your answer: '%s'\n",
+				answer);
+	}
+}
+
 #undef unlink
 int mingw_unlink(const char *pathname)
 {
@@ -178,6 +227,35 @@ int mingw_unlink(const char *pathname)
 		Sleep(delay[tries]);
 		tries++;
 	}
+	while (ret == -1 && errno == EACCES &&
+	       ask_user_yes_no("Unlink of file '%s' failed. "
+			"Should I try again?", pathname))
+	       ret = unlink(pathname);
+	return ret;
+}
+
+#undef rmdir
+int mingw_rmdir(const char *pathname)
+{
+    int ret, tries = 0;
+
+	while ((ret = rmdir(pathname)) == -1 && tries < ARRAY_SIZE(delay)) {
+		if (errno != EACCES)
+			break;
+		/*
+		 * We assume that some other process had the source or
+		 * destination file open at the wrong moment and retry.
+		 * In order to give the other process a higher chance to
+		 * complete its operation, we give up our time slice now.
+		 * If we have to retry again, we do sleep a bit.
+		 */
+		Sleep(delay[tries]);
+		tries++;
+	}
+	while (ret == -1 && errno == EACCES &&
+	       ask_user_yes_no("Deletion of directory '%s' failed. "
+			"Should I try again?", pathname))
+	       ret = rmdir(pathname);
 	return ret;
 }
 
@@ -1277,6 +1355,11 @@ repeat:
 		tries++;
 		goto repeat;
 	}
+	if (gle == ERROR_ACCESS_DENIED &&
+	       ask_user_yes_no("Rename from '%s' to '%s' failed. "
+		       "Should I try again?", pold, pnew))
+		goto repeat;
+
 	errno = EACCES;
 	return -1;
 }
diff --git a/compat/mingw.h b/compat/mingw.h
index f66c83166b..4650d8a882 100644
--- a/compat/mingw.h
+++ b/compat/mingw.h
@@ -170,6 +170,9 @@ int mingw_mkdir(const char *path, int mode);
 int mingw_unlink(const char *pathname);
 #define unlink mingw_unlink
 
+int mingw_rmdir(const char *path);
+#define rmdir mingw_rmdir
+
 int mingw_open (const char *filename, int oflags, ...);
 #define open mingw_open
 
diff --git a/git-gui/Makefile b/git-gui/Makefile
index 197b55edf3..7d8b54101d 100644
--- a/git-gui/Makefile
+++ b/git-gui/Makefile
@@ -289,6 +289,7 @@ install: all
 	$(QUIET)$(INSTALL_D0)'$(DESTDIR_SQ)$(gitexecdir_SQ)' $(INSTALL_D1)
 	$(QUIET)$(INSTALL_X0)git-gui $(INSTALL_X1) '$(DESTDIR_SQ)$(gitexecdir_SQ)'
 	$(QUIET)$(INSTALL_X0)git-gui--askpass $(INSTALL_X1) '$(DESTDIR_SQ)$(gitexecdir_SQ)'
+	$(QUIET)$(INSTALL_X0)git-gui--askyesno $(INSTALL_X1) '$(DESTDIR_SQ)$(gitexecdir_SQ)'
 	$(QUIET)$(foreach p,$(GITGUI_BUILT_INS), $(INSTALL_L0)'$(DESTDIR_SQ)$(gitexecdir_SQ)/$p' $(INSTALL_L1)'$(DESTDIR_SQ)$(gitexecdir_SQ)/git-gui' $(INSTALL_L2)'$(DESTDIR_SQ)$(gitexecdir_SQ)/$p' $(INSTALL_L3) &&) true
 ifdef GITGUI_WINDOWS_WRAPPER
 	$(QUIET)$(INSTALL_R0)git-gui.tcl $(INSTALL_R1) '$(DESTDIR_SQ)$(gitexecdir_SQ)'
@@ -307,6 +308,7 @@ uninstall:
 	$(QUIET)$(CLEAN_DST) '$(DESTDIR_SQ)$(gitexecdir_SQ)'
 	$(QUIET)$(REMOVE_F0)'$(DESTDIR_SQ)$(gitexecdir_SQ)'/git-gui $(REMOVE_F1)
 	$(QUIET)$(REMOVE_F0)'$(DESTDIR_SQ)$(gitexecdir_SQ)'/git-gui--askpass $(REMOVE_F1)
+	$(QUIET)$(REMOVE_F0)'$(DESTDIR_SQ)$(gitexecdir_SQ)'/git-gui--askyesno $(REMOVE_F1)
 	$(QUIET)$(foreach p,$(GITGUI_BUILT_INS), $(REMOVE_F0)'$(DESTDIR_SQ)$(gitexecdir_SQ)'/$p $(REMOVE_F1) &&) true
 ifdef GITGUI_WINDOWS_WRAPPER
 	$(QUIET)$(REMOVE_F0)'$(DESTDIR_SQ)$(gitexecdir_SQ)'/git-gui.tcl $(REMOVE_F1)
diff --git a/git-gui/git-gui--askyesno b/git-gui/git-gui--askyesno
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..2a6e6fd111
--- /dev/null
+++ b/git-gui/git-gui--askyesno
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+# Tcl ignores the next line -*- tcl -*- \
+exec wish "$0" -- "$@"
+
+# This is an implementation of a simple yes no dialog
+# which is injected into the git commandline by git gui
+# in case a yesno question needs to be answered.
+
+set NS {}
+set use_ttk [package vsatisfies [package provide Tk] 8.5]
+if {$use_ttk} {
+	set NS ttk
+}
+
+if {$argc < 1} {
+	puts stderr "Usage: $argv0 <question>"
+	exit 1
+} else {
+	set prompt [join $argv " "]
+}
+
+${NS}::frame .t
+${NS}::label .t.m -text $prompt -justify center -width 40
+.t.m configure -wraplength 400
+pack .t.m -side top -fill x -padx 20 -pady 20 -expand 1
+pack .t -side top -fill x -ipadx 20 -ipady 20 -expand 1
+
+${NS}::frame .b
+${NS}::frame .b.left -width 200
+${NS}::button .b.yes -text Yes -command yes
+${NS}::button .b.no  -text No  -command no
+
+
+pack .b.left -side left -expand 1 -fill x
+pack .b.yes -side left -expand 1
+pack .b.no -side right -expand 1 -ipadx 5
+pack .b -side bottom -fill x -ipadx 20 -ipady 15
+
+bind . <Key-Return> {exit 0}
+bind . <Key-Escape> {exit 1}
+
+proc no {} {
+	exit 1
+}
+
+proc yes {} {
+	exit 0
+}
+
+wm title . "Question?"
+tk::PlaceWindow .
diff --git a/git-gui/git-gui.sh b/git-gui/git-gui.sh
index 0e5cc89e6d..395cb2e35f 100755
--- a/git-gui/git-gui.sh
+++ b/git-gui/git-gui.sh
@@ -1115,6 +1115,9 @@ set have_tk85 [expr {[package vcompare $tk_version "8.5"] >= 0}]
 if {![info exists env(SSH_ASKPASS)]} {
 	set env(SSH_ASKPASS) [gitexec git-gui--askpass]
 }
+if {![info exists env(GIT_ASK_YESNO)]} {
+	set env(GIT_ASK_YESNO) [gitexec git-gui--askyesno]
+}
 
 ######################################################################
 ##