diff --git a/modules/system/boot/stage-2-init.sh b/modules/system/boot/stage-2-init.sh
index 3f76b165a27..0cc09caebba 100644
--- a/modules/system/boot/stage-2-init.sh
+++ b/modules/system/boot/stage-2-init.sh
@@ -27,9 +27,10 @@ setPath "@path@"
 # Mount special file systems.
 mkdir -m 0755 -p /etc
 test -e /etc/fstab || touch /etc/fstab # to shut up mount
+[ -s /etc/mtab ] && rm /etc/mtab # while installing a symlink is created (see man mount), if it's still there for whateever reason remove it
+rm -f /etc/mtab* # not that we care about stale locks
 mkdir -m 0755 -p /proc
 mount -n -t proc none /proc
-[ -s /etc/mtab ] && rm /etc/mtab # while installing a symlink is created (see man mount), if it's still there for whateever reason remove it
 
 rm -f /etc/mtab
 cat /proc/mounts > /etc/mtab