diff --git a/src/backend/access/transam/xlog.c b/src/backend/access/transam/xlog.c
index b732a9d76f..5bebf99c39 100644
--- a/src/backend/access/transam/xlog.c
+++ b/src/backend/access/transam/xlog.c
@@ -807,7 +807,7 @@ static bool XLogCheckpointNeeded(XLogSegNo new_segno);
 static void XLogWrite(XLogwrtRqst WriteRqst, bool flexible);
 static bool InstallXLogFileSegment(XLogSegNo *segno, char *tmppath,
 					   bool find_free, XLogSegNo max_segno,
-					   bool use_lock);
+					   bool use_lock, int elevel);
 static int XLogFileRead(XLogSegNo segno, int emode, TimeLineID tli,
 			 int source, bool notexistOk);
 static int	XLogFileReadAnyTLI(XLogSegNo segno, int emode, int source);
@@ -3012,7 +3012,7 @@ XLogFileInit(XLogSegNo logsegno, bool *use_existent, bool use_lock)
 	max_segno = logsegno + CheckPointSegments;
 	if (!InstallXLogFileSegment(&installed_segno, tmppath,
 								*use_existent, max_segno,
-								use_lock))
+								use_lock, LOG))
 	{
 		/*
 		 * No need for any more future segments, or InstallXLogFileSegment()
@@ -3041,18 +3041,16 @@ XLogFileInit(XLogSegNo logsegno, bool *use_existent, bool use_lock)
 /*
  * Copy a WAL segment file in pg_xlog directory.
  *
- * dstfname		destination filename
  * srcfname		source filename
  * upto			how much of the source file to copy? (the rest is filled with
  *				zeros)
+ * segno		identify segment to install.
  *
- * If dstfname is not given, the file is created with a temporary filename,
- * which is returned.  Both filenames are relative to the pg_xlog directory.
- *
- * NB: Any existing file with the same name will be overwritten!
+ * The file is first copied with a temporary filename, and then installed as
+ * a newly-created segment.
  */
-static char *
-XLogFileCopy(char *dstfname, char *srcfname, int upto)
+static void
+XLogFileCopy(char *srcfname, int upto, XLogSegNo segno)
 {
 	char		srcpath[MAXPGPATH];
 	char		tmppath[MAXPGPATH];
@@ -3150,25 +3148,9 @@ XLogFileCopy(char *dstfname, char *srcfname, int upto)
 
 	CloseTransientFile(srcfd);
 
-	/*
-	 * Now move the segment into place with its final name.  (Or just return
-	 * the path to the file we created, if the caller wants to handle the rest
-	 * on its own.)
-	 */
-	if (dstfname)
-	{
-		char		dstpath[MAXPGPATH];
-
-		snprintf(dstpath, MAXPGPATH, XLOGDIR "/%s", dstfname);
-		if (rename(tmppath, dstpath) < 0)
-			ereport(ERROR,
-					(errcode_for_file_access(),
-					 errmsg("could not rename file \"%s\" to \"%s\": %m",
-							tmppath, dstpath)));
-		return NULL;
-	}
-	else
-		return pstrdup(tmppath);
+	/* install the new file */
+	(void) InstallXLogFileSegment(&segno, tmppath, false,
+								  0, false, ERROR);
 }
 
 /*
@@ -3195,6 +3177,8 @@ XLogFileCopy(char *dstfname, char *srcfname, int upto)
  * place.  This should be TRUE except during bootstrap log creation.  The
  * caller must *not* hold the lock at call.
  *
+ * elevel: log level used by this routine.
+ *
  * Returns TRUE if the file was installed successfully.  FALSE indicates that
  * max_segno limit was exceeded, or an error occurred while renaming the
  * file into place.
@@ -3202,7 +3186,7 @@ XLogFileCopy(char *dstfname, char *srcfname, int upto)
 static bool
 InstallXLogFileSegment(XLogSegNo *segno, char *tmppath,
 					   bool find_free, XLogSegNo max_segno,
-					   bool use_lock)
+					   bool use_lock, int elevel)
 {
 	char		path[MAXPGPATH];
 	struct stat stat_buf;
@@ -3247,7 +3231,7 @@ InstallXLogFileSegment(XLogSegNo *segno, char *tmppath,
 	{
 		if (use_lock)
 			LWLockRelease(ControlFileLock);
-		ereport(LOG,
+		ereport(elevel,
 				(errcode_for_file_access(),
 				 errmsg("could not link file \"%s\" to \"%s\" (initialization of log file): %m",
 						tmppath, path)));
@@ -3259,7 +3243,7 @@ InstallXLogFileSegment(XLogSegNo *segno, char *tmppath,
 	{
 		if (use_lock)
 			LWLockRelease(ControlFileLock);
-		ereport(LOG,
+		ereport(elevel,
 				(errcode_for_file_access(),
 				 errmsg("could not rename file \"%s\" to \"%s\" (initialization of log file): %m",
 						tmppath, path)));
@@ -3748,7 +3732,7 @@ RemoveXlogFile(const char *segname, XLogRecPtr PriorRedoPtr, XLogRecPtr endptr)
 	if (endlogSegNo <= recycleSegNo &&
 		lstat(path, &statbuf) == 0 && S_ISREG(statbuf.st_mode) &&
 		InstallXLogFileSegment(&endlogSegNo, path,
-							   true, recycleSegNo, true))
+							   true, recycleSegNo, true, LOG))
 	{
 		ereport(DEBUG2,
 				(errmsg("recycled transaction log file \"%s\"",
@@ -5227,8 +5211,6 @@ exitArchiveRecovery(TimeLineID endTLI, XLogRecPtr endOfLog)
 	 */
 	if (endLogSegNo == startLogSegNo)
 	{
-		char	   *tmpfname;
-
 		XLogFileName(xlogfname, endTLI, endLogSegNo);
 
 		/*
@@ -5238,9 +5220,7 @@ exitArchiveRecovery(TimeLineID endTLI, XLogRecPtr endOfLog)
 		 * considerations. But we should be just as tense as XLogFileInit to
 		 * avoid emplacing a bogus file.
 		 */
-		tmpfname = XLogFileCopy(NULL, xlogfname, endOfLog % XLOG_SEG_SIZE);
-		if (!InstallXLogFileSegment(&endLogSegNo, tmpfname, false, 0, false))
-			elog(ERROR, "InstallXLogFileSegment should not have failed");
+		XLogFileCopy(xlogfname, endOfLog % XLOG_SEG_SIZE, endLogSegNo);
 	}
 	else
 	{