diff --git a/coreutils/install.c b/coreutils/install.c
index d087306d6..8575043e1 100644
--- a/coreutils/install.c
+++ b/coreutils/install.c
@@ -73,11 +73,14 @@ int install_main(int argc, char **argv)
 	mode_t mode;
 	uid_t uid;
 	gid_t gid;
+	char *arg, *last;
 	const char *gid_str;
 	const char *uid_str;
 	const char *mode_str;
 	int copy_flags = FILEUTILS_DEREFERENCE | FILEUTILS_FORCE;
-	int ret = EXIT_SUCCESS, flags, i, isdir;
+	int flags;
+	int ret = EXIT_SUCCESS;
+	int isdir;
 #if ENABLE_SELINUX
 	security_context_t scontext;
 #endif
@@ -103,6 +106,8 @@ int install_main(int argc, char **argv)
 
 	flags = getopt32(argv, "cdpsg:m:o:" USE_SELINUX("Z:"),
 			&gid_str, &mode_str, &uid_str USE_SELINUX(, &scontext));
+	argc -= optind;
+	argv += optind;
 
 #if ENABLE_SELINUX
 	if (flags & OPT_PRESERVE_SECURITY_CONTEXT) {
@@ -135,48 +140,50 @@ int install_main(int argc, char **argv)
 	 * perhaps bb_make_directory() should be improved.
 	 */
 	if (flags & OPT_DIRECTORY) {
-		for (argv += optind; *argv; argv++) {
-			char *old_argv_ptr = *argv + 1;
-			char *argv_ptr;
-			do {
-				argv_ptr = strchr(old_argv_ptr, '/');
-				old_argv_ptr = argv_ptr;
-				if (argv_ptr) {
-					*argv_ptr = '\0';
-					old_argv_ptr++;
-				}
-				if (mkdir(*argv, mode | 0111) == -1) {
+		while ((arg = *argv++) != NULL) {
+			char *slash = arg;
+			while (1) {
+				slash = strchr(slash + 1, '/');
+				if (slash)
+					*slash = '\0';
+				if (mkdir(arg, mode | 0111) == -1) {
 					if (errno != EEXIST) {
-						bb_perror_msg("cannot create %s", *argv);
+						bb_perror_msg("cannot create %s", arg);
 						ret = EXIT_FAILURE;
 						break;
 					}
-				}
-				if ((flags & (OPT_OWNER|OPT_GROUP))
-				 && lchown(*argv, uid, gid) == -1
+				} /* dir was created, chown? */
+				else if ((flags & (OPT_OWNER|OPT_GROUP))
+				 && lchown(arg, uid, gid) == -1
 				) {
-					bb_perror_msg("cannot change ownership of %s", *argv);
+					bb_perror_msg("cannot change ownership of %s", arg);
 					ret = EXIT_FAILURE;
 					break;
 				}
-				if (argv_ptr) {
-					*argv_ptr = '/';
-				}
-			} while (old_argv_ptr);
+				if (!slash)
+					break;
+				*slash = '/';
+			}
 		}
 		return ret;
 	}
 
+	if (argc < 2)
+		bb_show_usage();
+
+	last = argv[argc - 1];
 	/* coreutils install resolves link in this case, don't use lstat */
-	isdir = stat(argv[argc - 1], &statbuf) < 0 ? 0 : S_ISDIR(statbuf.st_mode);
+	isdir = stat(last, &statbuf) < 0 ? 0 : S_ISDIR(statbuf.st_mode);
 
-	for (i = optind; i < argc - 1; i++) {
-		char *dest;
-
-		dest = argv[argc - 1];
+	while ((arg = *argv++) != NULL) {
+		char *dest = last;
 		if (isdir)
-			dest = concat_path_file(argv[argc - 1], basename(argv[i]));
-		ret |= copy_file(argv[i], dest, copy_flags);
+			dest = concat_path_file(last, basename(arg));
+		if (copy_file(arg, dest, copy_flags)) {
+			/* copy is not made */
+			ret = EXIT_FAILURE;
+			goto next;
+		}
 
 		/* Set the file mode */
 		if ((flags & OPT_MODE) && chmod(dest, mode) == -1) {
@@ -204,7 +211,9 @@ int install_main(int argc, char **argv)
 				ret = EXIT_FAILURE;
 			}
 		}
-		if (ENABLE_FEATURE_CLEAN_UP && isdir) free(dest);
+ next:
+		if (ENABLE_FEATURE_CLEAN_UP && isdir)
+			free(dest);
 	}
 
 	return ret;