diff --git a/libpcre/Makefile.in b/libpcre/Makefile.in
index 0fbe4b64a..53c9b3b71 100644
--- a/libpcre/Makefile.in
+++ b/libpcre/Makefile.in
@@ -44,7 +44,6 @@ DIST_COMMON = README $(am__configure_deps) $(include_HEADERS) \
 	$(srcdir)/../depcomp $(srcdir)/../install-sh \
 	$(srcdir)/../missing $(srcdir)/Makefile.am \
 	$(srcdir)/Makefile.in $(srcdir)/config.h.in \
-	$(srcdir)/pcre-config.in $(srcdir)/pcre.h.in \
 	$(top_srcdir)/configure AUTHORS COPYING ChangeLog INSTALL NEWS
 ACLOCAL_M4 = $(top_srcdir)/aclocal.m4
 am__aclocal_m4_deps = $(top_srcdir)/configure.ac
@@ -54,7 +53,7 @@ am__CONFIG_DISTCLEAN_FILES = config.status config.cache config.log \
  configure.lineno config.status.lineno
 mkinstalldirs = $(install_sh) -d
 CONFIG_HEADER = config.h
-CONFIG_CLEAN_FILES = pcre-config pcre.h
+CONFIG_CLEAN_FILES = pcre-config
 am__vpath_adj_setup = srcdirstrip=`echo "$(srcdir)" | sed 's|.|.|g'`;
 am__vpath_adj = case $$p in \
     $(srcdir)/*) f=`echo "$$p" | sed "s|^$$srcdirstrip/||"`;; \
@@ -228,9 +227,6 @@ lib_LIBRARIES = libpcre.a
 CLEANFILES = 
 MAINTAINERCLEANFILES = pcre.h.generic
 
-# These are the header files we'll install. We do not distribute pcre.h because
-# it is generated from pcre.h.in.
-nodist_include_HEADERS = pcre.h
 include_HEADERS = pcreposix.h
 bin_SCRIPTS = pcre-config
 @WITH_REBUILD_CHARTABLES_TRUE@dftables_SOURCES = dftables.c
@@ -303,8 +299,6 @@ distclean-hdr:
 	-rm -f config.h stamp-h1
 pcre-config: $(top_builddir)/config.status $(srcdir)/pcre-config.in
 	cd $(top_builddir) && $(SHELL) ./config.status $@
-pcre.h: $(top_builddir)/config.status $(srcdir)/pcre.h.in
-	cd $(top_builddir) && $(SHELL) ./config.status $@
 install-libLIBRARIES: $(lib_LIBRARIES)
 	@$(NORMAL_INSTALL)
 	test -z "$(libdir)" || $(MKDIR_P) "$(DESTDIR)$(libdir)"
@@ -760,7 +754,6 @@ uninstall-am: uninstall-binPROGRAMS uninstall-binSCRIPTS \
 
 pcre.h.generic: configure.ac
 	rm -f $@
-	cp -p pcre.h $@
 
 @WITH_REBUILD_CHARTABLES_TRUE@pcre_chartables.c: dftables$(EXEEXT)
 @WITH_REBUILD_CHARTABLES_TRUE@	./dftables$(EXEEXT) $@
diff --git a/libpcre/NMAP_MODIFICATIONS b/libpcre/NMAP_MODIFICATIONS
index 6f6879693..7340f5e21 100644
--- a/libpcre/NMAP_MODIFICATIONS
+++ b/libpcre/NMAP_MODIFICATIONS
@@ -202,3 +202,75 @@ o Removed the code from Makefile.in which regenerates Makefile.am when it's out
 
 o Regenerated everything with 'aclocal; autoconf'
 
+o Prevent pcre.h from being regenerated everytime configure is invoked and
+  subsequently removed upon a distclean:
+Index: configure.ac
+===================================================================
+--- configure.ac    (revision 25730)
++++ configure.ac    (working copy)
+@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
+ 
+ AC_PREREQ(2.57)
+ AC_INIT(PCRE, pcre_major.pcre_minor[]pcre_prerelease, , pcre)
+-AC_CONFIG_SRCDIR([pcre.h.in])
++AC_CONFIG_SRCDIR()
+ AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE([dist-bzip2 dist-zip])
+ AC_CONFIG_HEADERS(config.h)
+ 
+@@ -485,7 +485,6 @@
+ AC_CONFIG_FILES(
+    Makefile
+    pcre-config
+-   pcre.h
+ )
+ 
+ # Make the generated script files executable.
+Index: Makefile.in
+===================================================================
+--- Makefile.in (revision 25730)
++++ Makefile.in (working copy)
+@@ -44,7 +44,6 @@
+    $(srcdir)/../depcomp $(srcdir)/../install-sh \
+    $(srcdir)/../missing $(srcdir)/Makefile.am \
+    $(srcdir)/Makefile.in $(srcdir)/config.h.in \
+-   $(srcdir)/pcre-config.in $(srcdir)/pcre.h.in \
+    $(top_srcdir)/configure AUTHORS COPYING ChangeLog INSTALL NEWS
+ ACLOCAL_M4 = $(top_srcdir)/aclocal.m4
+ am__aclocal_m4_deps = $(top_srcdir)/configure.ac
+@@ -54,7 +53,7 @@
+  configure.lineno config.status.lineno
+ mkinstalldirs = $(install_sh) -d
+ CONFIG_HEADER = config.h
+-CONFIG_CLEAN_FILES = pcre-config pcre.h
++CONFIG_CLEAN_FILES = pcre-config
+ am__vpath_adj_setup = srcdirstrip=`echo "$(srcdir)" | sed 's|.|.|g'`;
+ am__vpath_adj = case $$p in \
+     $(srcdir)/*) f=`echo "$$p" | sed "s|^$$srcdirstrip/||"`;; \
+@@ -228,9 +227,6 @@
+ CLEANFILES = 
+ MAINTAINERCLEANFILES = pcre.h.generic
+ 
+-# These are the header files we'll install. We do not distribute pcre.h because
+-# it is generated from pcre.h.in.
+-nodist_include_HEADERS = pcre.h
+ include_HEADERS = pcreposix.h
+ bin_SCRIPTS = pcre-config
+ @WITH_REBUILD_CHARTABLES_TRUE@dftables_SOURCES = dftables.c
+@@ -303,8 +299,6 @@
+    -rm -f config.h stamp-h1
+ pcre-config: $(top_builddir)/config.status $(srcdir)/pcre-config.in
+    cd $(top_builddir) && $(SHELL) ./config.status $@
+-pcre.h: $(top_builddir)/config.status $(srcdir)/pcre.h.in
+-   cd $(top_builddir) && $(SHELL) ./config.status $@
+ install-libLIBRARIES: $(lib_LIBRARIES)
+    @$(NORMAL_INSTALL)
+    test -z "$(libdir)" || $(MKDIR_P) "$(DESTDIR)$(libdir)"
+@@ -760,7 +754,6 @@
+ 
+ pcre.h.generic: configure.ac
+    rm -f $@
+-   cp -p pcre.h $@
+ 
+ @WITH_REBUILD_CHARTABLES_TRUE@pcre_chartables.c: dftables$(EXEEXT)
+ @WITH_REBUILD_CHARTABLES_TRUE@ ./dftables$(EXEEXT) $@
+
diff --git a/libpcre/configure b/libpcre/configure
index de862cbe2..a984e21fb 100755
--- a/libpcre/configure
+++ b/libpcre/configure
@@ -598,7 +598,7 @@ PACKAGE_VERSION='7.6'
 PACKAGE_STRING='PCRE 7.6'
 PACKAGE_BUGREPORT=''
 
-ac_unique_file="pcre.h.in"
+ac_unique_file=""
 # Factoring default headers for most tests.
 ac_includes_default="\
 #include <stdio.h>
@@ -6332,7 +6332,7 @@ if test "$enable_pcretest_libreadline" = "yes"; then
 fi
 
 # Produce these files, in addition to config.h.
-ac_config_files="$ac_config_files Makefile pcre-config pcre.h"
+ac_config_files="$ac_config_files Makefile pcre-config"
 
 
 # Make the generated script files executable.
@@ -6969,7 +6969,6 @@ do
     "depfiles") CONFIG_COMMANDS="$CONFIG_COMMANDS depfiles" ;;
     "Makefile") CONFIG_FILES="$CONFIG_FILES Makefile" ;;
     "pcre-config") CONFIG_FILES="$CONFIG_FILES pcre-config" ;;
-    "pcre.h") CONFIG_FILES="$CONFIG_FILES pcre.h" ;;
     "script-chmod") CONFIG_COMMANDS="$CONFIG_COMMANDS script-chmod" ;;
 
   *) { { $as_echo "$as_me:$LINENO: error: invalid argument: $ac_config_target" >&5
@@ -7024,7 +7023,7 @@ $debug ||
 if test -n "$CONFIG_FILES"; then
 
 
-ac_cr=`echo X | tr X '\015'`
+ac_cr='
'
 ac_cs_awk_cr=`$AWK 'BEGIN { print "a\rb" }' </dev/null 2>/dev/null`
 if test "$ac_cs_awk_cr" = "a${ac_cr}b"; then
   ac_cs_awk_cr='\\r'
diff --git a/libpcre/configure.ac b/libpcre/configure.ac
index 89684de00..2b82ac124 100644
--- a/libpcre/configure.ac
+++ b/libpcre/configure.ac
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ m4_define(pcre_date, [2008-01-28])
 
 AC_PREREQ(2.57)
 AC_INIT(PCRE, pcre_major.pcre_minor[]pcre_prerelease, , pcre)
-AC_CONFIG_SRCDIR([pcre.h.in])
+AC_CONFIG_SRCDIR()
 AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE([dist-bzip2 dist-zip])
 AC_CONFIG_HEADERS(config.h)
 
@@ -485,7 +485,6 @@ fi
 AC_CONFIG_FILES(
 	Makefile
 	pcre-config
-	pcre.h
 )
 
 # Make the generated script files executable.