diff --git a/Lib/distutils/tests/support.py b/Lib/distutils/tests/support.py
index 71ad4f4..7385c6b 100644
--- a/Lib/distutils/tests/support.py
+++ b/Lib/distutils/tests/support.py
@@ -207,4 +207,4 @@
                 cmd.library_dirs = []
             else:
                 name, equals, value = runshared.partition('=')
-                cmd.library_dirs = value.split(os.pathsep)
+                cmd.library_dirs = [d for d in value.split(os.pathsep) if d]
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS b/Misc/NEWS
index 2ca47f0..f7dd62c 100644
--- a/Misc/NEWS
+++ b/Misc/NEWS
@@ -38,6 +38,8 @@
 Tests
 -----
 
+- Issue #17752: Fix distutils tests when run from the installed location.
+
 - Issue #20946: Correct alignment assumptions of some ctypes tests.
 
 - Issue #20939: Fix test_geturl failure in test_urllibnet due to
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 6be41f5..c278c8e 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -5576,7 +5576,7 @@
 if test "$enable_framework"
 then
   LDLIBRARY='$(PYTHONFRAMEWORKDIR)/Versions/$(VERSION)/$(PYTHONFRAMEWORK)'
-  RUNSHARED=DYLD_FRAMEWORK_PATH="`pwd`:$DYLD_FRAMEWORK_PATH"
+  RUNSHARED=DYLD_FRAMEWORK_PATH=`pwd`${DYLD_FRAMEWORK_PATH:+:${DYLD_FRAMEWORK_PATH}}
   BLDLIBRARY=''
 else
   BLDLIBRARY='$(LDLIBRARY)'
@@ -5595,7 +5595,7 @@
     SunOS*)
 	  LDLIBRARY='libpython$(LDVERSION).so'
 	  BLDLIBRARY='-Wl,-R,$(LIBDIR) -L. -lpython$(LDVERSION)'
-	  RUNSHARED=LD_LIBRARY_PATH=`pwd`:${LD_LIBRARY_PATH}
+	  RUNSHARED=LD_LIBRARY_PATH=`pwd`${LD_LIBRARY_PATH:+:${LD_LIBRARY_PATH}}
 	  INSTSONAME="$LDLIBRARY".$SOVERSION
 	  if test "$with_pydebug" != yes
 	  then
@@ -5605,7 +5605,7 @@
     Linux*|GNU*|NetBSD*|FreeBSD*|DragonFly*|OpenBSD*)
 	  LDLIBRARY='libpython$(LDVERSION).so'
 	  BLDLIBRARY='-L. -lpython$(LDVERSION)'
-	  RUNSHARED=LD_LIBRARY_PATH=`pwd`:${LD_LIBRARY_PATH}
+	  RUNSHARED=LD_LIBRARY_PATH=`pwd`${LD_LIBRARY_PATH:+:${LD_LIBRARY_PATH}}
 	  case $ac_sys_system in
 	      FreeBSD*)
 		SOVERSION=`echo $SOVERSION|cut -d "." -f 1`
@@ -5627,16 +5627,16 @@
 			;;
 	  esac
 	  BLDLIBRARY='-Wl,+b,$(LIBDIR) -L. -lpython$(LDVERSION)'
-	  RUNSHARED=SHLIB_PATH=`pwd`:${SHLIB_PATH}
+	  RUNSHARED=SHLIB_PATH=`pwd`${SHLIB_PATH:+:${SHLIB_PATH}}
 	  ;;
     Darwin*)
     	LDLIBRARY='libpython$(LDVERSION).dylib'
 	BLDLIBRARY='-L. -lpython$(LDVERSION)'
-	RUNSHARED='DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH=`pwd`:${DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH}'
+	RUNSHARED='DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH=`pwd`${DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH:+:${DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH}}'
 	;;
     AIX*)
 	LDLIBRARY='libpython$(LDVERSION).so'
-	RUNSHARED=LIBPATH=`pwd`:${LIBPATH}
+	RUNSHARED=LIBPATH=`pwd`${LIBPATH:+:${LIBPATH}}
 	;;
 
   esac
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 6a64bff..0e67f03 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -909,7 +909,7 @@
 if test "$enable_framework"
 then
   LDLIBRARY='$(PYTHONFRAMEWORKDIR)/Versions/$(VERSION)/$(PYTHONFRAMEWORK)'
-  RUNSHARED=DYLD_FRAMEWORK_PATH="`pwd`:$DYLD_FRAMEWORK_PATH"
+  RUNSHARED=DYLD_FRAMEWORK_PATH=`pwd`${DYLD_FRAMEWORK_PATH:+:${DYLD_FRAMEWORK_PATH}}
   BLDLIBRARY=''
 else
   BLDLIBRARY='$(LDLIBRARY)'
@@ -926,7 +926,7 @@
     SunOS*)
 	  LDLIBRARY='libpython$(LDVERSION).so'
 	  BLDLIBRARY='-Wl,-R,$(LIBDIR) -L. -lpython$(LDVERSION)'
-	  RUNSHARED=LD_LIBRARY_PATH=`pwd`:${LD_LIBRARY_PATH}
+	  RUNSHARED=LD_LIBRARY_PATH=`pwd`${LD_LIBRARY_PATH:+:${LD_LIBRARY_PATH}}
 	  INSTSONAME="$LDLIBRARY".$SOVERSION
 	  if test "$with_pydebug" != yes
 	  then
@@ -936,7 +936,7 @@
     Linux*|GNU*|NetBSD*|FreeBSD*|DragonFly*|OpenBSD*)
 	  LDLIBRARY='libpython$(LDVERSION).so'
 	  BLDLIBRARY='-L. -lpython$(LDVERSION)'
-	  RUNSHARED=LD_LIBRARY_PATH=`pwd`:${LD_LIBRARY_PATH}
+	  RUNSHARED=LD_LIBRARY_PATH=`pwd`${LD_LIBRARY_PATH:+:${LD_LIBRARY_PATH}}
 	  case $ac_sys_system in
 	      FreeBSD*)
 		SOVERSION=`echo $SOVERSION|cut -d "." -f 1`
@@ -958,16 +958,16 @@
 			;;
 	  esac
 	  BLDLIBRARY='-Wl,+b,$(LIBDIR) -L. -lpython$(LDVERSION)'
-	  RUNSHARED=SHLIB_PATH=`pwd`:${SHLIB_PATH}
+	  RUNSHARED=SHLIB_PATH=`pwd`${SHLIB_PATH:+:${SHLIB_PATH}}
 	  ;;
     Darwin*)
     	LDLIBRARY='libpython$(LDVERSION).dylib'
 	BLDLIBRARY='-L. -lpython$(LDVERSION)'
-	RUNSHARED='DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH=`pwd`:${DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH}'
+	RUNSHARED='DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH=`pwd`${DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH:+:${DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH}}'
 	;;
     AIX*)
 	LDLIBRARY='libpython$(LDVERSION).so'
-	RUNSHARED=LIBPATH=`pwd`:${LIBPATH}
+	RUNSHARED=LIBPATH=`pwd`${LIBPATH:+:${LIBPATH}}
 	;;
 
   esac