diff --git a/example/gjobread.c b/example/gjobread.c
index d092c12c..926cab07 100644
--- a/example/gjobread.c
+++ b/example/gjobread.c
@@ -184,18 +184,11 @@ parseGjobFile(char *filename ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED) {
     xmlNsPtr ns;
     xmlNodePtr cur;
 
-#ifdef LIBXML_SAX1_ENABLED
     /*
      * build an XML tree from a the file;
      */
-    doc = xmlParseFile(filename);
+    doc = xmlReadFile(filename, NULL, XML_PARSE_NOBLANKS);
     if (doc == NULL) return(NULL);
-#else
-    /*
-     * the library has been compiled without some of the old interfaces
-     */
-    return(NULL);
-#endif /* LIBXML_SAX1_ENABLED */
 
     /*
      * Check the document is of the right kind
@@ -291,7 +284,6 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
 
     /* COMPAT: Do not generate nodes for formatting spaces */
     LIBXML_TEST_VERSION
-    xmlKeepBlanksDefault(0);
 
     for (i = 1; i < argc ; i++) {
 	cur = parseGjobFile(argv[i]);
diff --git a/runsuite.c b/runsuite.c
index 750df2a2..8a909ea5 100644
--- a/runsuite.c
+++ b/runsuite.c
@@ -201,9 +201,6 @@ static xmlXPathContextPtr ctxtXPath;
 
 static void
 initializeLibxml2(void) {
-    xmlGetWarningsDefaultValue = 0;
-    xmlPedanticParserDefault(0);
-
     xmlMemSetup(xmlMemFree, xmlMemMalloc, xmlMemRealloc, xmlMemoryStrdup);
     xmlInitParser();
     xmlSetExternalEntityLoader(testExternalEntityLoader);
diff --git a/runtest.c b/runtest.c
index 20c991ea..0adc1d24 100644
--- a/runtest.c
+++ b/runtest.c
@@ -558,7 +558,6 @@ initializeLibxml2(void) {
     xmlMemStrdup = NULL;
     xmlInitParser();
     xmlMemSetup(xmlMemFree, xmlMemMalloc, xmlMemRealloc, xmlMemoryStrdup);
-    xmlPedanticParserDefault(0);
     xmlSetExternalEntityLoader(testExternalEntityLoader);
     xmlSetStructuredErrorFunc(NULL, testStructuredErrorHandler);
 #ifdef LIBXML_SCHEMAS_ENABLED
@@ -4065,9 +4064,6 @@ load_xpath_expr (xmlDocPtr parent_doc, const char* filename) {
     /*
      * load XPath expr as a file
      */
-    xmlLoadExtDtdDefaultValue = XML_DETECT_IDS | XML_COMPLETE_ATTRS;
-    xmlSubstituteEntitiesDefault(1);
-
     doc = xmlReadFile(filename, NULL, XML_PARSE_DTDATTR | XML_PARSE_NOENT);
     if (doc == NULL) {
 	fprintf(stderr, "Error: unable to parse file \"%s\"\n", filename);
@@ -4216,9 +4212,6 @@ c14nRunTest(const char* xml_filename, int with_comments, int mode,
      * build an XML tree from a the file; we need to add default
      * attributes and resolve all character and entities references
      */
-    xmlLoadExtDtdDefaultValue = XML_DETECT_IDS | XML_COMPLETE_ATTRS;
-    xmlSubstituteEntitiesDefault(1);
-
     doc = xmlReadFile(xml_filename, NULL, XML_PARSE_DTDATTR | XML_PARSE_NOENT);
     if (doc == NULL) {
 	fprintf(stderr, "Error: unable to parse file \"%s\"\n", xml_filename);
@@ -4391,13 +4384,6 @@ static xmlThreadParams threadParams[] = {
 static const unsigned int num_threads = sizeof(threadParams) /
                                         sizeof(threadParams[0]);
 
-#ifndef xmlDoValidityCheckingDefaultValue
-#error xmlDoValidityCheckingDefaultValue is not a macro
-#endif
-#ifndef xmlGenericErrorContext
-#error xmlGenericErrorContext is not a macro
-#endif
-
 static void *
 thread_specific_data(void *private_data)
 {
@@ -4406,43 +4392,13 @@ thread_specific_data(void *private_data)
     const char *filename = params->filename;
     int okay = 1;
 
-    if (!strcmp(filename, "test/threads/invalid.xml")) {
-        xmlDoValidityCheckingDefaultValue = 0;
-        xmlGenericErrorContext = stdout;
-    } else {
-        xmlDoValidityCheckingDefaultValue = 1;
-        xmlGenericErrorContext = stderr;
-    }
-#ifdef LIBXML_SAX1_ENABLED
-    myDoc = xmlParseFile(filename);
-#else
-    myDoc = xmlReadFile(filename, NULL, XML_WITH_CATALOG);
-#endif
+    myDoc = xmlReadFile(filename, NULL, XML_PARSE_NOENT | XML_PARSE_DTDLOAD);
     if (myDoc) {
         xmlFreeDoc(myDoc);
     } else {
         printf("parse failed\n");
         okay = 0;
     }
-    if (!strcmp(filename, "test/threads/invalid.xml")) {
-        if (xmlDoValidityCheckingDefaultValue != 0) {
-            printf("ValidityCheckingDefaultValue override failed\n");
-            okay = 0;
-        }
-        if (xmlGenericErrorContext != stdout) {
-            printf("xmlGenericErrorContext override failed\n");
-            okay = 0;
-        }
-    } else {
-        if (xmlDoValidityCheckingDefaultValue != 1) {
-            printf("ValidityCheckingDefaultValue override failed\n");
-            okay = 0;
-        }
-        if (xmlGenericErrorContext != stderr) {
-            printf("xmlGenericErrorContext override failed\n");
-            okay = 0;
-        }
-    }
     params->okay = okay;
     return(NULL);
 }
diff --git a/runxmlconf.c b/runxmlconf.c
index f440bdc1..0f827b9a 100644
--- a/runxmlconf.c
+++ b/runxmlconf.c
@@ -148,9 +148,6 @@ static xmlXPathContextPtr ctxtXPath;
 
 static void
 initializeLibxml2(void) {
-    xmlGetWarningsDefaultValue = 0;
-    xmlPedanticParserDefault(0);
-
     xmlMemSetup(xmlMemFree, xmlMemMalloc, xmlMemRealloc, xmlMemoryStrdup);
     xmlInitParser();
     xmlSetExternalEntityLoader(testExternalEntityLoader);
@@ -252,8 +249,10 @@ xmlconfTestNotNSWF(const char *id, const char *filename, int options) {
         nb_errors++;
 	ret = 0;
     } else {
-	if ((xmlLastError.code == XML_ERR_OK) ||
-	    (xmlLastError.domain != XML_FROM_NAMESPACE)) {
+        xmlError *error = xmlGetLastError();
+
+	if ((error->code == XML_ERR_OK) ||
+	    (error->domain != XML_FROM_NAMESPACE)) {
 	    test_log("test %s : %s failed to detect namespace error\n",
 		     id, filename);
 	    nb_errors++;
diff --git a/testThreads.c b/testThreads.c
index 58b161bb..b84d797d 100644
--- a/testThreads.c
+++ b/testThreads.c
@@ -43,13 +43,6 @@ static xmlThreadParams threadParams[] = {
 static const unsigned int num_threads = sizeof(threadParams) /
                                         sizeof(threadParams[0]);
 
-#ifndef xmlDoValidityCheckingDefaultValue
-#error xmlDoValidityCheckingDefaultValue is not a macro
-#endif
-#ifndef xmlGenericErrorContext
-#error xmlGenericErrorContext is not a macro
-#endif
-
 static void *
 thread_specific_data(void *private_data)
 {
@@ -57,6 +50,7 @@ thread_specific_data(void *private_data)
     xmlThreadParams *params = (xmlThreadParams *) private_data;
     const char *filename = params->filename;
     int okay = 1;
+    int options = 0;
 
     if (xmlCheckThreadLocalStorage() != 0) {
         printf("xmlCheckThreadLocalStorage failed\n");
@@ -64,43 +58,16 @@ thread_specific_data(void *private_data)
         return(NULL);
     }
 
-    if (!strcmp(filename, "test/threads/invalid.xml")) {
-        xmlDoValidityCheckingDefaultValue = 0;
-        xmlGenericErrorContext = stdout;
-    } else {
-        xmlDoValidityCheckingDefaultValue = 1;
-        xmlGenericErrorContext = stderr;
+    if (strcmp(filename, "test/threads/invalid.xml") != 0) {
+        options |= XML_PARSE_DTDVALID;
     }
-#ifdef LIBXML_SAX1_ENABLED
-    myDoc = xmlParseFile(filename);
-#else
-    myDoc = xmlReadFile(filename, NULL, XML_WITH_CATALOG);
-#endif
+    myDoc = xmlReadFile(filename, NULL, options);
     if (myDoc) {
         xmlFreeDoc(myDoc);
     } else {
         printf("parse failed\n");
 	okay = 0;
     }
-    if (!strcmp(filename, "test/threads/invalid.xml")) {
-        if (xmlDoValidityCheckingDefaultValue != 0) {
-	    printf("ValidityCheckingDefaultValue override failed\n");
-	    okay = 0;
-	}
-        if (xmlGenericErrorContext != stdout) {
-	    printf("xmlGenericErrorContext override failed\n");
-	    okay = 0;
-	}
-    } else {
-        if (xmlDoValidityCheckingDefaultValue != 1) {
-	    printf("ValidityCheckingDefaultValue override failed\n");
-	    okay = 0;
-	}
-        if (xmlGenericErrorContext != stderr) {
-	    printf("xmlGenericErrorContext override failed\n");
-	    okay = 0;
-	}
-    }
     params->okay = okay;
     return(NULL);
 }
diff --git a/testlimits.c b/testlimits.c
index 5400bd80..d90b06ba 100644
--- a/testlimits.c
+++ b/testlimits.c
@@ -659,9 +659,6 @@ testStructuredErrorHandler(void *ctx  ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED, xmlErrorPtr err) {
 
 static void
 initializeLibxml2(void) {
-    xmlGetWarningsDefaultValue = 0;
-    xmlPedanticParserDefault(0);
-
     xmlMemSetup(xmlMemFree, xmlMemMalloc, xmlMemRealloc, xmlMemoryStrdup);
     xmlInitParser();
     xmlSetExternalEntityLoader(testExternalEntityLoader);
diff --git a/testrecurse.c b/testrecurse.c
index 83953d62..7a023d7f 100644
--- a/testrecurse.c
+++ b/testrecurse.c
@@ -627,9 +627,6 @@ testStructuredErrorHandler(void *ctx  ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED, xmlErrorPtr err) {
 
 static void
 initializeLibxml2(void) {
-    xmlGetWarningsDefaultValue = 0;
-    xmlPedanticParserDefault(0);
-
     xmlMemSetup(xmlMemFree, xmlMemMalloc, xmlMemRealloc, xmlMemoryStrdup);
     xmlInitParser();
     xmlSetExternalEntityLoader(testExternalEntityLoader);