diff --git a/src/bin/pg_ctl/pg_ctl.c b/src/bin/pg_ctl/pg_ctl.c
index 98bbaefd8c..7af3b913ff 100644
--- a/src/bin/pg_ctl/pg_ctl.c
+++ b/src/bin/pg_ctl/pg_ctl.c
@@ -411,10 +411,14 @@ start_postmaster(void)
 static PGPing
 test_postmaster_connection(bool do_checkpoint)
 {
-	PGPing		ret = PQPING_OK;	/* assume success for wait == zero */
+	PGPing		ret = PQPING_NO_RESPONSE;
 	char		connstr[MAXPGPATH * 2 + 256];
 	int			i;
 
+	/* if requested wait time is zero, return "still starting up" code */
+	if (wait_seconds <= 0)
+		return PQPING_REJECT;
+
 	connstr[0] = '\0';
 
 	for (i = 0; i < wait_seconds; i++)
@@ -538,6 +542,19 @@ test_postmaster_connection(bool do_checkpoint)
 				break;
 		}
 
+		/*
+		 * The postmaster should create postmaster.pid very soon after being
+		 * started.  If it's not there after we've waited 5 or more seconds,
+		 * assume startup failed and give up waiting.
+		 */
+		if (i >= 5)
+		{
+			struct stat statbuf;
+
+			if (stat(pid_file, &statbuf) != 0)
+				return PQPING_NO_RESPONSE;
+		}
+
 		/* No response, or startup still in process; wait */
 #if defined(WIN32)
 		if (do_checkpoint)