diff --git a/examples/example.drushrc.php b/examples/example.drushrc.php
index 40fd2a0..c50eb12 100644
--- a/examples/example.drushrc.php
+++ b/examples/example.drushrc.php
@@ -85,6 +85,17 @@
 // Specify Git clones for drupal.org extensions.
 # $options['package-handler'] = 'git_drupalorg';
 
+// Add a 'clone' Drush shell alias to simplify (cached) cloning from drupal.org.
+// Defaults to --dev; i.e., currently recommended development branch.
+# $options['shell-aliases']['clone'] = 'pm-download --package-handler=git_drupalorg --gitusername=sun --cache --dev';
+
+// Drush automatically determines the user's home directory by checking for HOME
+// (Unix) or HOMEDRIVE/HOMEPATH (Windows) environment variables. The home path
+// is used for caching Drush commands, and for the git --reference cache.
+// You may want to specify a path that is not user-specific here; e.g., to keep
+// cache files on the same filesystem, or to share caches with other users.
+# $options['home'] = 'H:/drush';
+
 // Specify additional directories to search for *.drush.inc files
 // Separate by : (Unix-based systems) or ; (Windows).
 # $options['i'] = 'sites/default:profiles/myprofile';
diff --git a/includes/cache.inc b/includes/cache.inc
index 0119b9d..415e59b 100644
--- a/includes/cache.inc
+++ b/includes/cache.inc
@@ -378,12 +378,12 @@ class DrushFileCache implements DrushCacheInterface {
     $bin_dir = $this->cacheDirectory();
     $files = array();
     if (empty($cid)) {
-      drush_delete_dir($bin_dir);
+      drush_delete_dir($bin_dir, TRUE);
     }
     else {
       if ($wildcard) {
         if ($cid == '*') {
-          drush_delete_dir($bin_dir);
+          drush_delete_dir($bin_dir, TRUE);
         }
         else {
           $matches = drush_scan_directory($bin_dir, "/^$cid/", array('.', '..'));
diff --git a/includes/environment.inc b/includes/environment.inc
index d5d18ff..c315e67 100644
--- a/includes/environment.inc
+++ b/includes/environment.inc
@@ -647,7 +647,11 @@ function drush_is_local_host($host) {
  * Return the user's home directory.
  */
 function drush_server_home() {
-  $home = NULL;
+  // Allow to set $options['home'] in drushrc.php and on command line.
+  $home = drush_get_option('home');
+  if (isset($home)) {
+    return $home;
+  }
   // $_SERVER['HOME'] isn't set on windows and generates a Notice.
   if (!empty($_SERVER['HOME'])) {
     $home = $_SERVER['HOME'];
diff --git a/includes/filesystem.inc b/includes/filesystem.inc
index d544ac1..a4ed996 100644
--- a/includes/filesystem.inc
+++ b/includes/filesystem.inc
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ function drush_copy_dir($src, $dest, $overwrite = FALSE) {
   // Preflight based on $overwrite if $dest exists.
   if (file_exists($dest)) {
     if ($overwrite) {
-      drush_op('drush_delete_dir', $dest);
+      drush_op('drush_delete_dir', $dest, TRUE);
     }
     else {
       return drush_set_error('DRUSH_DESTINATION_EXISTS', dt('Destination directory !dest already exists.', array('!dest' => $dest)));
@@ -207,7 +207,7 @@ function drush_move_dir($src, $dest, $overwrite = FALSE) {
   // Preflight based on $overwrite if $dest exists.
   if (file_exists($dest)) {
     if ($overwrite) {
-      drush_op('drush_delete_dir', $dest);
+      drush_op('drush_delete_dir', $dest, TRUE);
     }
     else {
       return drush_set_error('DRUSH_DESTINATION_EXISTS', dt('Destination directory !dest already exists.', array('!dest' => $dest)));
@@ -234,7 +234,7 @@ function drush_move_dir($src, $dest, $overwrite = FALSE) {
   // If 'rename' fails, then we will use copy followed
   // by a delete of the source.
   if (drush_copy_dir($src, $dest)) {
-    drush_op('drush_delete_dir', $src);
+    drush_op('drush_delete_dir', $src, TRUE);
     return TRUE;
   }
 
@@ -388,7 +388,7 @@ function _drush_delete_registered_files() {
     // though they did not need to.
     if (file_exists($file)) {
       if (is_dir($file)) {
-        drush_delete_dir($file);
+        drush_delete_dir($file, TRUE);
       }
       else {
         @chmod($dir, 0777); // Make file writeable