diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes
index d10d0ec8c26..fb59db4eca5 100644
--- a/.gitattributes
+++ b/.gitattributes
@@ -49,7 +49,6 @@ README text !eol
 *.tri2 -text
 
 icu4c/icu4c.css -text
-icu4c/packaging/distrelease.ps1 -text
 icu4c/source/aclocal.m4 -text
 icu4c/source/config/m4/icu-conditional.m4 -text
 icu4c/source/data/curr/pool.res -text
diff --git a/icu4c/packaging/distrelease.ps1 b/icu4c/packaging/distrelease.ps1
index 34e54bc28bc..41cd9ee4a28 100644
--- a/icu4c/packaging/distrelease.ps1
+++ b/icu4c/packaging/distrelease.ps1
@@ -1,53 +1,53 @@
-# Copyright (C) 2016 and later: Unicode, Inc. and others.
-# License & terms of use: http://www.unicode.org/copyright.html
-#-------------------------
-# Script: icu\packaging\distrelease.ps1
-# Author: Steven R. Loomis
-# Date: 2017-04-14
-#-------------------------
-#
-# This builds a zipfile containing the *64 bit* Windows binary
-#
-# Usage: (after building ICU using MSVC) 
-#  (bring up Powershell ISE)
-#    cd C:\icu\icu4c\
-#    Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope Process AllSigned
-#    .\packaging\distrelease.ps1
-#
-# Will emit: c:\icu4c\icu\source\dist\icu-windows.zip
-#
-#
-# You will get warnings from the execution policy and the script itself.
-#  see https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.core/about/about_execution_policies?view=powershell-5.1&viewFallbackFrom=powershell-Microsoft.PowerShell.Core 
-#    for more about execution policies.
-
-
-$icuDir = Split-Path -Path $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Definition -Parent
-$icuDir = Resolve-Path -Path '$icuDir\..'
-
-echo  $icuDir
-
-# ok, create some work areas
-New-Item -Path "$icuDir\source\dist" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue -ItemType "directory"
-$source = "$icuDir\source\dist\icu"
-Get-ChildItem -Path $source -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Remove-Item -Recurse
-New-Item -Path $source -ItemType "directory" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
-
-# copy required stuff
-Copy-Item -Path "$icuDir\lib64" -Destination $source -Recurse
-Copy-Item -Path "$icuDir\include" -Destination $source -Recurse
-Copy-Item -Path "$icuDir\bin64" -Destination $source -Recurse
-Copy-Item -Path "$icuDir\APIChangeReport.html" -Destination $source -Recurse
-Copy-Item -Path "$icuDir\icu4c.css" -Destination $source -Recurse
-Copy-Item -Path "$icuDir\LICENSE" -Destination $source -Recurse
-Copy-Item -Path "$icuDir\readme.html" -Destination $source -Recurse
-
-
-$destination = "$icuDir\source\dist\icu-windows.zip"
-Remove-Item -Path $destination -ErrorAction Continue
-Add-Type -assembly "system.io.compression.filesystem"
-Echo $source
-Echo $destination
-[io.compression.zipfile]::CreateFromDirectory($source, $destination)
-
+# Copyright (C) 2016 and later: Unicode, Inc. and others.
+# License & terms of use: http://www.unicode.org/copyright.html
+#-------------------------
+# Script: icu\packaging\distrelease.ps1
+# Author: Steven R. Loomis
+# Date: 2017-04-14
+#-------------------------
+#
+# This builds a zipfile containing the *64 bit* Windows binary
+#
+# Usage: (after building ICU using MSVC) 
+#  (bring up Powershell ISE)
+#    cd C:\icu\icu4c\
+#    Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope Process AllSigned
+#    .\packaging\distrelease.ps1
+#
+# Will emit: c:\icu4c\icu\source\dist\icu-windows.zip
+#
+#
+# You will get warnings from the execution policy and the script itself.
+#  see https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.core/about/about_execution_policies?view=powershell-5.1&viewFallbackFrom=powershell-Microsoft.PowerShell.Core 
+#    for more about execution policies.
+
+
+$icuDir = Split-Path -Path $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Definition -Parent
+$icuDir = Resolve-Path -Path '$icuDir\..'
+
+echo  $icuDir
+
+# ok, create some work areas
+New-Item -Path "$icuDir\source\dist" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue -ItemType "directory"
+$source = "$icuDir\source\dist\icu"
+Get-ChildItem -Path $source -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Remove-Item -Recurse
+New-Item -Path $source -ItemType "directory" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+
+# copy required stuff
+Copy-Item -Path "$icuDir\lib64" -Destination $source -Recurse
+Copy-Item -Path "$icuDir\include" -Destination $source -Recurse
+Copy-Item -Path "$icuDir\bin64" -Destination $source -Recurse
+Copy-Item -Path "$icuDir\APIChangeReport.html" -Destination $source -Recurse
+Copy-Item -Path "$icuDir\icu4c.css" -Destination $source -Recurse
+Copy-Item -Path "$icuDir\LICENSE" -Destination $source -Recurse
+Copy-Item -Path "$icuDir\readme.html" -Destination $source -Recurse
+
+
+$destination = "$icuDir\source\dist\icu-windows.zip"
+Remove-Item -Path $destination -ErrorAction Continue
+Add-Type -assembly "system.io.compression.filesystem"
+Echo $source
+Echo $destination
+[io.compression.zipfile]::CreateFromDirectory($source, $destination)
+
 echo $destination
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/icu4c/source/config/dist.mk b/icu4c/source/config/dist.mk
index ccc5837a76c..3e6e42e50dd 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/config/dist.mk
+++ b/icu4c/source/config/dist.mk
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ DISTY_DIR=dist
 DISTY_TMP=dist/tmp
 DISTY_ICU=$(DISTY_TMP)/icu
 DISTY_DATA=$(DISTY_ICU)/source/data
-DISTY_RMV=brkitr coll curr lang locales mappings rbnf region translit xml zone misc unit
+DISTY_RMV=brkitr coll curr lang locales mappings rbnf region translit xml zone misc/*.txt misc/*.mk unit
 DISTY_RMDIR=$(DISTY_RMV:%=$(DISTY_DATA)/%)
 DISTY_IN=$(DISTY_DATA)/in
 DOCZIP=icu-docs.zip
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ $(DISTY_TMP):
 
 $(DISTY_DOC_ZIP):  $(DOCZIP) $(DISTY_FILE_DIR)
 	cp $(DOCZIP) $(DISTY_DOC_ZIP)
-	ln -sf $(DISTY_DOC_ZIP) $(DISTY_FILE_DIR)/icu4c-docs.zip
+	ln -sf $(shell basename $(DISTY_DOC_ZIP)) $(DISTY_FILE_DIR)/icu4c-docs.zip
 
 $(DISTY_DAT): 
 	echo Missing $@
@@ -74,14 +74,14 @@ $(DISTY_FILE_TGZ) $(DISTY_FILE_ZIP) $(DISTY_DATA_ZIP):  $(DISTY_DAT) $(DISTY_TMP
 	$(MKINSTALLDIRS) $(DISTY_IN)
 	echo DISTY_DAT=$(DISTY_DAT)
 	cp $(DISTY_DAT) $(DISTY_IN)
-	( cd $(DISTY_TMP)/icu ; python as_is/bomlist.py > as_is/bomlist.txt || rm -f as_is/bomlist.txt )
-	( cd $(DISTY_TMP) ; zip -rlq $(DISTY_FILE_ZIP) icu )
 	$(RMV) $(DISTY_RMDIR)
 	( cd $(DISTY_TMP)/icu ; python as_is/bomlist.py > as_is/bomlist.txt || rm -f as_is/bomlist.txt )
 	( cd $(DISTY_TMP) ; tar cfpz $(DISTY_FILE_TGZ) icu )
-	ln -sf $(DISTY_FILE_ZIP) $(DISTY_FILE_DIR)/icu4c-src.zip
-	ln -sf $(DISTY_FILE_TGZ) $(DISTY_FILE_DIR)/icu4c-src.tgz
-	ln -sf $(DISTY_DATA_ZIP) $(DISTY_FILE_DIR)/icu4c-data.zip
+	( cd $(DISTY_TMP) ; zip -rlq $(DISTY_FILE_ZIP) icu )
+	$(RMV) $(DISTY_TMP)
+	ln -sf $(shell basename $(DISTY_FILE_ZIP)) $(DISTY_FILE_DIR)/icu4c-src.zip
+	ln -sf $(shell basename $(DISTY_FILE_TGZ)) $(DISTY_FILE_DIR)/icu4c-src.tgz
+	ln -sf $(shell basename $(DISTY_DATA_ZIP)) $(DISTY_FILE_DIR)/icu4c-data.zip
 	ls -l $(DISTY_FILE_TGZ) $(DISTY_FILE_ZIP) $(DISTY_DATA_ZIP)