diff --git a/lib/ext2fs/sparse.c b/lib/ext2fs/sparse.c
deleted file mode 100644
index 3a0877b8..00000000
--- a/lib/ext2fs/sparse.c
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,79 +0,0 @@
-/*
- * sparse.c --- find the groups in an ext2 filesystem with metadata backups
- *
- * Copyright (C) 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 Theodore Ts'o.
- * Copyright (C) 2002 Andreas Dilger.
- *
- * %Begin-Header%
- * This file may be redistributed under the terms of the GNU Library
- * General Public License, version 2.
- * %End-Header%
- */
-
-#include "config.h"
-#include <stdio.h>
-
-#include "ext2_fs.h"
-#include "ext2fsP.h"
-
-static int test_root(int a, int b)
-{
-	if (a == 0)
-		return 1;
-	while (1) {
-		if (a == 1)
-			return 1;
-		if (a % b)
-			return 0;
-		a = a / b;
-	}
-}
-
-int ext2fs_bg_has_super(ext2_filsys fs, int group_block)
-{
-	if (!(fs->super->s_feature_ro_compat &
-	      EXT2_FEATURE_RO_COMPAT_SPARSE_SUPER))
-		return 1;
-
-	if (test_root(group_block, 3) || (test_root(group_block, 5)) ||
-	    test_root(group_block, 7))
-		return 1;
-
-	return 0;
-}
-
-/*
- * Iterate through the groups which hold BACKUP superblock/GDT copies in an
- * ext3 filesystem.  The counters should be initialized to 1, 5, and 7 before
- * calling this for the first time.  In a sparse filesystem it will be the
- * sequence of powers of 3, 5, and 7: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 25, 27, 49, 81, ...
- * For a non-sparse filesystem it will be every group: 1, 2, 3, 4, ...
- */
-unsigned int ext2fs_list_backups(ext2_filsys fs, unsigned int *three,
-				 unsigned int *five, unsigned int *seven)
-{
-	unsigned int *min = three;
-	int mult = 3;
-	unsigned int ret;
-
-	if (!(fs->super->s_feature_ro_compat &
-	      EXT2_FEATURE_RO_COMPAT_SPARSE_SUPER)) {
-		ret = *min;
-		*min += 1;
-		return ret;
-	}
-
-	if (*five < *min) {
-		min = five;
-		mult = 5;
-	}
-	if (*seven < *min) {
-		min = seven;
-		mult = 7;
-	}
-
-	ret = *min;
-	*min *= mult;
-
-	return ret;
-}