diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 44180d1aa..6bba9c435 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -101,10 +101,11 @@ AM_PROG_CC_C_O
 m4_version_prereq([2.70], [], [AC_PROG_CC_C99])
 CFLAGS=$CFLAGS_save
 
-AC_ARG_VAR(CC_FOR_BUILD,[build system C compiler])
-AS_IF([test -z "$CC_FOR_BUILD"],[
-    AC_SUBST([CC_FOR_BUILD], [$CC])
-])
+# only needed to run/build dolib.exe which can be replaced with a bash script....
+# AC_ARG_VAR(CC_FOR_BUILD,[build system C compiler])
+# AS_IF([test -z "$CC_FOR_BUILD"],[
+#     AC_SUBST([CC_FOR_BUILD], [$CC])
+# ])
 
 ####################################################################
 # CLI arguments
@@ -132,6 +133,8 @@ AS_IF([test "$enable_embedded_mode" != "yes"],
 ####################################################################
 
 AC_SUBST([libhwloc_so_version])
+libhwloc_so_version_current_minus_age=`expr [[ $libhwloc_so_version=~ ([[:digit:]]+):[[:digit:]]+:([[:digit:]]+) ]] && real_so_ver=$(expr ${BASH_REMATCH[1]} - ${BASH_REMATCH[2]})`
+AC_SUBST(libhwloc_so_version_current_minus_age)
 
 # Setup the hwloc core
 HWLOC_SETUP_CORE([], [], [AC_MSG_ERROR([Cannot build hwloc core])], [1])
diff --git a/hwloc/Makefile.am b/hwloc/Makefile.am
index 48cc81c5b..5aac67d4f 100644
--- a/hwloc/Makefile.am
+++ b/hwloc/Makefile.am
@@ -191,16 +191,15 @@ if HWLOC_HAVE_WINDOWS
 
 LC_MESSAGES=C
 export LC_MESSAGES
-ldflags += -Xlinker --output-def -Xlinker .libs/libhwloc.def
 
 if HWLOC_HAVE_MS_LIB
-dolib$(EXEEXT): dolib.c
-	$(CC_FOR_BUILD) $< -o $@
-.libs/libhwloc.lib: libhwloc.la dolib$(EXEEXT)
-	[ ! -r .libs/libhwloc.def ] || ./dolib$(EXEEXT) "$(HWLOC_MS_LIB)" $(HWLOC_MS_LIB_ARCH) .libs/libhwloc.def $(libhwloc_so_version) .libs/libhwloc.lib
+# dolib$(EXEEXT): dolib.c
+# 	$(CC_FOR_BUILD) $< -o $@
+# .libs/libhwloc.lib: libhwloc.la dolib$(EXEEXT)
+#	[ ! -r .libs/libhwloc.def ] || ./dolib$(EXEEXT) "$(HWLOC_MS_LIB)" $(HWLOC_MS_LIB_ARCH) .libs/libhwloc.def $(libhwloc_so_version) .libs/libhwloc.lib
+.libs/libhwloc.lib: libhwloc.la
+	[ ! -r .libs/libhwloc.def ] || "$(HWLOC_MS_LIB)" /machine:$(HWLOC_MS_LIB_ARCH) /def:.libs/libhwloc.def /name:libhwloc-$(libhwloc_so_version_current_minus_age) /out:.libs/libhwloc.lib
 all-local: .libs/libhwloc.lib
-clean-local:
-	$(RM) dolib$(EXEEXT)
 endif HWLOC_HAVE_MS_LIB
 
 install-exec-hook: