diff --git a/configure.in b/configure.in
index 1f3c179b1..fd2cadd4a 100755
--- a/configure.in
+++ b/configure.in
@@ -40,17 +40,28 @@ AC_INIT(YAP, 6.3.4, yap-users@sf.net, yap )
 
 DOC_VERSION=4.2.9
 
+AC_PROG_CC
+AC_PROG_CPP
+AC_PROG_CXX
+AC_CHECK_TOOL([RC], [windres], [:])
+
+# if we are trying to use -m32 in a WIN32/mingw setup then
+# we cannot trust lpthread
+# we cannot trust RC
+AC_ARG_ENABLE(abi,
+	[ --enable-abi           support an ABI ],
+	[ CC="$CC -m$enableval"; CPP="$CPP -m$enableval"; CXX="$CXX -m$enableval"; RCFLAGS="--output-format=coff --target=pe-i386" ; pthreadlib="`pwd`/pthreadGC2.dll"; win_abi="$enableval"    ] , win_abi=no )
+
 AC_CONFIG_HEADER(config.h)
 AC_CONFIG_HEADER(YapTermConfig.h)
 
 dnl store the environment's compilation flags
 mycflags="$CFLAGS"
 
-AC_PROG_CC
-AC_PROG_CPP
-AC_PROG_CXX
 AC_PROG_AWK
 AC_SUBST(GCC)
+AC_SUBST(RC)
+AC_SUBST(RCFLAGS)
 AC_SUBST(C_INTERF_FLAGS)
 AC_SUBST(C_PARSER_FLAGS)
 AC_LANG(C)
@@ -507,7 +518,11 @@ then
   then
     # locale complaints without this.
     if test "$threads" = yes; then
-      AC_CHECK_LIB(pthread, main)
+      if test $win_abi = 32; then
+        LIBS="$LIBS $pthreadlib"
+      else
+        AC_CHECK_LIB(pthread, main)
+      fi
     fi
     AC_CHECK_LIB(mscrt,main)
     if test "$target_cpu" = x86_64; then
@@ -568,6 +583,7 @@ then
     LIBS="-lcygwin"
     EXTRA_LIBS_FOR_DLLS="\$(abs_top_builddir)/yap.dll"
     EXTRA_INCLUDES_FOR_WIN32="-I\$(srcdir)/packages/PLStream/windows"
+    AC_CHECK_LIB(pthread,pthread_create)
   fi
 else
   if test "$prefix" = "NONE"
@@ -603,6 +619,7 @@ else
   AC_CHECK_LIB(nss_files,main)
   AC_CHECK_LIB(nss_dns,main)
   AC_CHECK_LIB(resolv,main)
+  AC_CHECK_LIB(pthread,pthread_create)
 fi
 
 if test "$yap_cv_readline" != "no"
@@ -632,7 +649,6 @@ fi
 
 if test "$threads" = yes
 then
-  AC_CHECK_LIB(pthread,pthread_create)
   AC_CHECK_HEADERS(pthread.h)	
   AC_CHECK_FUNCS(pthread_mutexattr_setkind_np pthread_mutexattr_settype)
   if test "$pthreadlocking" = yes
@@ -1723,12 +1739,15 @@ AC_SUBST(TARGETS)
 AC_SUBST(PLTARGETS)
 AC_SUBST(CHR_TARGETS)
 
-
-AC_CHECK_LIB(pthread, pthread_create,
-                      [CLIB_PTHREADS="-lpthread"],[CLIB_PTHREADS=""])
+# use the lib directly in mingw setups
+if test "$win_abi" = "32"; then
+  CLIB_PTHREADS="$pthreadlib"
+else
+ AC_CHECK_LIB(pthread, pthread_create,
+                    [CLIB_PTHREADS="-lpthread"],[CLIB_PTHREADS=""])
+fi
 AC_SUBST(CLIB_PTHREADS)
 
-
 AC_CHECK_TYPES(socklen_t, [], [],
 [
 #include <sys/types.h>
diff --git a/misc/mkwin b/misc/mkwin
index 20bacf0f8..6bbd07b3a 100755
--- a/misc/mkwin
+++ b/misc/mkwin
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@ else
   THREADS=$2
 fi
 
+CONFIGURE=../yap-6.3/configure
+
 # debugging setup
 do_compile=true
 do_install=true
@@ -38,13 +40,15 @@ fi
 
 if test $ABI = 64; then
 GCC_PATH=/c/cygwin/Yap/mingw64
+HOST="--host=x86_64-w64-mingw32"
+# ok.
+
 CUDD=yes
 GECODE=no #does not link with mingw64, VC++ trouble
 GMP=yes
 JAVA=yes
 PYTHON=no
 REAL=yes
-HOST="--host=x86_64-w64-mingw32"
 
   # it seems python2.7 does not support mingw64
   PYTHON_PATH="/c/Python33-64"
@@ -54,7 +58,6 @@ HOST="--host=x86_64-w64-mingw32"
   CUDD_PATH=/c/cygwin/Yap/cudd-2.5.0-mingw64
   JAVA_PATH="/c/Program Files/Java/jdk1.7.0_51"
   R_PATH="/c/Program Files/R/R-3.0.2"
-  R_ABI=x64
   if test $THREADS = yes
   then
     cp "$GCC_PATH/x86_64-w64-mingw32/lib/libwinpthread-1.dll" .
@@ -64,7 +67,8 @@ fi
 
 # HOME WIN32 configuration
 if test $ABI = 32; then
-GCC_PATH="/c/cygwin/Yap/mingw32/mingw32"
+GCC_PATH="/c/TDM-GCC-64"
+
 CUDD=yes
 GECODE=no # install only allows one of 32 or 64 bits
 GMP=yes
@@ -73,20 +77,16 @@ PYTHON=no
 REAL=yes
 
   PYTHON_PATH="/c/Python27"
-  export PATH="$GCC_PATH"/bin:$PATH:"$PYTHON_PATH"
+  export PATH="$GCC_PATH"/bin:$PATH
 #  GECODE_PATH="/c/Program Files/Gecode"
   GMP=/c/cygwin/Yap/win32
   CUDD_PATH=/c/cygwin/Yap/cudd-2.5.0-mingw32
   JAVA_PATH="/c/Program Files (x86)/Java/jdk1.7.0_51"
   R_PATH="/c/Program Files/R/R-3.0.2"
-  R_ABI=i386
-  HOST=""
+  HOST="--enable-abi=32"
 
-  if test $THREADS = yes
-  then
-      cp "$GCC_PATH/i686-w64-mingw32/lib/libwinpthread-1.dll" .
-    cp libwinpthread-1.dll pthreadGC2.dll
-  fi
+  cp $GCC_PATH/bin/libwinpthread-1.dll .
+  cp libwinpthread-1.dll pthreadGC2.dll
 fi
 
 
@@ -111,11 +111,16 @@ then
 fi
 if test $REAL = yes
 then
+  if test $ABI = 32; then
+    R_ABI=i386
+  else
+    R_ABI=x64
+  fi
   export PATH="$PATH":"$R_PATH"/bin/"$R_ABI"
 fi
 
 if test "$do_compile" = true; then
-../yap-6.3/configure $HOST \
+"$CONFIGURE" $HOST \
 	--with-R="$REAL" \
 	--with-java="$JAVA" \
 	--with-gmp="$GMP" \