diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 0c5f8e89..10d73b35 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -45,6 +45,8 @@ unicorn.pc
 
 unicorn.lib
 unicorn.dll
+unicorn.exp
+unicorn.def
 unicorn_*.lib
 unicorn_*.exp
 unicorn_*.dll
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 8c9d60e6..b105f60c 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -122,10 +122,12 @@ UNICORN_CFLAGS := $(UNICORN_CFLAGS:-fPIC=)
 # mingw?
 else ifneq ($(filter MINGW%,$(UNAME_S)),)
 EXT = dll
-AR_EXT = lib
+AR_EXT = a
 BIN_EXT = .exe
 UNICORN_QEMU_FLAGS += --disable-stack-protector
 UNICORN_CFLAGS := $(UNICORN_CFLAGS:-fPIC=)
+$(LIBNAME)_LDFLAGS += -Wl,--output-def,unicorn.def
+DO_WINDOWS_EXPORT = 1
 
 # Linux, Darwin
 else
@@ -210,7 +212,7 @@ qemu/config-host.h-timestamp:
 
 unicorn: $(LIBRARY) $(ARCHIVE)
 
-$(LIBRARY): qemu/config-host.h-timestamp uc.o list.o
+$(LIBRARY): qemu/config-host.h-timestamp
 ifeq ($(UNICORN_SHARED),yes)
 ifeq ($(V),0)
 	$(call log,GEN,$(LIBRARY))
@@ -220,9 +222,16 @@ else
 	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) -shared $(UC_TARGET_OBJ) uc.o list.o -o $(LIBRARY) $($(LIBNAME)_LDFLAGS)
 	-ln -sf $(LIBRARY) $(LIBRARY_SYMLINK)
 endif
+ifeq ($(DO_WINDOWS_EXPORT),1)
+ifneq ($(filter MINGW32%,$(UNAME_S)),)
+	cmd /c "windows_export.bat x86"
+else
+	cmd /c "windows_export.bat x64"
+endif
+endif
 endif
 
-$(ARCHIVE): qemu/config-host.h-timestamp uc.o list.o
+$(ARCHIVE): qemu/config-host.h-timestamp
 ifeq ($(UNICORN_STATIC),yes)
 ifeq ($(V),0)
 	$(call log,GEN,$(ARCHIVE))
@@ -301,7 +310,7 @@ uninstall:
 clean:
 	$(MAKE) -C qemu clean
 	rm -rf *.d *.o
-	rm -rf lib$(LIBNAME)* $(LIBNAME)*.lib $(LIBNAME)*.dll cyg$(LIBNAME)*.dll
+	rm -rf lib$(LIBNAME)* $(LIBNAME)*.lib $(LIBNAME)*.dll $(LIBNAME)*.exp cyg$(LIBNAME)*.dll
 	$(MAKE) -C samples clean
 	$(MAKE) -C tests/unit clean
 
diff --git a/bindings/python/setup.py b/bindings/python/setup.py
index 553e7f14..4951fb6d 100755
--- a/bindings/python/setup.py
+++ b/bindings/python/setup.py
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ if SYSTEM == 'darwin':
     STATIC_LIBRARY_FILE = 'libunicorn.a'
 elif SYSTEM in ('win32', 'cygwin'):
     LIBRARY_FILE = "unicorn.dll"
-    STATIC_LIBRARY_FILE = None
+    STATIC_LIBRARY_FILE = "unicorn.lib"
 else:
     LIBRARY_FILE = "libunicorn.so"
     STATIC_LIBRARY_FILE = 'libunicorn.a'
@@ -147,7 +147,11 @@ def build_libraries():
     subprocess.call(cmd, env=new_env)
 
     shutil.copy(LIBRARY_FILE, LIBS_DIR)
-    if STATIC_LIBRARY_FILE: shutil.copy(STATIC_LIBRARY_FILE, LIBS_DIR)
+    try:
+        # static library may fail to build on windows if user doesn't have visual studio 12 installed. this is fine.
+        shutil.copy(STATIC_LIBRARY_FILE, LIBS_DIR)
+    except:
+        pass
     os.chdir(cwd)
 
 
diff --git a/bindings/python/unicorn/unicorn.py b/bindings/python/unicorn/unicorn.py
index 549aa8ea..097bbef1 100644
--- a/bindings/python/unicorn/unicorn.py
+++ b/bindings/python/unicorn/unicorn.py
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ def _load_lib(path):
         if sys.platform in ('win32', 'cygwin'):
             _load_win_support(path)
 
-        lib_file = os.path.join(path, _lib[sys.platform])
+        lib_file = os.path.join(path, _lib.get(sys.platform, 'libunicorn.so'))
         #print('Trying to load shared library', lib_file)
         dll = ctypes.cdll.LoadLibrary(lib_file)
         #print('SUCCESS')
diff --git a/install-cmocka-linux.sh b/install-cmocka-linux.sh
index 46b405a4..a9530ac2 100755
--- a/install-cmocka-linux.sh
+++ b/install-cmocka-linux.sh
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 set -ex
 mkdir cmocka
-wget https://cmocka.org/files/1.1/cmocka-1.1.0.tar.xz -O /tmp/cmocka-1.1.0.tar.xz
+#wget https://cmocka.org/files/1.1/cmocka-1.1.0.tar.xz -O /tmp/cmocka-1.1.0.tar.xz
+wget --no-check-certificate http://cmocka.org/files/1.1/cmocka-1.1.0.tar.xz -O /tmp/cmocka-1.1.0.tar.xz
 tar -xf /tmp/cmocka-1.1.0.tar.xz -C /tmp
 cd cmocka && cmake -DUNIT_TESTING=On /tmp/cmocka-1.1.0 && make && make test
 # cmake builds an so instead of a dll in mingw/msys
diff --git a/samples/Makefile b/samples/Makefile
index b556cb00..abb0912a 100644
--- a/samples/Makefile
+++ b/samples/Makefile
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ AR_EXT = a
 else ifneq ($(filter MINGW%,$(UNAME_S)),)
 CFLAGS := $(CFLAGS:-fPIC=)
 BIN_EXT = .exe
-AR_EXT = lib
+AR_EXT = a
 endif
 
 ifeq ($(UNICORN_STATIC),yes)
diff --git a/windows_export.bat b/windows_export.bat
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4ff67fba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/windows_export.bat
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+@echo on
+
+:: This script invokes the visual studio linker to construct a static library file that can be used outside of mingw.
+:: The unicorn.def file that it references below is produced by the mingw compiler via a linker flag.
+:: The arch (x86 or x64) we are working on should be passed via the first argument to this script.
+
+:: Look up the Visual Studio install path via the registry
+:: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/445167/how-can-i-get-the-value-of-a-registry-key-from-within-a-batch-script
+:: If anyone ever tells you that windows is a reasonable operating system, they are wrong
+FOR /F "usebackq tokens=3*" %%A IN (`REG QUERY "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\VisualStudio\12.0" /v InstallDir`) DO (
+    set appdir=%%A %%B
+)
+
+:: Add the visual studio binaries to our path and run the linker
+call "%appdir%..\..\VC\vcvarsall.bat" %1
+call lib /machine:%1 /def:unicorn.def