diff --git a/setup/installer/windows/freeze.py b/setup/installer/windows/freeze.py
index cc6acd75d7..b2c818a014 100644
--- a/setup/installer/windows/freeze.py
+++ b/setup/installer/windows/freeze.py
@@ -606,16 +606,16 @@ class Win32Freeze(Command, WixMixIn):
             subsys = 'WINDOWS' if typ == 'gui' else 'CONSOLE'
             for mod, bname, func in zip(modules[typ], basenames[typ],
                     functions[typ]):
-                xflags = list(cflags) + ['/MT']
+                cflags  = '/c /EHsc /MT /W3 /O1 /nologo /D_UNICODE /DUNICODE /GS-'.split()
                 if typ == 'gui':
-                    xflags += ['/DGUI_APP=']
+                    cflags += ['/DGUI_APP=']
 
-                xflags += ['/DMODULE="%s"'%mod, '/DBASENAME="%s"'%bname,
+                cflags += ['/DMODULE="%s"'%mod, '/DBASENAME="%s"'%bname,
                     '/DFUNCTION="%s"'%func]
                 dest = self.j(self.obj_dir, bname+'.obj')
-                if self.newer(dest, [src]):
+                if self.newer(dest, [src, __file__]):
                     self.info('Compiling', bname)
-                    cmd = [msvc.cc] + xflags + dflags + ['/Tc'+src, '/Fo'+dest]
+                    cmd = [msvc.cc] + cflags + dflags + ['/Tc'+src, '/Fo'+dest]
                     self.run_builder(cmd)
                 exe = self.j(self.base, bname+'.exe')
                 lib = dll.replace('.dll', '.lib')
@@ -625,10 +625,11 @@ class Win32Freeze(Command, WixMixIn):
                     mf = dest + '.manifest'
                     with open(mf, 'wb') as f:
                         f.write(EXE_MANIFEST)
-                    cmd = [msvc.linker] + ['/MACHINE:'+machine, '/LTCG',
+                    cmd = [msvc.linker] + ['/MACHINE:'+machine, '/NODEFAULTLIB', '/ENTRY:start_here',
                             '/LIBPATH:'+self.obj_dir, '/SUBSYSTEM:'+subsys,
                             '/LIBPATH:%s/libs'%self.python_base, '/RELEASE',
                             '/MANIFEST:EMBED', '/MANIFESTINPUT:' + mf,
+                            'user32.lib', 'kernel32.lib',
                             '/OUT:'+exe] + u32 + dlflags + [self.embed_resources(exe),
                             dest, lib]
                     self.run_builder(cmd)
diff --git a/setup/installer/windows/main.c b/setup/installer/windows/main.c
index 8e0b5bdc90..4cb2818fb3 100644
--- a/setup/installer/windows/main.c
+++ b/setup/installer/windows/main.c
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 #include<windows.h>
 #include<strsafe.h>
 
-size_t mystrlen(const wchar_t *buf) {
+static size_t mystrlen(const wchar_t *buf) {
     size_t ans = 0;
     if (FAILED(StringCbLengthW(buf, 500, &ans))) return 0;
     return ans;
@@ -23,15 +23,13 @@ static int show_error(const wchar_t *preamble, const wchar_t *msg, const int cod
     }
 
     MessageBeep(MB_ICONERROR);
-    if (FAILED(StringCbPrintfW(buf, LocalSize(buf), L"%s\r\n  %s (Error Code: %d)\r\n", preamble, msg, code)))
-        MessageBox(NULL, preamble, NULL, MB_OK|MB_ICONERROR);
-    else
-        MessageBox(NULL, buf, NULL, MB_OK|MB_ICONERROR);
+    wsprintf(buf, L"%s\r\n  %s (Error Code: %d)\r\n", preamble, msg, code);
+    MessageBox(NULL, buf, NULL, MB_OK|MB_ICONERROR);
     LocalFree(buf);
     return code;
 }
 
-int show_last_error(wchar_t *preamble) {
+static int show_last_error(wchar_t *preamble) {
     wchar_t *msg = NULL;
     DWORD dw = GetLastError(); 
     int ret;
@@ -55,11 +53,12 @@ int show_last_error(wchar_t *preamble) {
 typedef int (__cdecl *ENTRYPROC)(const char*, const char*, const char*, int); 
 
 static ENTRYPROC load_launcher_dll() {
-    wchar_t buf[MAX_PATH] = {0};
+    wchar_t buf[MAX_PATH];  // Cannot use a zero initializer for the array as it generates an implicit call to memset()
     wchar_t drive[4] = L"\0\0\0";
-    DWORD sz; 
-    HMODULE dll;
-    ENTRYPROC entrypoint;
+    int i = 0;
+    DWORD sz = 0; 
+    HMODULE dll = 0;
+    ENTRYPROC entrypoint = 0;
 
     if ((sz = GetModuleFileNameW(NULL, buf, MAX_PATH)) >= MAX_PATH - 30)
         ExitProcess(show_error(L"Installation directory path too long", L"", 1));
@@ -84,19 +83,14 @@ static ENTRYPROC load_launcher_dll() {
     return entrypoint;
 }
 
+int __stdcall start_here() {
+    int ret = 0;
 #ifdef GUI_APP
-
-int WINAPI                                                                                                      
-wWinMain(HINSTANCE Inst, HINSTANCE PrevInst, wchar_t *CmdLine, int CmdShow) {
+    // This should really be returning the value set in the WM_QUIT message, but I cannot be bothered figuring out how to get that.
     load_launcher_dll()(BASENAME, MODULE, FUNCTION, 1);
-
-    return 0; // This should really be returning the value set in the WM_QUIT message, but I cannot be bothered figuring out how to get that.
-}
-
 #else
-
-int wmain(int argc, wchar_t *argv) {
-    return load_launcher_dll()(BASENAME, MODULE, FUNCTION, 0);
-}
-
+    ret = load_launcher_dll()(BASENAME, MODULE, FUNCTION, 0);
 #endif
+    ExitProcess(ret);
+    return ret;
+}