diff --git a/makefile b/makefile
index 3cd639e6..30c152a2 100644
--- a/makefile
+++ b/makefile
@@ -131,7 +131,29 @@ ifeq (old,$(shell gmake --version /dev/null 2>&1 | grep 'GNU Make' | awk '{ if (
   $(warning *** Warning *** GNU Make Version $(GMAKE_VERSION) is too old to)
   $(warning *** Warning *** fully process this makefile)
 endif
-SIM_MAJOR=$(shell grep SIM_MAJOR sim_rev.h | awk '{ print $$3 }')
+ifneq ($(findstring Windows,${OS}),)
+  $(info *** Warning *** Compiling simh simulators with MinGW or cygwin is deprecated and)
+  $(info *** Warning *** may not complete successfully or produce working simulators.  If)
+  $(info *** Warning *** building simulators completes, they may not be fully functional.)
+  $(info *** Warning *** It is recommended to use one of the free Microsoft Visual Studio)
+  $(info *** Warning *** compilers which provide fully functional simulator capabilities.)
+  ifeq ($(findstring .exe,${SHELL}),.exe)
+    # MinGW
+    WIN32 := 1
+    # Tests don't run under MinGW
+    TESTS := 0
+  else # Msys or cygwin
+    ifeq (MINGW,$(findstring MINGW,$(shell uname)))
+      $(info *** This makefile can not be used with the Msys bash shell)
+      $(error Use build_mingw.bat ${MAKECMDGOALS} from a Windows command prompt)
+    endif
+  endif
+endif
+ifeq ($(WIN32),)
+  SIM_MAJOR=$(shell grep SIM_MAJOR sim_rev.h | awk '{ print $$3 }')
+else
+  SIM_MAJOR=$(shell for /F "tokens=3" %%i in ('findstr /c:"SIM_MAJOR" sim_rev.h') do echo %%i)
+endif
 BUILD_SINGLE := ${MAKECMDGOALS} $(BLANK_SUFFIX)
 BUILD_MULTIPLE_VERB = is
 MAKECMDGOALS_DESCRIPTION = the $(MAKECMDGOALS) simulator
@@ -201,24 +223,6 @@ endif
 ifneq ($(NOVIDEO),)
   VIDEO_USEFUL =
 endif
-ifneq ($(findstring Windows,${OS}),)
-  $(info *** Warning *** Compiling simh simulators with MinGW or cygwin is deprecated and)
-  $(info *** Warning *** may not complete successfully or produce working simulators.  If)
-  $(info *** Warning *** building simulators completes, they may not be fully functional.)
-  $(info *** Warning *** It is recommended to use one of the free Microsoft Visual Studio)
-  $(info *** Warning *** compilers which provide fully functional simulator capabilities.)
-  ifeq ($(findstring .exe,${SHELL}),.exe)
-    # MinGW
-    WIN32 := 1
-    # Tests don't run under MinGW
-    TESTS := 0
-  else # Msys or cygwin
-    ifeq (MINGW,$(findstring MINGW,$(shell uname)))
-      $(info *** This makefile can not be used with the Msys bash shell)
-      $(error Use build_mingw.bat ${MAKECMDGOALS} from a Windows command prompt)
-    endif
-  endif
-endif
 
 find_exe = $(abspath $(strip $(firstword $(foreach dir,$(strip $(subst :, ,${PATH})),$(wildcard $(dir)/$(1))))))
 find_lib = $(firstword $(abspath $(strip $(firstword $(foreach dir,$(strip ${LIBPATH}),$(foreach ext,$(strip ${LIBEXT}),$(wildcard $(dir)/lib$(1).$(ext))))))))
@@ -1170,18 +1174,20 @@ else
       $(info Cloning the windows-build dependencies into $(abspath ..)/windows-build)
       $(shell git clone https://github.com/simh/windows-build ../windows-build)
     else
-      $(info ***********************************************************************)
-      $(info ***********************************************************************)
-      $(info **  This build is operating without the required windows-build       **)
-      $(info **  components and therefore will produce less than optimal          **)
-      $(info **  simulator operation and features.                                **)
-      $(info **  Download the file:                                               **)
-      $(info **  https://github.com/simh/windows-build/archive/windows-build.zip  **)
-      $(info **  Extract the windows-build-windows-build folder it contains to    **)
-      $(info **  $(abspath ..\)                                                   **)
-      $(info ***********************************************************************)
-      $(info ***********************************************************************)
-      $(info .)
+      ifneq (3,${SIM_MAJOR})
+        $(info ***********************************************************************)
+        $(info ***********************************************************************)
+        $(info **  This build is operating without the required windows-build       **)
+        $(info **  components and therefore will produce less than optimal          **)
+        $(info **  simulator operation and features.                                **)
+        $(info **  Download the file:                                               **)
+        $(info **  https://github.com/simh/windows-build/archive/windows-build.zip  **)
+        $(info **  Extract the windows-build-windows-build folder it contains to    **)
+        $(info **  $(abspath ..\)                                                   **)
+        $(info ***********************************************************************)
+        $(info ***********************************************************************)
+        $(info .)
+      endif
     endif
   else
     # Version check on windows-build