diff --git a/configure b/configure
index f6a63bcffc..f62c1feb88 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -92,6 +92,7 @@ libs_softmmu=""
 libs_tools=""
 audio_pt_int=""
 audio_win_int=""
+cc_i386=i386-pc-linux-gnu-gcc
 
 # parse CC options first
 for opt do
@@ -789,12 +790,14 @@ case "$cpu" in
     i386)
            QEMU_CFLAGS="-m32 $QEMU_CFLAGS"
            LDFLAGS="-m32 $LDFLAGS"
+           cc_i386='$(CC) -m32'
            helper_cflags="-fomit-frame-pointer"
            host_guest_base="yes"
            ;;
     x86_64)
            QEMU_CFLAGS="-m64 $QEMU_CFLAGS"
            LDFLAGS="-m64 $LDFLAGS"
+           cc_i386='$(CC) -m32'
            host_guest_base="yes"
            ;;
     arm*)
@@ -2640,6 +2643,7 @@ echo "INSTALL_DIR=$install -d -m0755 -p" >> $config_host_mak
 echo "INSTALL_DATA=$install -m0644 -p" >> $config_host_mak
 echo "INSTALL_PROG=$install -m0755 -p" >> $config_host_mak
 echo "CC=$cc" >> $config_host_mak
+echo "CC_I386=$cc_i386" >> $config_host_mak
 echo "HOST_CC=$host_cc" >> $config_host_mak
 if test "$sparse" = "yes" ; then
   echo "CC      := REAL_CC=\"\$(CC)\" cgcc"       >> $config_host_mak
diff --git a/rules.mak b/rules.mak
index c843a131e8..6dac7773d5 100644
--- a/rules.mak
+++ b/rules.mak
@@ -42,6 +42,15 @@ cc-option = $(if $(shell $(CC) $1 $2 -S -o /dev/null -xc /dev/null \
 VPATH_SUFFIXES = %.c %.h %.S %.m %.mak %.texi
 set-vpath = $(if $1,$(foreach PATTERN,$(VPATH_SUFFIXES),$(eval vpath $(PATTERN) $1)))
 
+# find-in-path
+# Usage: $(call find-in-path, prog)
+# Looks in the PATH if the argument contains no slash, else only considers one
+# specific directory.  Returns an # empty string if the program doesn't exist
+# there.
+find-in-path = $(if $(find-string /, $1), \
+        $(wildcard $1), \
+        $(wildcard $(patsubst %, %/$1, $(subst :, ,$(PATH)))))
+
 # Generate timestamp files for .h include files
 
 %.h: %.h-timestamp
diff --git a/tests/Makefile b/tests/Makefile
index ef575a4814..e43ec70b6d 100644
--- a/tests/Makefile
+++ b/tests/Makefile
@@ -3,82 +3,118 @@
 
 $(call set-vpath, $(SRC_PATH)/tests)
 
+QEMU=../i386-linux-user/qemu-i386
+QEMU_X86_64=../x86_64-linux-user/qemu-x86_64
+CC_X86_64=$(CC_I386) -m64
+
 CFLAGS=-Wall -O2 -g -fno-strict-aliasing -I..
 #CFLAGS+=-msse2
 LDFLAGS=
 
-ifeq ($(ARCH),i386)
-TESTS=linux-test testthread sha1-i386 test-i386
+# TODO: automatically detect ARM and MIPS compilers, and run those too
+
+# runcom maps page 0, so it requires root privileges
+# also, pi_10.com runs indefinitely
+
+I386_TESTS=hello-i386 \
+	   linux-test \
+	   testthread \
+	   sha1-i386 \
+	   test-i386 \
+	   test-mmap \
+	   # runcom
+
+# native i386 compilers sometimes are not biarch.  assume cross-compilers are
+ifneq ($(ARCH),i386)
+I386_TESTS+=run-test-x86_64
 endif
-ifeq ($(ARCH),x86_64)
-TESTS=test-x86_64
+
+TESTS = test_path
+ifneq ($(call find-in-path, $(CC_I386)),)
+TESTS += $(I386_TESTS)
 endif
-TESTS+=sha1# test_path
-#TESTS+=test_path
-#TESTS+=runcom
 
-QEMU=../i386-linux-user/qemu-i386
+all: $(patsubst %,run-%,$(TESTS))
 
-all: $(TESTS)
+# rules to run tests
 
-hello-i386: hello-i386.c
-	$(CC) -nostdlib $(CFLAGS) -static $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $<
-	strip $@
+.PHONY: $(patsubst %,run-%,$(TESTS))
 
-testthread: testthread.c
-	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $< -lpthread
+run-%: %
+	-$(QEMU) ./$*
 
-test_path: test_path.c
-	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $<
-	./$@ || { rm $@; exit 1; }
+run-hello-i386: hello-i386
+run-linux-test: linux-test
+run-testthread: testthread
+run-sha1-i386: sha1-i386
 
-# i386/x86_64 emulation test (test various opcodes) */
-test-i386: test-i386.c test-i386-code16.S test-i386-vm86.S \
-           test-i386.h test-i386-shift.h test-i386-muldiv.h
-	$(CC) -m32 $(CFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS) -static -o $@ \
-              $(<D)/test-i386.c $(<D)/test-i386-code16.S $(<D)/test-i386-vm86.S -lm
-
-test-x86_64: test-i386.c \
-           test-i386.h test-i386-shift.h test-i386-muldiv.h
-	$(CC) -m64 $(CFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS) -static -o $@ $(<D)/test-i386.c -lm
-
-ifeq ($(ARCH),i386)
-test: test-i386
+run-test-i386: test-i386
 	./test-i386 > test-i386.ref
-else
-test:
-endif
-	$(QEMU) test-i386 > test-i386.out
+	-$(QEMU) test-i386 > test-i386.out
 	@if diff -u test-i386.ref test-i386.out ; then echo "Auto Test OK"; fi
 
-.PHONY: test-mmap
-test-mmap: test-mmap.c
-	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) -Wall -static -O2 $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $<
-	-./test-mmap
+run-test-x86_64: test-x86_64
+	./test-x86_64 > test-x86_64.ref
+	-$(QEMU_X86_64) test-x86_64 > test-x86_64.out
+	@if diff -u test-x86_64.ref test-x86_64.out ; then echo "Auto Test OK"; fi
+
+run-test-mmap: test-mmap
 	-$(QEMU) ./test-mmap
 	-$(QEMU) -p 8192 ./test-mmap 8192
 	-$(QEMU) -p 16384 ./test-mmap 16384
 	-$(QEMU) -p 32768 ./test-mmap 32768
 
+run-runcom: runcom
+	-$(QEMU) ./runcom $(SRC_PATH)/tests/pi_10.com
+
+run-test_path: test_path
+	./test_path
+
+# rules to compile tests
+
+test_path: test_path.o
+test_path.o: test_path.c
+
+hello-i386: hello-i386.c
+	$(CC_I386) -nostdlib $(CFLAGS) -static $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $<
+	strip $@
+
+testthread: testthread.c
+	$(CC_I386) $(CFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $< -lpthread
+
+# i386/x86_64 emulation test (test various opcodes) */
+test-i386: test-i386.c test-i386-code16.S test-i386-vm86.S \
+           test-i386.h test-i386-shift.h test-i386-muldiv.h
+	$(CC_I386) $(CFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ \
+              $(<D)/test-i386.c $(<D)/test-i386-code16.S $(<D)/test-i386-vm86.S -lm
+
+test-x86_64: test-i386.c \
+           test-i386.h test-i386-shift.h test-i386-muldiv.h
+	$(CC_X86_64) $(CFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $(<D)/test-i386.c -lm
+
 # generic Linux and CPU test
 linux-test: linux-test.c
-	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $< -lm
+	$(CC_I386) $(CFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $< -lm
+
+# vm86 test
+runcom: runcom.c
+	$(CC_I386) $(CFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $<
+
+test-mmap: test-mmap.c
+	$(CC_I386) -m32 $(CFLAGS) -Wall -O2 $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $<
 
 # speed test
 sha1-i386: sha1.c
-	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $<
+	$(CC_I386) $(CFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $<
 
 sha1: sha1.c
-	$(HOST_CC) $(CFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $<
+	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $<
 
 speed: sha1 sha1-i386
 	time ./sha1
 	time $(QEMU) ./sha1-i386
 
-# vm86 test
-runcom: runcom.c
-	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $<
-
+# broken test
 # NOTE: -fomit-frame-pointer is currently needed : this is a bug in libqemu
 qruncom: qruncom.c ../ioport-user.c ../i386-user/libqemu.a
 	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) -fomit-frame-pointer $(LDFLAGS) -I../target-i386 -I.. -I../i386-user -I../fpu \