diff --git a/scripts/mingw-x-build-installer.sh b/scripts/mingw-x-build-installer.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index e7401823..00000000
--- a/scripts/mingw-x-build-installer.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,97 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/sh -e
-#
-# This script builds a binary install package of OpenSCAD for Windows
-# using a cross-built mingw OpenSCAD and the NSIS installer system
-#
-# This script must be run from the OpenSCAD source root directory
-#
-# Usage: ./scripts/mingw-x-build-installer.sh
-#
-# Result: binary installer in $DEPLOYDIR directory
-#
-#
-# Prerequisites:
-#
-#   source ./scripts/setenv-mingw-xbuild.sh
-#   ./scripts/mingw-x-build-dependencues.sh
-#
-# and then build openscad before running this script.
-#
-# You need MCAD. run 'git submodule init && git submodule update'
-#
-# You need the Nullsoft installer system, on ubuntu 'sudo apt-get install nsis'
-#
-# Also see http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/OpenSCAD_User_Manual/Cross-compiling_for_Windows_on_Linux_or_Mac_OS_X
-#
-
-OPENSCADDIR=$PWD
-if [ ! -f $OPENSCADDIR/openscad.pro ]; then
-	echo "Must be run from the OpenSCAD source root directory"
-	exit 1
-fi
-
-. ./scripts/setenv-mingw-xbuild.sh
-
-if [ ! -e $OPENSCADDIR/libraries/MCAD/__init__.py ]; then
-	echo "Downloading MCAD"
-	git submodule init
-	git submodule update
-fi
-
-if [ ! -e $DEPLOYDIR ]; then
-	echo $DEPLOYDIR "empty. Please build OpenSCAD for mingw32 first."
-	exit 1
-fi
-
-OPENSCAD_EXE=$DEPLOYDIR/release/openscad.exe
-
-if [ ! -e $OPESCAD_EXE ]; then
-	echo "Can't find" $OPENSCAD_EXE "Please build OpenSCAD for mingw32 first."
-	exit 1
-fi
-
-MAKENSIS=
-
-if [ ! "`command -v makensis`" ]; then
-	MAKENSIS=makensis
-fi
-
-if [ ! "`command -v i686-pc-mingw32-makensis`" ]; then
-	MAKENSIS=i686-pc-mingw32-makensis
-fi
-
-if [ ! $MAKENSIS ]; then
-	echo "makensis not found. please install nsis"
-	exit 1
-fi
-
-
-echo "Copying files to" $DEPLOYDIR
-
-copy_files()
-{
-	echo "copying" $1
-	cp -a $1 $2
-}
-
-copy_files $OPENSCADDIR/libraries $DEPLOYDIR
-copy_files $OPENSCADDIR/examples $DEPLOYDIR
-copy_files $OPENSCADDIR/scripts/installer.nsi $DEPLOYDIR
-copy_files $OPENSCADDIR/scripts/mingw-file-association.nsh $DEPLOYDIR
-
-echo "running makensis in" $DEPLOYDIR
-
-cd $DEPLOYDIR && makensis -V2 installer.nsi
-# cd $DEPLOYDIR && makensis installer.nsi # debug nsis
-
-cd $OPENSCADDIR
-
-INSTALLFILE=$DEPLOYDIR/openscad_setup.exe
-
-if [ -e $INSTALLFILE ]; then
-	echo "Build complete. Install file ready:"
-	echo " " $INSTALLFILE
-else
-	echo "Build failed. Sorry."
-fi
-
diff --git a/scripts/mingw-x-build-openscad.sh b/scripts/mingw-x-build-openscad.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index d0d5b9c8..00000000
--- a/scripts/mingw-x-build-openscad.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,45 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/sh -e
-#
-# This script builds Openscad.exe for windows using the MXE cross build system.
-#
-# This script must be run from the OpenSCAD source root directory
-#
-# You must have already run the mingw-x-build-dependencies.sh script
-#
-# Usage:
-#
-# ./scripts/mingw-x-build-openscad.sh
-#
-
-OPENSCADDIR=$PWD
-if [ ! -f $OPENSCADDIR/openscad.pro ]; then
-  echo "Must be run from the OpenSCAD source root directory"
-  exit 0
-fi
-echo OPENSCADDIR: $OPENSCADDIR
-
-. ./scripts/setenv-mingw-xbuild.sh
-
-if [ ! -e $BASEDIR/lib ]; then
-	echo "please run the mingw-x-build-dependencies.sh script first"
-fi
-
-echo "entering $DEPLOYDIR"
-cd $DEPLOYDIR
-i686-pc-mingw32-qmake CONFIG+=mingw-cross-env ../openscad.pro
-#"make -j$NUMCPU" # causes parser_yacc.hpp errors
-make
-echo "leaving $DEPLOYDIR"
-
-echo "entering $OPENSCADDIR"
-cd $OPENSCADDIR
-
-OPENSCAD_EXE=$DEPLOYDIR/release/openscad.exe
-
-if [ -e $OPENSCAD_EXE ] ; then
-	echo Build finished. Executable file ready:
-	echo " " $OPENSCAD_EXE
-else
-	echo Cannot find $OPENSCAD_EXE. The build appears to have had an error.
-fi
-
diff --git a/scripts/release-common.sh b/scripts/release-common.sh
index dfd057ac..dfebe134 100755
--- a/scripts/release-common.sh
+++ b/scripts/release-common.sh
@@ -60,6 +60,31 @@ if test -z "$VERSION"; then
     VERSION=`date "+%Y.%m.%d"`
 fi
 
+
+echo "Checking pre-requisitie..."
+
+case $OS in
+    LINXWIN)
+        MAKENSIS=
+
+        if [ ! "`command -v makensis`" ]; then
+            MAKENSIS=makensis
+        elif [ ! "`command -v i686-pc-mingw32-makensis`" ]; then
+            MAKENSIS=i686-pc-mingw32-makensis
+        else
+            echo "makensis not found. please install nsis"
+            exit 1
+        fi
+    ;;
+esac
+
+if [ ! -e $OPENSCADDIR/libraries/MCAD/__init__.py ]; then
+  echo "Downloading MCAD"
+  git submodule init
+  git submodule update
+fi
+
+
 echo "Building openscad-$VERSION $CONFIGURATION..."
 
 case $OS in
@@ -134,12 +159,6 @@ fi
 
 echo "Creating directory structure..."
 
-if [ ! -e $OPENSCADDIR/libraries/MCAD/__init__.py ]; then
-  echo "Downloading MCAD"
-  git submodule init
-  git submodule update
-fi
-
 case $OS in
     MACOSX)
         EXAMPLESDIR=OpenSCAD.app/Contents/Resources/examples
@@ -168,8 +187,12 @@ fi
 if [ -n $LIBRARYDIR ]; then
   echo $LIBRARYDIR
   mkdir -p $LIBRARYDIR
-  tar cf libraries.tar --exclude=.git*
-  cd $LIBRARYDIR && tar xf $OPENSCADDIR/libraries.tar && cd $OPENSCADDIR
+  # exclude the .git stuff from MCAD which is a git submodule.
+  # tar is a relatively portable way to do exclusion
+  rm libraries.tar
+  tar cf libraries.tar --exclude=.git* libraries
+  cd $LIBRARYDIR/.. && tar xf $OPENSCADDIR/libraries.tar && cd $OPENSCADDIR
+  rm libraries.tar
   chmod -R u=rwx,go=r,+X $LIBRARYDIR/*
 fi
 
@@ -198,13 +221,19 @@ case $OS in
         cp $TARGET/openscad.exe openscad-$VERSION
         rm -f OpenSCAD-$VERSION.zip
         "$ZIP" $ZIPARGS OpenSCAD-$VERSION.zip openscad-$VERSION
-        rm -rf ./openscad-$VERSION
         cd $OPENSCADDIR
         echo "Binary package created"
 
         echo "Creating installer"
-        ./scripts/mingw-x-build-installer.sh
-        cp $DEPLOYDIR/openscad_setup.exe $DEPLOYDIR/OpenSCAD-$VERSION-Installer.exe
+        cp ./scripts/installer.nsi $DEPLOYDIR/openscad-$VERSION
+        cp ./scripts/mingw-file-association.nsh $DEPLOYDIR/openscad-$VERSION
+        cd $DEPLOYDIR/openscad-$VERSION
+        NSISDEBUG=-V2
+        # NSISDEBUG=      # leave blank for full log
+        $MAKENSIS $NSISDEBUG installer.nsi
+        cd $OPENSCADDIR
+        cp $DEPLOYDIR/openscad-$VERSION/openscad_setup.exe $DEPLOYDIR/OpenSCAD-$VERSION-Installer.exe
+
         echo
         echo "Binary created: $DEPLOYDIR/OpenSCAD-$VERSION.zip"
         echo "Installer created: $DEPLOYDIR/OpenSCAD-$VERSION-Installer.exe"
diff --git a/scripts/setenv-mingw-xbuild.sh b/scripts/setenv-mingw-xbuild.sh
index a650f508..e8976b75 100644
--- a/scripts/setenv-mingw-xbuild.sh
+++ b/scripts/setenv-mingw-xbuild.sh
@@ -11,14 +11,20 @@
 # Also see http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/OpenSCAD_User_Manual/Cross-compiling_for_Windows_on_Linux_or_Mac_OS_X
 #
 
+export OPENSCADDIR=$PWD
+
 if [ ! $BASEDIR ]; then
 	export BASEDIR=$HOME/openscad_deps
 fi
-export OPENSCADDIR=$PWD
-export DEPLOYDIR=$OPENSCADDIR/mingw32
+
+if [ ! $DEPLOYDIR ]; then
+	export DEPLOYDIR=$OPENSCADDIR/mingw32
+fi
+
 if [ ! $MXEDIR ]; then
 	export MXEDIR=$BASEDIR/mxe
 fi
+
 export PATH=$MXEDIR/usr/bin:$PATH
 
 echo BASEDIR: $BASEDIR