diff --git a/readconf.c b/readconf.c
index 6d05210..f74bf70 100644
--- a/readconf.c
+++ b/readconf.c
@@ -294,6 +294,11 @@ static struct {
 	{ NULL, oBadOption }
 };
 
+#ifdef WIN32_FIXME
+char user_hostfile_name[MAX_PATH] ; // full path of "known_hosts"
+char user_hostfile_name2[MAX_PATH] ; // full path of "known_hosts2"
+#endif
+
 /*
  * Adds a local TCP/IP port forward to options.  Never returns if there is an
  * error.
@@ -379,7 +384,7 @@ clear_forwardings(Options *options)
 
 void
 add_identity_file(Options *options, const char *dir, const char *filename,
-    int userprovided)
+    int userprovided, struct passwd *pw)
 {
 	char *path;
 	int i;
@@ -391,7 +396,12 @@ add_identity_file(Options *options, const char *dir, const char *filename,
 	if (dir == NULL) /* no dir, filename is absolute */
 		path = xstrdup(filename);
 	else
+		#ifndef WIN32_FIXME
 		(void)xasprintf(&path, "%.100s%.100s", dir, filename);
+		#else
+		if ( strcmp(dir, "~/") == 0)
+			(void)xasprintf(&path, "%.100s\\%.100s", pw->pw_dir, filename);
+		#endif
 
 	/* Avoid registering duplicates */
 	for (i = 0; i < options->num_identity_files; i++) {
@@ -995,7 +1005,7 @@ parse_time:
 				fatal("%.200s line %d: Too many identity files specified (max %d).",
 				    filename, linenum, SSH_MAX_IDENTITY_FILES);
 			add_identity_file(options, NULL,
-			    arg, flags & SSHCONF_USERCONF);
+			    arg, flags & SSHCONF_USERCONF, pw);
 		}
 		break;
 
@@ -1748,9 +1758,18 @@ fill_default_options_for_canonicalization(Options *options)
  * Called after processing other sources of option data, this fills those
  * options for which no value has been specified with their default values.
  */
+#ifndef WIN32_FIXME
 void
 fill_default_options(Options * options)
+#else
+void fill_default_options(Options * options, struct passwd *pw)
+#endif
 {
+	#ifdef WIN32_FIXME
+	sprintf(user_hostfile_name,"%s\\%s\\known_hosts", pw->pw_dir, _PATH_SSH_USER_DIR );// SSH_USER_HOSTFILE2;
+	sprintf(user_hostfile_name2,"%s\\%s\\known_hosts2", pw->pw_dir, _PATH_SSH_USER_DIR );// SSH_USER_HOSTFILE2;
+	#endif
+
 	if (options->forward_agent == -1)
 		options->forward_agent = 0;
 	if (options->forward_x11 == -1)
@@ -1818,19 +1837,19 @@ fill_default_options(Options * options)
 	if (options->num_identity_files == 0) {
 		if (options->protocol & SSH_PROTO_1) {
 			add_identity_file(options, "~/",
-			    _PATH_SSH_CLIENT_IDENTITY, 0);
+			    _PATH_SSH_CLIENT_IDENTITY, 0, pw);
 		}
 		if (options->protocol & SSH_PROTO_2) {
 			add_identity_file(options, "~/",
-			    _PATH_SSH_CLIENT_ID_RSA, 0);
+			    _PATH_SSH_CLIENT_ID_RSA, 0, pw);
 			add_identity_file(options, "~/",
-			    _PATH_SSH_CLIENT_ID_DSA, 0);
+			    _PATH_SSH_CLIENT_ID_DSA, 0, pw);
 #ifdef OPENSSL_HAS_ECC
 			add_identity_file(options, "~/",
-			    _PATH_SSH_CLIENT_ID_ECDSA, 0);
+			    _PATH_SSH_CLIENT_ID_ECDSA, 0, pw);
 #endif
 			add_identity_file(options, "~/",
-			    _PATH_SSH_CLIENT_ID_ED25519, 0);
+			    _PATH_SSH_CLIENT_ID_ED25519, 0, pw);
 		}
 	}
 	if (options->escape_char == -1)
@@ -1843,9 +1862,17 @@ fill_default_options(Options * options)
 	}
 	if (options->num_user_hostfiles == 0) {
 		options->user_hostfiles[options->num_user_hostfiles++] =
+			#ifdef WIN32_FIXME
+			user_hostfile_name ;
+			#else
 		    xstrdup(_PATH_SSH_USER_HOSTFILE);
+			#endif
 		options->user_hostfiles[options->num_user_hostfiles++] =
+			#ifdef WIN32_FIXME
+			user_hostfile_name2 ;
+			#else
 		    xstrdup(_PATH_SSH_USER_HOSTFILE2);
+			#endif
 	}
 	if (options->log_level == SYSLOG_LEVEL_NOT_SET)
 		options->log_level = SYSLOG_LEVEL_INFO;
diff --git a/readconf.h b/readconf.h
index 9946168..6ae35c8 100644
--- a/readconf.h
+++ b/readconf.h
@@ -189,7 +189,11 @@ typedef struct {
 #define SSH_UPDATE_HOSTKEYS_ASK	2
 
 void     initialize_options(Options *);
+#ifdef WIN32_FIXME
+void     fill_default_options(Options *, struct passwd *pw);
+#else
 void     fill_default_options(Options *);
+#endif
 void	 fill_default_options_for_canonicalization(Options *);
 int	 process_config_line(Options *, struct passwd *, const char *,
     const char *, char *, const char *, int, int *, int);
@@ -202,6 +206,6 @@ void	 dump_client_config(Options *o, const char *host);
 
 void	 add_local_forward(Options *, const struct Forward *);
 void	 add_remote_forward(Options *, const struct Forward *);
-void	 add_identity_file(Options *, const char *, const char *, int);
+void	 add_identity_file(Options *, const char *, const char *, int, struct passwd *);
 
 #endif				/* READCONF_H */
diff --git a/runconfigure b/runconfigure
index 8387298..9cd8982 100644
--- a/runconfigure
+++ b/runconfigure
@@ -1 +1,2 @@
-./configure --build=i686-pc-mingw32 --host=i686-pc-mingw32 --with-ssl-dir=../openssl-1.0.2d --with-zlib=../zlib-1.2.8 --with-kerberos5
\ No newline at end of file
+@REM ./configure --build=i686-pc-mingw32 --host=i686-pc-mingw32 --with-ssl-dir=../openssl-1.0.2d --with-zlib=../zlib-1.2.8 --with-kerberos5
+./configure --build=i686-pc-mingw32 --host=i686-pc-mingw32 --with-ssl-dir=../openssl-1.0.2d --with-kerberos5
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/ssh-keysign.c b/ssh-keysign.c
index 1dca3e2..7b8bba8 100644
--- a/ssh-keysign.c
+++ b/ssh-keysign.c
@@ -209,7 +209,13 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
 	/* verify that ssh-keysign is enabled by the admin */
 	initialize_options(&options);
 	(void)read_config_file(_PATH_HOST_CONFIG_FILE, pw, "", "", &options, 0);
+
+	#ifndef WIN32_FIXME
 	fill_default_options(&options);
+	#else
+	fill_default_options(&options, pw);
+	#endif
+
 	if (options.enable_ssh_keysign != 1)
 		fatal("ssh-keysign not enabled in %s",
 		    _PATH_HOST_CONFIG_FILE);
diff --git a/ssh.c b/ssh.c
index 86350c0..24c013b 100644
--- a/ssh.c
+++ b/ssh.c
@@ -126,6 +126,8 @@
   extern int PassInputFd;
   extern int PassOutputFd;
 
+  char dotsshdir[MAX_PATH];
+
 #endif /* WIN32_FIXME */
 
 extern char *__progname;
@@ -587,6 +589,7 @@ main(int ac, char **av)
 	char cname[NI_MAXHOST];
 	struct stat st;
 	struct passwd *pw;
+
 	int timeout_ms;
 	extern int optind, optreset;
 	extern char *optarg;
@@ -811,7 +814,7 @@ main(int ac, char **av)
 				    strerror(errno));
 				break;
 			}
-			add_identity_file(&options, NULL, optarg, 1);
+			add_identity_file(&options, NULL, optarg, 1, pw);
 			break;
 		case 'I':
 #ifdef ENABLE_PKCS11
@@ -1055,6 +1058,10 @@ main(int ac, char **av)
       PassOutputFd = _open_osfhandle(options.passOutputHandle_, O_WRONLY);
     }
 
+ 	// create various Windows user home directory based file names
+    sprintf(dotsshdir,"%s\\%s", pw->pw_dir, _PATH_SSH_USER_DIR );
+    _mkdir(dotsshdir); //this base directory for the user is needed
+
   #endif
 
 	/* Check that we got a host name. */
@@ -1189,7 +1196,11 @@ main(int ac, char **av)
 	}
 
 	/* Fill configuration defaults. */
+	#ifndef WIN32_FIXME
 	fill_default_options(&options);
+	#else
+	fill_default_options(&options, pw);
+	#endif
 
 	if (options.port == 0)
 		options.port = default_ssh_port();