diff --git a/README.MinGW b/README.MinGW
index a1767138..e406ffc2 100644
--- a/README.MinGW
+++ b/README.MinGW
@@ -8,6 +8,10 @@ Start MSYS, unpack the nexus distribution and edit the file "make_mingw_links" i
 
 If you wish a Microsoft compatible import library (.LIB file that references a DLL) to also be built, you need to make sure the LIB command is available in your MinGW path. Type LIB at the MSYS prompt now to check if this is so.
 
+Edit applications/NXtranslate/text_xml/Makefile.am and 
+applications/NXtranslate/Makefile.am and in both replace
+`xml2-config --cflags`  with  -I/usr/local/include in  AM_CPPFLAGS
+
 Now just type
 
 ./configure
@@ -30,8 +34,21 @@ ${prefix}/bin/libNeXus-0.dll.lib : MS compatible import library for libNeXus-0.d
 
 Enjoy!
 
+
+
+Use libtool 1.5 but note it has problems as MinGW does not ship the unix "file" command so you get "file magic" errors
+
+to remedy, install  file.MinGW   as /usr/local/bin/file and chmod +x it
+
+also rename libmxml.a as libmxml.dll.a
+
 Freddie Akeroyd (F.A.Akeroyd@rl.ac.uk)
 
 --
 
 $Id$
+===================================================================
+RCS file: /isis/cvs/repository/nexus/applications/NXtranslate/text_xml/Makefile.am,v
+retrieving revision 1.3
+diff -r1.3 Makefile.am
+32c32
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 79808be5..719bb6e6 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -131,13 +131,17 @@ if test -d "$with_java_home"; then
 	javaroot="$with_java_home"
 	AC_MSG_NOTICE([Java SDK home is $javaroot])
 	JAVAINCLUDE="-I$javaroot/include"
-	AC_PATH_PROGS(JAVAC,javac,,[$javaroot/bin:$PATH])
+	AC_PATH_PROGS(JAVAC,gcj javac,,[$javaroot/bin:$PATH])
+	if test `basename "$JAVAC"` = "gcj"; then
+	    JAVACFLAGS="-C"	# force creation of .class files
+	fi
 	AC_PATH_PROGS(JAVADOC,javadoc,,[$javaroot/bin:$PATH])
 	AC_PATH_PROGS(JAR,jar,,[$javaroot/bin:$PATH])
-	AC_PATH_PROGS(JAVA,java,,[$javaroot/bin:$PATH])
-	AC_PATH_PROGS(JAVAH,javah,,[$javaroot/bin:$PATH])
+	AC_PATH_PROGS(JAVA,gij java,,[$javaroot/bin:$PATH])
+	AC_PATH_PROGS(JAVAH,gcjh javah,,[$javaroot/bin:$PATH])
 fi
 
+
 #AC_ARG_WITH([java], AC_HELP_STRING([--with-java=java compiler], [Specify name of Java compiler]),
 #	[], [with_java=yes])
 #if test x$with_java != xno ; then
@@ -164,6 +168,7 @@ fi
 #	JAVAC=
 #	JAVAINCLUDE=
 #fi
+AC_SUBST(JAVACFLAGS)
 AC_SUBST(SHARED_LDFLAGS)
 AC_SUBST(JAVAINCLUDE)
 AC_SUBST(PACKAGE_RELEASE)
diff --git a/file.MinGW b/file.MinGW
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..b496bf83
--- /dev/null
+++ b/file.MinGW
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+#
+# $Id$
+#
+
+# hack to get round the problem that libtool 1.5 uses the "file"
+# command and MinGW does not provide one (see README.MinGW)
+
+# install this as  /usr/local/bin/file   and chmod +x it
+ 
+ while $(echo "$1" | grep --silent "^-")
+ do
+ 	shift
+ done
+ 
+ case "$1" in
+ 	*.exe) echo "MS Windows PE 32-bit Intel 80386 console executable not relocatable" ;; # libtool doesn"t match the "32-bit"
+ 	*.dll) echo "MS Windows PE 32-bit Intel 80386 console DLL" ;;
+ 	*.dll.a) echo "ar archive import library" ;; # <-- import library for relocatable library
+ 	*.a | *.lib) echo "ar archive" ;; # <-- could be static library or import library for relocatable library; libtool will use objdump to find out
+ 	*) echo "unknown" ;;
+ esac
diff --git a/make_mingw_links b/make_mingw_links
index ebb621e0..92707823 100755
--- a/make_mingw_links
+++ b/make_mingw_links
@@ -33,8 +33,8 @@ ln -sf "/c/program files/hdf/42r1-win/release/dll/hm421m.dll" /usr/local/hdf4/li
 #
 # HDF5 windows binary install  (from http://hdf.ncsa.uiuc.edu)
 #
-ln -sf "/c/program files/hdf/5-164-win/include" /usr/local/hdf5/include
-ln -sf "/c/program files/hdf/5-164-win/dll/hdf5dll.dll" /usr/local/hdf5/lib/libhdf5.dll
+ln -sf "/c/program files/hdf/5-165-win/include" /usr/local/hdf5/include
+ln -sf "/c/program files/hdf/5-165-win/dll/hdf5dll.dll" /usr/local/hdf5/lib/libhdf5.dll
 #
 # ZLIB (from http://www.gzip.org/zlib/)
 #
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ ln -sf "/c/program files/hdf/zlib122-windows/zlib1.dll" /usr/local/lib/libz.dll
 #
 # SZIP from http://hdf.ncsa.uiuc.edu/
 #
-ln -sf "/c/program files/hdf/szip20-win-xp-enc/dll/szlibdll.dll" /usr/local/lib/libsz.dll
+ln -sf "/c/program files/hdf/szip20-win-xp-noenc/dll/szlibdll.dll" /usr/local/lib/libsz.dll
 #
 # LIBXML2 (optional; only needed for NXtranslate) from http://xmlsoft.org/
 #