diff --git a/packaging/windows/smtk2ssrf-mxe-build.sh b/packaging/windows/smtk2ssrf-mxe-build.sh
index 126dd1bd2..5253490f7 100755
--- a/packaging/windows/smtk2ssrf-mxe-build.sh
+++ b/packaging/windows/smtk2ssrf-mxe-build.sh
@@ -5,16 +5,25 @@
 # the source tree and, please, refer to said script for instructions on how to
 # build.
 #
-# Subsurface *MUST* have been built before running that script, as the importer
+# Subsurface *MUST* have been built before running this script, as the importer
 # links against libsubsurface_corelib.a library.
 # Although is possible to build the latest git version of the importer against
 # whichever other version of subsurface, this should be avoided, and both
 # versions, subsurface and smtk-import should be the same.
 #
 # Flags and options:
+# -a (--auto):	    Mark the buils as "automatic". This assumes we are building
+#		    in a automated environment (e.g. travis-ci) and doesn't try
+#		    to change the git tag or repo. -t and -r flags are useless
+#		    if -a has been set. Building in travis-ci is detected and so
+#		    the flag is not necessary there.
 # -i (--installer): Packs a windows installer. This should always be used.
 # -t (--tag):       Defines which git version we want to build. Defaults to
 #                   latest. E.g. -t v4.6.4
+# -r (--repo):	    Set the repo you want to target for the build. If you are
+#                   working on a github fork, you will usually have an "origin"
+#		    and a "fork" repo, this enables choosing which repo you want
+#		    to pull from.
 # -b (--build):     Values: debug or release. Defines the build we want to do.
 # -d (--dir):	    Specify a directory where a copy of the installer will be
 #                   placed. This is a *must* if the script runs in a VM, and
@@ -22,13 +31,18 @@
 #
 # Examples: (provided Subsurface has been previously cross built)
 #
+# For most pourposes, including travis builds, just
+# smtk2ssrf-mxe-build.sh -i
+# should be used.
+#
 # smtk2ssrf-mxe-build.sh -i -t master
-# This will build an release installer of smtk2ssrf placed in a directory under
+# This will build a release installer of smtk2ssrf placed in a directory under
 # the win-build directory where it has been launched, named smtk-import. It will
 # build git latest master regardless of subsurface's cross built version.
 #
 # smtk2ssrf-mxe-build.sh -b debug
 # This will build *just* a windows binary (no packing) of the latest master.
+# Use with care, this flag *must* match subsurface's build one.
 #
 # smtk2ssrf-mxe-build.sh -i -t v4.6.4 -b relase -d /mnt/data
 # As I'm building in a fedora-25 docker VM, this should bring up a release
@@ -49,6 +63,7 @@ DEFAULT="\033[0m"
 
 SSRF_TAG=""
 RELEASE="Release"
+AUTO="${TRAVIS:-false}"
 
 # this is important, if we are building in a VM or if we want to get a copy
 # of the installer elsewhere out of the building tree.
@@ -84,10 +99,12 @@ echo -e "$BLUE---> Building in$LIGHT_GRAY $BUILDDIR ...$DEFAULT"
 # check for arguments and set options
 if [ $# -eq 0 ]; then
 	echo -e "$BLUE---> No arguments given."
-	echo -e "---> Building actual git commit and Release type without installer $DEFAULT"
+	echo -e "---> Building current git commit and Release type without installer $DEFAULT"
 else
 	while [ $# -gt 0 ]; do
 		case $1 in
+			-a|--auto)	AUTO="true"
+					;;
 			-t|--tag)	SSRF_TAG="$2"
 					shift;;
 			-i|--installer)	INSTALLER="installer"
@@ -101,7 +118,7 @@ else
 		esac
 		shift
 	done
-	echo -e "$BLUE---> Subsurface tagged to:$LIGHT_GRAY $SSRF_TAG"
+	echo -e "$BLUE---> Subsurface tagged to:$LIGHT_GRAY ${SSRF_TAG:-latest}"
 	echo -e "$BLUE---> Building type:$LIGHT_GRAY $RELEASE"
 	echo -e "$BLUE---> Installer set to:$LIGHT_GRAY $INSTALLER $DEFAULT"
 fi
@@ -126,44 +143,44 @@ export PKG_CONFIG_PATH="$PKG_CONFIG_PATH_i686_w64_mingw32_static":"$PKG_CONFIG_P
 
 #
 # mdbtools
+# build from sources. If build fails, fallback to prebuilt mxe binaries.
 #
-if [ ! -f "$BASEDIR"/mxe/usr/i686-w64-mingw32.static/lib/libmdb.a ]; then
-	echo -e "$BLUE---> Building mdbtools ... $DEFAULT "
-	mkdir -p --verbose "$BASEDIR"/mxe/usr/i686-w64-mingw32.static/include
-	mkdir -p --verbose "$BASEDIR"/mxe/usr/i686-w64-mingw32.static/lib
-	cd "$BUILDDIR"
-	[[ -d mdbtools ]] && rm -rf mdbtools
-	mkdir -p mdbtools
-	cd mdbtools
-	if [ ! -f "$BASEDIR"/mdbtools/configure ] ; then
-		( cd "$BASEDIR"/mdbtools
-		autoreconf -v -f -i )
-	fi
-	"$BASEDIR"/mdbtools/configure  --host=i686-w64-mingw32.static \
-			     --srcdir="$BASEDIR"/mdbtools \
-			     --prefix="$BASEDIR"/mxe/usr/i686-w64-mingw32.static \
-			     --enable-shared \
-			     --disable-man \
-			     --disable-gmdb2
-	make $JOBS >/dev/null || aborting "Building mdbtools failed."
-	make install
-else
-	echo -e "$BLUE---> Prebuilt mxe mdbtools ... $DEFAULT"
+echo -e "$BLUE---> Building mdbtools ... $DEFAULT "
+mkdir -p --verbose "$BASEDIR"/mxe/usr/i686-w64-mingw32.static/include
+mkdir -p --verbose "$BASEDIR"/mxe/usr/i686-w64-mingw32.static/lib
+cd "$BUILDDIR"
+[[ -d mdbtools ]] && rm -rf mdbtools
+mkdir -p mdbtools
+cd mdbtools
+if [ ! -f "$BASEDIR"/mdbtools/configure ] ; then
+	( cd "$BASEDIR"/mdbtools
+	autoreconf -v -f -i )
 fi
+"$BASEDIR"/mdbtools/configure CC=i686-w64-mingw32.static-gcc \
+		     --host=i686-w64-mingw32.static \
+		     --prefix="$BASEDIR"/mxe/usr/i686-w64-mingw32.static \
+		     --enable-shared=no \
+		     --disable-man \
+		     --disable-gmdb2
+make $JOBS >/dev/null && make install || \
+	echo -e "$RED---> Building mdbtools failed ...$LIGHT_GRAY Trying to build with precompiled mxe binaries$DEFAULT"
 
 # Subsurface
 #
-cd "$BASEDIR/subsurface"
-git reset --hard master && echo -e "$BLUE---> Uncommited changes to Subsurface (if any) dropped$DEFAULT"
-if [ ! -z "$GITREPO" ]; then
-	git pull --rebase "$GITREPO" master || aborting "git pull failed, Subsurface not updated"
-else
-	git pull --rebase || aborting "git pull failed, Subsurface not updated"
-fi
-echo -e "$BLUE---> Subsurface updated$DEFAULT"
+if [ "$AUTO" = "false" ]; then
+	cd "$BASEDIR/subsurface"
+	git reset --hard master && echo -e "$BLUE---> Uncommited changes to Subsurface (if any) dropped$DEFAULT"
+	git checkout master
+	if [ ! -z "$GITREPO" ]; then
+		git pull --rebase "$GITREPO" master || aborting "git pull failed, Subsurface not updated"
+	else
+		git pull --rebase || aborting "git pull failed, Subsurface not updated"
+	fi
+	echo -e "$BLUE---> Subsurface updated$DEFAULT"
 
-if [ "$SSRF_TAG" != "" ]; then
-	git checkout "$SSRF_TAG" || aborting "Failed to checkout Subsurface's $SSRF_TAG."
+	if [ "$SSRF_TAG" != "" ]; then
+		git checkout "$SSRF_TAG" || aborting "Failed to checkout Subsurface's $SSRF_TAG."
+	fi
 fi
 
 # Every thing is ok. Go on.
@@ -188,24 +205,20 @@ mkdir -p "$STAGING_DIR"/plugins
 
 for d in $QT_PLUGIN_DIRECTORIES
 do
-    cp -a "$d" "$STAGING_DIR"/plugins
+    [[ -d $d ]] && cp -a "$d" "$STAGING_DIR"/plugins
 done
 
 for f in $EXTRA_MANUAL_DEPENDENCIES
 do
-    cp "$f" "$STAGING_DIR"
+    [[ -f $f ]] && cp "$f" "$STAGING_DIR"
 done
 
-# this is absolutely hackish, but necessary. Libmdb (built or prebuilt) is linked against
-# shared glib-2.0, but once and again we are trying to link against static lib.
-mv -vf "$BASEDIR"/mxe/usr/i686-w64-mingw32.static/lib/libglib-2.0.a "$BASEDIR"/mxe/usr/i686-w64-mingw32.static/lib/libglib-2.0.a.bak || \
-	echo -e "$BLUE------> libglib-2.0.a had been moved in a previous run$DEFAULT"
-
 cd "$BUILDDIR"/smtk-import
 mkdir -p staging
 
 echo -e "$BLUE---> Building CMakeCache.txt$DEFAULT"
-cmake	-DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE="$BASEDIR"/mxe/usr/i686-w64-mingw32.shared/share/cmake/mxe-conf.cmake \
+i686-w64-mingw32.shared-cmake \
+	-DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE="$BASEDIR"/mxe/usr/i686-w64-mingw32.shared/share/cmake/mxe-conf.cmake \
 	-DPKG_CONFIG_EXECUTABLE="/usr/bin/pkg-config" \
 	-DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH="$BASEDIR"/mxe/usr/i686-w64-mingw32.shared/qt5 \
 	-DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=$RELEASE \
@@ -220,10 +233,6 @@ else
 	make "$JOBS"
 fi
 
-# Undo previous hackery
-echo -e "$BLUE---> Restoring system to initial state$DEFAULT"
-mv -vf "$BASEDIR"/mxe/usr/i686-w64-mingw32.static/lib/libglib-2.0.a.bak "$BASEDIR"/mxe/usr/i686-w64-mingw32.static/lib/libglib-2.0.a
-
 if [ ! -z "$DATADIR" ]; then
 	echo -e "$BLUE---> Copying Smtk2ssrf installer to data folder$DEFAULT"
 	cp -vf "$BUILDDIR"/smtk-import/smtk2ssrf-*.exe "$DATADIR"
diff --git a/scripts/windows/before_install.sh b/scripts/windows/before_install.sh
index 16a75e139..449d6a938 100644
--- a/scripts/windows/before_install.sh
+++ b/scripts/windows/before_install.sh
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ tar xJf ../mxe-994ad473.tar.xz
 sudo mkdir -p /data/winqt551/
 sudo ln -s ${TRAVIS_BUILD_DIR}/../mxe /data/winqt551/mxe-current
 ls -l /data/winqt551/mxe-current/usr
+sudo ln -s ${TRAVIS_BUILD_DIR}/../mxe /usr/src/mxe
 
 # libdivecomputer uses the wrong include path for libusb
 # the pkgconfig file for libusb already gives the include path as
@@ -74,3 +75,15 @@ if ! git checkout v5.0.0 ; then
 	echo "can't check out v5.0.0 of grantlee -- giving up"
 	exit 1
 fi
+
+echo "Get mdbtools"
+cd ${TRAVIS_BUILD_DIR}/..
+git clone https://github.com/brianb/mdbtools.git
+
+# get prebuilt mxe libraries for mdbtools and glib.
+# do not overwrite upstream prebuilt mxe binaries if there is any coincidence.
+wget https://www.dropbox.com/s/842skyusb96ii1u/mxe-static-minimal-994ad473.tar.xz
+[[ ! -f mxe-static-minimal-994ad473.tar.xz ]] && exit 1
+cd mxe
+tar -xJf ../mxe-static-minimal-994ad473.tar.xz --skip-old-files
+ls -al usr/
diff --git a/scripts/windows/travisbuild.sh b/scripts/windows/travisbuild.sh
index 6ca94c888..df13cbae8 100644
--- a/scripts/windows/travisbuild.sh
+++ b/scripts/windows/travisbuild.sh
@@ -13,3 +13,4 @@ mkdir win32
 ls -l
 cd win32
 bash -ex ${TRAVIS_BUILD_DIR}/packaging/windows/mxe-based-build.sh installer
+bash -ex ${TRAVIS_BUILD_DIR}/packaging/windows/smtk2ssrf-mxe-build.sh -i