diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 1cf0f4cc0d..c2e5e36448 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -3785,7 +3785,7 @@ WX_SUBVERSION=$WX_VERSION.$wx_subrelease_number
 WX_MSW_VERSION=$wx_major_version_number$wx_minor_version_number$wx_release_number
 
 
-wx_top_builddir="`pwd`"
+wx_top_builddir="`pwd -W 2> /dev/null || pwd`"
 
 
 
diff --git a/configure.in b/configure.in
index 9a52cc508c..fab6de0bdb 100644
--- a/configure.in
+++ b/configure.in
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ WX_MSW_VERSION=$wx_major_version_number$wx_minor_version_number$wx_release_numbe
 
 dnl Autoconf-2.60 changed the meaning of top_builddir variable, so we have
 dnl to use our own replacement that will work with both 2.5x and 2.60+:
-wx_top_builddir="`pwd`"
+wx_top_builddir="`pwd -W 2> /dev/null || pwd`"
 AC_SUBST(wx_top_builddir)
 
 
diff --git a/docs/qt/install.txt b/docs/qt/install.txt
index c3868ab6c7..f53c602b8c 100644
--- a/docs/qt/install.txt
+++ b/docs/qt/install.txt
@@ -104,7 +104,8 @@ to configure the Qt dir of the build intended to use as QT5_CUSTOM_DIR, i.e.
 ../configure --with-qt --enable-debug QT5_CUSTOM_DIR=~/Qt/5.11.0/gcc_64
 
 # for Windows (ran from Git Bash, or any other Unix-like shell):
-../configure --with-qt --enable-debug QT5_CUSTOM_DIR=/c/Qt/5.11.0/mingw53_32
+# (the syntax for the drive in the path is required by ar and ld)
+../configure --with-qt --enable-debug QT5_CUSTOM_DIR=c:/Qt/5.11.0/mingw53_32
 
 * Building wxGT on Android
 --------------------------