diff --git a/xwords4/wince/Makefile b/xwords4/wince/Makefile
index d6f636945..03fcb8237 100644
--- a/xwords4/wince/Makefile
+++ b/xwords4/wince/Makefile
@@ -22,26 +22,42 @@ PLATFORM = wince
 TARGET_OS ?= win32
 #TARGET_OS = wince
 
-MINGW_INC_PATH ?= /usr/i586-mingw32msvc/include
+# The preferred build environment for wince is now cegcc.  Debian's
+# pocketpc-sdk works in combination with the mingw projects headers,
+# but not without effort.  cegcc has its own version of those headers
+# that it refers to without need for a -I flag.  They work well.  But
+# I'd like to retain the ability to build using pocketpc-sdk if
+# possible.
+
+# USE_RAW_MINGW = -DUSE_RAW_MINGW
+# arm-wince-mingw32ce for cegcc, arm-wince-pe for pocketpc-gcc
+ifdef USE_RAW_MINGW
+MINGW_INC_PATH ?= -I/usr/i586-mingw32msvc/include
+CE_ARCH = arm-wince-pe
+else
+MINGW_INC_PATH = 				#in case it's in env
+CE_ARCH = arm-wince-mingw32ce
+endif
+CEOPT_ROOT ?= /opt
 
 # This requires custom Debian pocketpc-sdk package at the moment
 HAVE_COMMCTRL = 1
 
-# arm-wince-mingw32ce for cegcc, arm-wince-pe for pocketpc-gcc
-#ARCH = arm-wince-pe
-ARCH = arm-wince-mingw32ce
 ifeq ($(TARGET_OS),wince)
 # BLUETOOTH = -DXWFEATURE_BLUETOOTH
 # RELAY = -DXWFEATURE_RELAY -DCOMMS_HEARTBEAT
-CC = ${ARCH}-gcc
-WINDRES = ${ARCH}-windres
-STRIP = ${ARCH}-strip
-#CELIBS = -L/usr/arm-wince-pe/lib
-CELIBS = -L${CEOPT_ROOT}/opt/${ARCH}/lib/ -lws2
+CC = ${CE_ARCH}-gcc
+WINDRES = ${CE_ARCH}-windres
+STRIP = ${CE_ARCH}-strip
+ifdef USE_RAW_MINGW
+CELIBS = -L/usr/arm-wince-pe/lib
+else
+CELIBS = -L${CEOPT_ROOT}/${CE_ARCH}/lib/ -lws2
+endif
 TARGET_OS_DEF = -DTARGET_OS_WINCE
 STANDALONE = -DXWFEATURE_STANDALONE_ONLY
 CFLAGS += -D_WIN32_WCE=400 -DUNDER_CE -DMY_COLOR_SEL \
-	$(STANDALONE) -DDRAW_LINK_DIRECT \
+	$(STANDALONE) $(USE_RAW_MINGW) -DDRAW_LINK_DIRECT \
 	-fdollars-in-identifiers -D__W32API_USE_DLLIMPORT__
 RESFLAGS += -DMY_COLOR_SEL -D_WIN32_WCE=400 
 LFLAGS += -Wl,--major-subsystem-version,4,--minor-subsystem-version,20
@@ -65,7 +81,7 @@ CFLAGS += -DCANT_DO_CMDBAR -DDRAW_LINK_DIRECT
 endif
 endif
 
-CFLAGS += -DARM -I$(MINGW_INC_PATH) -I./ -I../common -I../relay
+CFLAGS += -DARM -I./ -I../common -I../relay
 
 CFLAGS += -Wall -Wunused-parameter
 
@@ -110,6 +126,7 @@ WINCESRC = \
 	cestrbx.c \
 	cedraw.c \
 	debhacks.c \
+	cedebug.c \
 
 WINCEOBJS = $(patsubst %.c,%.o,$(addprefix $(OBJDIR)/,$(WINCESRC)))
 
@@ -159,7 +176,7 @@ $(OBJDIR)/%.o : ../common/%.c $(INCLUDES)
 	$(CC) -c $(CFLAGS) -o $@ $<
 
 $(OBJDIR)/xwords4.rc.o : xwords4.rc $(INCLUDES)
-	$(WINDRES) -v -I$(MINGW_INC_PATH) $(RESFLAGS) -o $@ $< 
+	$(WINDRES) -v $(MINGW_INC_PATH) $(RESFLAGS) -o $@ $< 
 
 CAB: $(TARGET)
 	$(STRIP) $<
diff --git a/xwords4/wince/cedraw.c b/xwords4/wince/cedraw.c
index a1f3eaf8d..d4a0ed751 100755
--- a/xwords4/wince/cedraw.c
+++ b/xwords4/wince/cedraw.c
@@ -114,6 +114,15 @@ makeAndDrawBitmap( CEDrawCtx* XP_UNUSED(dctx), HDC hdc, const RECT* bnds, XP_Boo
 #endif
 } /* makeAndDrawBitmap */
 
+#if defined _WIN32_WCE && ! defined USE_RAW_MINGW
+/* This is part of the win32 libs but not of ce apparently */
+static BOOL
+GetTextExtentPoint32W( HDC hdc, LPCWSTR str, int i, LPSIZE siz )
+{
+    return GetTextExtentExPointW(hdc, str, i, 0, NULL, NULL, siz );
+}
+#endif
+
 static void
 measureText( CEDrawCtx* dctx, const XP_UCHAR* str, XP_S16 padding,
              XP_U16* widthP, XP_U16* heightP )
diff --git a/xwords4/wince/debhacks.c b/xwords4/wince/debhacks.c
index 434057223..522bf4e3b 100644
--- a/xwords4/wince/debhacks.c
+++ b/xwords4/wince/debhacks.c
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
  * Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA  02111-1307, USA.
  */
 
-#ifdef _WIN32_WCE
+#if defined _WIN32_WCE && defined USE_RAW_MINGW
 
 #include <windows.h>
 #include <commctrl.h>
diff --git a/xwords4/wince/debhacks.h b/xwords4/wince/debhacks.h
index 070916a44..a41454ee2 100644
--- a/xwords4/wince/debhacks.h
+++ b/xwords4/wince/debhacks.h
@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@
 #ifndef _DEBHACKS_H_
 #define _DEBHACKS_H_
 
+#if defined USE_RAW_MINGW
+
 #ifdef USE_DEB_HACKS
 
 #define DH(func) debhack_##func
@@ -63,4 +65,6 @@ BOOL DH(ResetEvent)(HANDLE);
 /* got this somewhere else via google */
 #define SHCMBF_HMENU 0x0010
 
+#endif /* USE_RAW_MINGW */
+
 #endif