diff --git a/windows/dll_windows.go b/windows/dll_windows.go
index e92c05b21..ba67658db 100644
--- a/windows/dll_windows.go
+++ b/windows/dll_windows.go
@@ -359,11 +359,11 @@ func loadLibraryEx(name string, system bool) (*DLL, error) {
 			// trying to load "foo.dll" out of the system
 			// folder, but LoadLibraryEx doesn't support
 			// that yet on their system, so emulate it.
-			windir, _ := Getenv("WINDIR") // old var; apparently works on XP
-			if windir == "" {
-				return nil, errString("%WINDIR% not defined")
+			systemdir, err := GetSystemDirectory()
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, err
 			}
-			loadDLL = windir + "\\System32\\" + name
+			loadDLL = systemdir + "\\" + name
 		}
 	}
 	h, err := LoadLibraryEx(loadDLL, 0, flags)
diff --git a/windows/security_windows.go b/windows/security_windows.go
index 9f946da6f..f5f2d8bd6 100644
--- a/windows/security_windows.go
+++ b/windows/security_windows.go
@@ -372,6 +372,7 @@ type Tokengroups struct {
 //sys	OpenProcessToken(h Handle, access uint32, token *Token) (err error) = advapi32.OpenProcessToken
 //sys	GetTokenInformation(t Token, infoClass uint32, info *byte, infoLen uint32, returnedLen *uint32) (err error) = advapi32.GetTokenInformation
 //sys	GetUserProfileDirectory(t Token, dir *uint16, dirLen *uint32) (err error) = userenv.GetUserProfileDirectoryW
+//sys	getSystemDirectory(dir *uint16, dirLen uint32) (len uint32, err error) = kernel32.GetSystemDirectoryW
 
 // An access token contains the security information for a logon session.
 // The system creates an access token when a user logs on, and every
@@ -468,6 +469,23 @@ func (t Token) GetUserProfileDirectory() (string, error) {
 	}
 }
 
+// GetSystemDirectory retrieves path to current location of the system
+// directory, which is typically, though not always, C:\Windows\System32.
+func GetSystemDirectory() (string, error) {
+	n := uint32(MAX_PATH)
+	for {
+		b := make([]uint16, n)
+		l, e := getSystemDirectory(&b[0], n)
+		if e != nil {
+			return "", e
+		}
+		if l <= n {
+			return UTF16ToString(b[:l]), nil
+		}
+		n = l
+	}
+}
+
 // IsMember reports whether the access token t is a member of the provided SID.
 func (t Token) IsMember(sid *SID) (bool, error) {
 	var b int32
diff --git a/windows/syscall_test.go b/windows/syscall_test.go
index d7009e44a..f09c6dd5a 100644
--- a/windows/syscall_test.go
+++ b/windows/syscall_test.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 package windows_test
 
 import (
+	"strings"
 	"syscall"
 	"testing"
 
@@ -51,3 +52,13 @@ func TestGetProcAddressByOrdinal(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Error("shlwapi.dll:IsOS(OS_NT) returned 0, expected non-zero value")
 	}
 }
+
+func TestGetSystemDirectory(t *testing.T) {
+	d, err := windows.GetSystemDirectory()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Failed to get system directory: %s", err)
+	}
+	if !strings.HasSuffix(strings.ToLower(d), "\\system32") {
+		t.Fatalf("System directory does not end in system32: %s", d)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/windows/zsyscall_windows.go b/windows/zsyscall_windows.go
index e4b54e2d9..308c97eec 100644
--- a/windows/zsyscall_windows.go
+++ b/windows/zsyscall_windows.go
@@ -252,6 +252,7 @@ var (
 	procOpenProcessToken                   = modadvapi32.NewProc("OpenProcessToken")
 	procGetTokenInformation                = modadvapi32.NewProc("GetTokenInformation")
 	procGetUserProfileDirectoryW           = moduserenv.NewProc("GetUserProfileDirectoryW")
+	procGetSystemDirectoryW                = modkernel32.NewProc("GetSystemDirectoryW")
 )
 
 func RegisterEventSource(uncServerName *uint16, sourceName *uint16) (handle Handle, err error) {
@@ -2718,3 +2719,16 @@ func GetUserProfileDirectory(t Token, dir *uint16, dirLen *uint32) (err error) {
 	}
 	return
 }
+
+func getSystemDirectory(dir *uint16, dirLen uint32) (len uint32, err error) {
+	r0, _, e1 := syscall.Syscall(procGetSystemDirectoryW.Addr(), 2, uintptr(unsafe.Pointer(dir)), uintptr(dirLen), 0)
+	len = uint32(r0)
+	if len == 0 {
+		if e1 != 0 {
+			err = errnoErr(e1)
+		} else {
+			err = syscall.EINVAL
+		}
+	}
+	return
+}