diff --git a/common/call-gpg.c b/common/call-gpg.c
index 001d38717..8c69a0c9a 100644
--- a/common/call-gpg.c
+++ b/common/call-gpg.c
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
 #include <time.h>
 
 #include "call-gpg.h"
+#include "sysutils.h"
 #include "exechelp.h"
 #include "i18n.h"
 #include "logging.h"
diff --git a/common/exechelp-w32.c b/common/exechelp-w32.c
index 51d6920bd..6b1d9fa46 100644
--- a/common/exechelp-w32.c
+++ b/common/exechelp-w32.c
@@ -223,37 +223,15 @@ create_inheritable_pipe (HANDLE filedes[2], int flags)
 
 
 static gpg_error_t
-create_pipe_and_estream (int filedes[2], int flags,
+create_pipe_and_estream (gnupg_fd_t fds[2], int flags,
                          estream_t *r_fp, int outbound, int nonblock)
 {
   gpg_error_t err = 0;
-  HANDLE fds[2];
   es_syshd_t syshd;
 
-  filedes[0] = filedes[1] = -1;
-  err = my_error (GPG_ERR_GENERAL);
-  if (!create_inheritable_pipe (fds, flags))
-    {
-      filedes[0] = _open_osfhandle (handle_to_fd (fds[0]), O_RDONLY);
-      if (filedes[0] == -1)
-        {
-          log_error ("failed to translate osfhandle %p\n", fds[0]);
-          CloseHandle (fds[1]);
-        }
-      else
-        {
-          filedes[1] = _open_osfhandle (handle_to_fd (fds[1]), O_APPEND);
-          if (filedes[1] == -1)
-            {
-              log_error ("failed to translate osfhandle %p\n", fds[1]);
-              close (filedes[0]);
-              filedes[0] = -1;
-              CloseHandle (fds[1]);
-            }
-          else
-            err = 0;
-        }
-    }
+  fds[0] = fds[1] = GNUPG_INVALID_FD;
+  if (create_inheritable_pipe (fds, flags) < 0)
+    err = my_error_from_syserror ();
 
   if (! err && r_fp)
     {
@@ -273,9 +251,9 @@ create_pipe_and_estream (int filedes[2], int flags,
           err = my_error_from_syserror ();
           log_error (_("error creating a stream for a pipe: %s\n"),
                      gpg_strerror (err));
-          close (filedes[0]);
-          close (filedes[1]);
-          filedes[0] = filedes[1] = -1;
+          CloseHandle (fds[0]);
+          CloseHandle (fds[1]);
+          fds[0] = fds[1] = GNUPG_INVALID_FD;
           return err;
         }
     }
@@ -287,10 +265,9 @@ create_pipe_and_estream (int filedes[2], int flags,
    inheritable.  If R_FP is not NULL, an estream is created for the
    read end and stored at R_FP.  */
 gpg_error_t
-gnupg_create_inbound_pipe (int filedes[2], estream_t *r_fp, int nonblock)
+gnupg_create_inbound_pipe (gnupg_fd_t fds[2], estream_t *r_fp, int nonblock)
 {
-  return create_pipe_and_estream (filedes, INHERIT_WRITE,
-                                  r_fp, 0, nonblock);
+  return create_pipe_and_estream (fds, INHERIT_WRITE, r_fp, 0, nonblock);
 }
 
 
@@ -298,10 +275,9 @@ gnupg_create_inbound_pipe (int filedes[2], estream_t *r_fp, int nonblock)
    inheritable.  If R_FP is not NULL, an estream is created for the
    write end and stored at R_FP.  */
 gpg_error_t
-gnupg_create_outbound_pipe (int filedes[2], estream_t *r_fp, int nonblock)
+gnupg_create_outbound_pipe (gnupg_fd_t fds[2], estream_t *r_fp, int nonblock)
 {
-  return create_pipe_and_estream (filedes, INHERIT_READ,
-                                  r_fp, 1, nonblock);
+  return create_pipe_and_estream (fds, INHERIT_READ, r_fp, 1, nonblock);
 }
 
 
@@ -310,8 +286,37 @@ gnupg_create_outbound_pipe (int filedes[2], estream_t *r_fp, int nonblock)
 gpg_error_t
 gnupg_create_pipe (int filedes[2])
 {
-  return create_pipe_and_estream (filedes, INHERIT_BOTH,
-                                  NULL, 0, 0);
+  gnupg_fd_t fds[2];
+  gpg_error_t err = 0;
+
+  if (create_inheritable_pipe (fds, INHERIT_BOTH) < 0)
+    return my_error_from_syserror ();
+
+  filedes[0] = _open_osfhandle (handle_to_fd (fds[0]), O_RDONLY);
+  if (filedes[0] == -1)
+    {
+      log_error ("failed to translate osfhandle %p\n", fds[0]);
+      CloseHandle (fds[0]);
+      CloseHandle (fds[1]);
+      filedes[1] = -1;
+      err = my_error (GPG_ERR_GENERAL);
+    }
+  else
+    {
+      filedes[1] = _open_osfhandle (handle_to_fd (fds[1]), O_APPEND);
+      if (filedes[1] == -1)
+        {
+          log_error ("failed to translate osfhandle %p\n", fds[1]);
+          close (filedes[0]);
+          filedes[0] = -1;
+          CloseHandle (fds[1]);
+          err = my_error (GPG_ERR_GENERAL);
+        }
+      else
+        err = 0;
+    }
+
+  return err;
 }
 
 
diff --git a/common/exechelp.h b/common/exechelp.h
index be7119357..9f9b70514 100644
--- a/common/exechelp.h
+++ b/common/exechelp.h
@@ -56,13 +56,13 @@ int *get_all_open_fds (void);
 /* Portable function to create a pipe.  Under Windows the write end is
    inheritable.  If R_FP is not NULL, an estream is created for the
    write end and stored at R_FP.  */
-gpg_error_t gnupg_create_inbound_pipe (int filedes[2],
+gpg_error_t gnupg_create_inbound_pipe (gnupg_fd_t filedes[2],
                                        estream_t *r_fp, int nonblock);
 
 /* Portable function to create a pipe.  Under Windows the read end is
    inheritable.  If R_FP is not NULL, an estream is created for the
    write end and stored at R_FP.  */
-gpg_error_t gnupg_create_outbound_pipe (int filedes[2],
+gpg_error_t gnupg_create_outbound_pipe (gnupg_fd_t filedes[2],
                                         estream_t *r_fp, int nonblock);
 
 /* Portable function to create a pipe.  Under Windows both ends are
diff --git a/common/exectool.c b/common/exectool.c
index 96585f81d..2e54b79e1 100644
--- a/common/exectool.c
+++ b/common/exectool.c
@@ -43,8 +43,8 @@
 #include "logging.h"
 #include "membuf.h"
 #include "mischelp.h"
-#include "exechelp.h"
 #include "sysutils.h"
+#include "exechelp.h"
 #include "util.h"
 #include "exectool.h"
 
@@ -331,7 +331,7 @@ gnupg_exec_tool_stream (const char *pgmname, const char *argv[],
 #else
   int exceptclose[2];
 #endif
-  int extrapipe[2] = {-1, -1};
+  gnupg_fd_t extrapipe[2] = { GNUPG_INVALID_FD, GNUPG_INVALID_FD };
   char extrafdbuf[20];
   const char *argsave = NULL;
   int argsaveidx;
@@ -395,11 +395,7 @@ gnupg_exec_tool_stream (const char *pgmname, const char *argv[],
           goto leave;
         }
       /* Do not close in child. */
-#ifdef HAVE_W32_SYSTEM
-      exceptclose[i] = (HANDLE)_get_osfhandle (extrapipe[0]);
-#else
       exceptclose[i] = extrapipe[0];
-#endif
       /* Now find the argument marker and replace by the pipe's fd.
          Yeah, that is an ugly non-thread safe hack but it safes us to
          create a copy of the array.  */
@@ -424,11 +420,7 @@ gnupg_exec_tool_stream (const char *pgmname, const char *argv[],
       i++;
     }
 
-#ifdef HAVE_W32_SYSTEM
-    exceptclose[i] = INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE;
-#else
-    exceptclose[i] = -1;
-#endif
+  exceptclose[i] = GNUPG_INVALID_FD;
 
   err = gpgrt_spawn_actions_new (&act);
   if (err)
@@ -447,8 +439,12 @@ gnupg_exec_tool_stream (const char *pgmname, const char *argv[],
                               | GPGRT_PROCESS_STDERR_PIPE), act, &proc);
   gpgrt_process_get_streams (proc, GPGRT_PROCESS_STREAM_NONBLOCK,
                              input? &infp : NULL, &outfp, &errfp);
-  if (extrapipe[0] != -1)
+  if (extrapipe[0] != GNUPG_INVALID_FD)
+#ifdef HAVE_W32_SYSTEM
+    CloseHandle (extrapipe[0]);
+#else
     close (extrapipe[0]);
+#endif
   if (argsave)
     argv[argsaveidx] = argsave;
   if (err)
diff --git a/common/t-exechelp.c b/common/t-exechelp.c
index fcdd12524..b9a2e1e2c 100644
--- a/common/t-exechelp.c
+++ b/common/t-exechelp.c
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 #include <unistd.h>
 
 #include "util.h"
+#include "sysutils.h"
 #include "exechelp.h"
 
 static int verbose;
@@ -253,7 +254,6 @@ main (int argc, char **argv)
 {
   if (argc)
     {
-      myname = argv[0];
       argc--; argv++;
     }
   if (argc && !strcmp (argv[0], "--verbose"))
diff --git a/kbx/kbx-client-util.c b/kbx/kbx-client-util.c
index b900586c8..3a0489c6d 100644
--- a/kbx/kbx-client-util.c
+++ b/kbx/kbx-client-util.c
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@
 #include "../common/membuf.h"
 #include "../common/i18n.h"
 #include "../common/asshelp.h"
+#include "../common/sysutils.h"
 #include "../common/exechelp.h"
 #include "../common/sysutils.h"
 #include "../common/host2net.h"
@@ -102,7 +103,7 @@ prepare_data_pipe (kbx_client_data_t kcd)
 {
   gpg_error_t err;
   int rc;
-  int inpipe[2];
+  gnupg_fd_t inpipe[2];
   estream_t infp;
   npth_attr_t tattr;
 
@@ -118,17 +119,22 @@ prepare_data_pipe (kbx_client_data_t kcd)
       return err;  /* That should not happen.  */
     }
 
-#ifdef HAVE_W32_SYSTEM
-  err = assuan_sendfd (kcd->ctx, (HANDLE)_get_osfhandle (inpipe[1]));
-#else
   err = assuan_sendfd (kcd->ctx, inpipe[1]);
-#endif
   if (err)
     {
+#ifdef HAVE_W32_SYSTEM
+      log_error ("sending fd %p to keyboxd: %s <%s>\n",
+                 inpipe[1], gpg_strerror (err), gpg_strsource (err));
+#else
       log_error ("sending fd %d to keyboxd: %s <%s>\n",
                  inpipe[1], gpg_strerror (err), gpg_strsource (err));
+#endif
       es_fclose (infp);
-      gnupg_close_pipe (inpipe[1]);
+#ifdef HAVE_W32_SYSTEM
+      CloseHandle (inpipe[1]);
+#else
+      close (inpipe[1]);
+#endif
       return err;
     }
 
@@ -142,7 +148,11 @@ prepare_data_pipe (kbx_client_data_t kcd)
       return err;
     }
 
+#ifdef HAVE_W32_SYSTEM
+  CloseHandle (inpipe[1]);
+#else
   close (inpipe[1]);
+#endif
   kcd->fp = infp;
 
   rc = npth_attr_init (&tattr);
diff --git a/tests/gpgscm/ffi.c b/tests/gpgscm/ffi.c
index 6a40fdbcb..96b0b21e5 100644
--- a/tests/gpgscm/ffi.c
+++ b/tests/gpgscm/ffi.c
@@ -42,8 +42,8 @@
 #endif
 
 #include "../../common/util.h"
-#include "../../common/exechelp.h"
 #include "../../common/sysutils.h"
+#include "../../common/exechelp.h"
 
 #ifdef HAVE_W32_SYSTEM
 #include <windows.h>