diff --git a/src/cmd/dist/a.h b/src/cmd/dist/a.h
index 39048e37d7..e90f7fe65d 100644
--- a/src/cmd/dist/a.h
+++ b/src/cmd/dist/a.h
@@ -62,7 +62,6 @@ void	splitlines(Vec*, char*);
 void	splitfields(Vec*, char*);
 
 // build.c
-extern char *default_goroot;
 extern char *goarch;
 extern char *gobin;
 extern char *gochar;
@@ -70,6 +69,7 @@ extern char *gohostarch;
 extern char *gohostos;
 extern char *goos;
 extern char *goroot;
+extern char *goroot_final;
 extern char *goversion;
 extern char *workdir;
 extern char *slash;
diff --git a/src/cmd/dist/build.c b/src/cmd/dist/build.c
index c84a7ec7f6..1067ce16e8 100644
--- a/src/cmd/dist/build.c
+++ b/src/cmd/dist/build.c
@@ -15,13 +15,12 @@ char *gobin;
 char *gohostarch;
 char *gohostos;
 char *goos;
-char *goroot;
+char *goroot = GOROOT_FINAL;
+char *goroot_final = GOROOT_FINAL;
 char *workdir;
 char *gochar;
-char *goroot_final;
 char *goversion;
 char *slash;	// / for unix, \ for windows
-char *default_goroot = DEFAULT_GOROOT;
 
 static bool shouldbuild(char*, char*);
 static void copy(char*, char*);
@@ -74,12 +73,8 @@ init(void)
 	binit(&b);
 
 	xgetenv(&b, "GOROOT");
-	if(b.len == 0) {
-		if(default_goroot == nil)
-			fatal("$GOROOT not set and not available");
-		bwritestr(&b, default_goroot);
-	}
-	goroot = btake(&b);
+	if(b.len > 0)
+		goroot = btake(&b);
 
 	xgetenv(&b, "GOBIN");
 	if(b.len == 0)
@@ -116,12 +111,6 @@ init(void)
 	bprintf(&b, "%c", gochars[i]);
 	gochar = btake(&b);
 
-	xgetenv(&b, "GOROOT_FINAL");
-	if(b.len > 0)
-		goroot_final = btake(&b);
-	else
-		goroot_final = goroot;
-	
 	xsetenv("GOROOT", goroot);
 	xsetenv("GOARCH", goarch);
 	xsetenv("GOOS", goos);
@@ -777,7 +766,7 @@ install(char *dir)
 			if(streq(name, "goos.c")) {
 				vadd(&compile, bprintf(&b, "-DGOOS=\"%s\"", goos));
 				vadd(&compile, bprintf(&b, "-DGOARCH=\"%s\"", goarch));
-				bprintf(&b1, "%s", goroot);
+				bprintf(&b1, "%s", goroot_final);
 				bsubst(&b1, "\\", "\\\\");  // turn into C string
 				vadd(&compile, bprintf(&b, "-DGOROOT=\"%s\"", bstr(&b1)));
 				vadd(&compile, bprintf(&b, "-DGOVERSION=\"%s\"", goversion));
diff --git a/src/cmd/dist/buildruntime.c b/src/cmd/dist/buildruntime.c
index 7cbff3fb87..dfecc2be0d 100644
--- a/src/cmd/dist/buildruntime.c
+++ b/src/cmd/dist/buildruntime.c
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ mkzversion(char *dir, char *file)
 		"package runtime\n"
 		"\n"
 		"const defaultGoroot = `%s`\n"
-		"const theVersion = `%s`\n", goroot, goversion));
+		"const theVersion = `%s`\n", goroot_final, goversion));
 
 	writefile(&out, file);
 	
diff --git a/src/make.bash b/src/make.bash
index 32a91a2fc9..55a292eba4 100755
--- a/src/make.bash
+++ b/src/make.bash
@@ -47,7 +47,9 @@ done
 
 echo '# Building C bootstrap tool.'
 mkdir -p ../bin/tool
-DEFGOROOT='-DDEFAULT_GOROOT="'"$(cd .. && pwd)"'"'
+export GOROOT="$(cd .. && pwd)"
+GOROOT_FINAL="${GOROOT_FINAL:-$GOROOT}"
+DEFGOROOT='-DGOROOT_FINAL="'"$GOROOT_FINAL"'"'
 gcc -O2 -Wall -Werror -o ../bin/tool/dist -Icmd/dist "$DEFGOROOT" cmd/dist/*.c
 echo
 
diff --git a/src/make.bat b/src/make.bat
index 34f4361506..804c35ad04 100644
--- a/src/make.bat
+++ b/src/make.bat
@@ -10,14 +10,16 @@ echo Must run make.bat from Go src directory.
 goto fail 
 :ok
 
-:: Grab default $GOROOT, escape \ for C string.
-:: The expression %CD:\=\\% means to take %CD%
+:: Grab default GOROOT_FINAL and set GOROOT for build.
+:: The expression %VAR:\=\\% means to take %VAR%
 :: and apply the substitution \ = \\, escaping the
 :: backslashes.  Then we wrap that in quotes to create
 :: a C string.
 cd ..
-set DEFGOROOT=-DDEFAULT_GOROOT="\"%CD:\=\\%\""
+set GOROOT="%CD%"
 cd src
+if "x%GOROOT_FINAL%"=="x" set GOROOT_FINAL="%GOROOT%"
+set DEFGOROOT=-DGOROOT_FINAL="\"%GOROOT_FINAL:\=\\%\""
 
 echo # Building C bootstrap tool.
 if not exist ..\bin\tool mkdir ..\bin\tool
@@ -40,7 +42,7 @@ if errorlevel 1 goto fail
 del ..\bin\tool\go_bootstrap.exe
 echo .
 
-if x%1==x--no-banner goto nobanner
+if "x%1"=="x--no-banner" goto nobanner
 ..\bin\tool\dist banner
 :nobanner