diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 2a9a0ff18e..77048e8593 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -7626,7 +7626,142 @@ fi
 # other libraries can pull in the pthread functions as a side-effect.  We
 # want to use the -pthread or similar flags directly, and not rely on
 # the side-effects of linking with some other library.
-if test "$enable_thread_safety" = yes -a "$PORTNAME" != "win32"; then
+#
+# note: We have to use AS_IF here rather than plain if. The AC_CHECK_HEADER
+# invocation below is the first one in the script, and autoconf generates
+# additional code for that, which must not be inside the if-block. AS_IF
+# knows how to do that.
+{ $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking for ANSI C header files" >&5
+$as_echo_n "checking for ANSI C header files... " >&6; }
+if ${ac_cv_header_stdc+:} false; then :
+  $as_echo_n "(cached) " >&6
+else
+  cat confdefs.h - <<_ACEOF >conftest.$ac_ext
+/* end confdefs.h.  */
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <stdarg.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <float.h>
+
+int
+main ()
+{
+
+  ;
+  return 0;
+}
+_ACEOF
+if ac_fn_c_try_compile "$LINENO"; then :
+  ac_cv_header_stdc=yes
+else
+  ac_cv_header_stdc=no
+fi
+rm -f core conftest.err conftest.$ac_objext conftest.$ac_ext
+
+if test $ac_cv_header_stdc = yes; then
+  # SunOS 4.x string.h does not declare mem*, contrary to ANSI.
+  cat confdefs.h - <<_ACEOF >conftest.$ac_ext
+/* end confdefs.h.  */
+#include <string.h>
+
+_ACEOF
+if (eval "$ac_cpp conftest.$ac_ext") 2>&5 |
+  $EGREP "memchr" >/dev/null 2>&1; then :
+
+else
+  ac_cv_header_stdc=no
+fi
+rm -f conftest*
+
+fi
+
+if test $ac_cv_header_stdc = yes; then
+  # ISC 2.0.2 stdlib.h does not declare free, contrary to ANSI.
+  cat confdefs.h - <<_ACEOF >conftest.$ac_ext
+/* end confdefs.h.  */
+#include <stdlib.h>
+
+_ACEOF
+if (eval "$ac_cpp conftest.$ac_ext") 2>&5 |
+  $EGREP "free" >/dev/null 2>&1; then :
+
+else
+  ac_cv_header_stdc=no
+fi
+rm -f conftest*
+
+fi
+
+if test $ac_cv_header_stdc = yes; then
+  # /bin/cc in Irix-4.0.5 gets non-ANSI ctype macros unless using -ansi.
+  if test "$cross_compiling" = yes; then :
+  :
+else
+  cat confdefs.h - <<_ACEOF >conftest.$ac_ext
+/* end confdefs.h.  */
+#include <ctype.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#if ((' ' & 0x0FF) == 0x020)
+# define ISLOWER(c) ('a' <= (c) && (c) <= 'z')
+# define TOUPPER(c) (ISLOWER(c) ? 'A' + ((c) - 'a') : (c))
+#else
+# define ISLOWER(c) \
+		   (('a' <= (c) && (c) <= 'i') \
+		     || ('j' <= (c) && (c) <= 'r') \
+		     || ('s' <= (c) && (c) <= 'z'))
+# define TOUPPER(c) (ISLOWER(c) ? ((c) | 0x40) : (c))
+#endif
+
+#define XOR(e, f) (((e) && !(f)) || (!(e) && (f)))
+int
+main ()
+{
+  int i;
+  for (i = 0; i < 256; i++)
+    if (XOR (islower (i), ISLOWER (i))
+	|| toupper (i) != TOUPPER (i))
+      return 2;
+  return 0;
+}
+_ACEOF
+if ac_fn_c_try_run "$LINENO"; then :
+
+else
+  ac_cv_header_stdc=no
+fi
+rm -f core *.core core.conftest.* gmon.out bb.out conftest$ac_exeext \
+  conftest.$ac_objext conftest.beam conftest.$ac_ext
+fi
+
+fi
+fi
+{ $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: $ac_cv_header_stdc" >&5
+$as_echo "$ac_cv_header_stdc" >&6; }
+if test $ac_cv_header_stdc = yes; then
+
+$as_echo "#define STDC_HEADERS 1" >>confdefs.h
+
+fi
+
+# On IRIX 5.3, sys/types and inttypes.h are conflicting.
+for ac_header in sys/types.h sys/stat.h stdlib.h string.h memory.h strings.h \
+		  inttypes.h stdint.h unistd.h
+do :
+  as_ac_Header=`$as_echo "ac_cv_header_$ac_header" | $as_tr_sh`
+ac_fn_c_check_header_compile "$LINENO" "$ac_header" "$as_ac_Header" "$ac_includes_default
+"
+if eval test \"x\$"$as_ac_Header"\" = x"yes"; then :
+  cat >>confdefs.h <<_ACEOF
+#define `$as_echo "HAVE_$ac_header" | $as_tr_cpp` 1
+_ACEOF
+
+fi
+
+done
+
+
+if test "$enable_thread_safety" = yes -a "$PORTNAME" != "win32"; then :
+   # then
 
 
 ac_ext=c
@@ -8081,136 +8216,6 @@ _LIBS="$LIBS"
 CFLAGS="$CFLAGS $PTHREAD_CFLAGS"
 LIBS="$LIBS $PTHREAD_LIBS"
 
-if test "$PORTNAME" != "win32"; then
-{ $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking for ANSI C header files" >&5
-$as_echo_n "checking for ANSI C header files... " >&6; }
-if ${ac_cv_header_stdc+:} false; then :
-  $as_echo_n "(cached) " >&6
-else
-  cat confdefs.h - <<_ACEOF >conftest.$ac_ext
-/* end confdefs.h.  */
-#include <stdlib.h>
-#include <stdarg.h>
-#include <string.h>
-#include <float.h>
-
-int
-main ()
-{
-
-  ;
-  return 0;
-}
-_ACEOF
-if ac_fn_c_try_compile "$LINENO"; then :
-  ac_cv_header_stdc=yes
-else
-  ac_cv_header_stdc=no
-fi
-rm -f core conftest.err conftest.$ac_objext conftest.$ac_ext
-
-if test $ac_cv_header_stdc = yes; then
-  # SunOS 4.x string.h does not declare mem*, contrary to ANSI.
-  cat confdefs.h - <<_ACEOF >conftest.$ac_ext
-/* end confdefs.h.  */
-#include <string.h>
-
-_ACEOF
-if (eval "$ac_cpp conftest.$ac_ext") 2>&5 |
-  $EGREP "memchr" >/dev/null 2>&1; then :
-
-else
-  ac_cv_header_stdc=no
-fi
-rm -f conftest*
-
-fi
-
-if test $ac_cv_header_stdc = yes; then
-  # ISC 2.0.2 stdlib.h does not declare free, contrary to ANSI.
-  cat confdefs.h - <<_ACEOF >conftest.$ac_ext
-/* end confdefs.h.  */
-#include <stdlib.h>
-
-_ACEOF
-if (eval "$ac_cpp conftest.$ac_ext") 2>&5 |
-  $EGREP "free" >/dev/null 2>&1; then :
-
-else
-  ac_cv_header_stdc=no
-fi
-rm -f conftest*
-
-fi
-
-if test $ac_cv_header_stdc = yes; then
-  # /bin/cc in Irix-4.0.5 gets non-ANSI ctype macros unless using -ansi.
-  if test "$cross_compiling" = yes; then :
-  :
-else
-  cat confdefs.h - <<_ACEOF >conftest.$ac_ext
-/* end confdefs.h.  */
-#include <ctype.h>
-#include <stdlib.h>
-#if ((' ' & 0x0FF) == 0x020)
-# define ISLOWER(c) ('a' <= (c) && (c) <= 'z')
-# define TOUPPER(c) (ISLOWER(c) ? 'A' + ((c) - 'a') : (c))
-#else
-# define ISLOWER(c) \
-		   (('a' <= (c) && (c) <= 'i') \
-		     || ('j' <= (c) && (c) <= 'r') \
-		     || ('s' <= (c) && (c) <= 'z'))
-# define TOUPPER(c) (ISLOWER(c) ? ((c) | 0x40) : (c))
-#endif
-
-#define XOR(e, f) (((e) && !(f)) || (!(e) && (f)))
-int
-main ()
-{
-  int i;
-  for (i = 0; i < 256; i++)
-    if (XOR (islower (i), ISLOWER (i))
-	|| toupper (i) != TOUPPER (i))
-      return 2;
-  return 0;
-}
-_ACEOF
-if ac_fn_c_try_run "$LINENO"; then :
-
-else
-  ac_cv_header_stdc=no
-fi
-rm -f core *.core core.conftest.* gmon.out bb.out conftest$ac_exeext \
-  conftest.$ac_objext conftest.beam conftest.$ac_ext
-fi
-
-fi
-fi
-{ $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: $ac_cv_header_stdc" >&5
-$as_echo "$ac_cv_header_stdc" >&6; }
-if test $ac_cv_header_stdc = yes; then
-
-$as_echo "#define STDC_HEADERS 1" >>confdefs.h
-
-fi
-
-# On IRIX 5.3, sys/types and inttypes.h are conflicting.
-for ac_header in sys/types.h sys/stat.h stdlib.h string.h memory.h strings.h \
-		  inttypes.h stdint.h unistd.h
-do :
-  as_ac_Header=`$as_echo "ac_cv_header_$ac_header" | $as_tr_sh`
-ac_fn_c_check_header_compile "$LINENO" "$ac_header" "$as_ac_Header" "$ac_includes_default
-"
-if eval test \"x\$"$as_ac_Header"\" = x"yes"; then :
-  cat >>confdefs.h <<_ACEOF
-#define `$as_echo "HAVE_$ac_header" | $as_tr_cpp` 1
-_ACEOF
-
-fi
-
-done
-
-
 ac_fn_c_check_header_mongrel "$LINENO" "pthread.h" "ac_cv_header_pthread_h" "$ac_includes_default"
 if test "x$ac_cv_header_pthread_h" = xyes; then :
 
@@ -8220,7 +8225,6 @@ pthread.h not found;  use --disable-thread-safety to disable thread safety" "$LI
 fi
 
 
-fi
 
 for ac_func in strerror_r getpwuid_r gethostbyname_r
 do :
@@ -8276,11 +8280,14 @@ fi
 CFLAGS="$_CFLAGS"
 LIBS="$_LIBS"
 
+
 else
+   # else
 # do not use values from template file
 PTHREAD_CFLAGS=
 PTHREAD_LIBS=
-fi
+
+fi # fi
 
 
 
diff --git a/configure.in b/configure.in
index a7eec7f6e8..5724a4df07 100644
--- a/configure.in
+++ b/configure.in
@@ -961,7 +961,13 @@ fi
 # other libraries can pull in the pthread functions as a side-effect.  We
 # want to use the -pthread or similar flags directly, and not rely on
 # the side-effects of linking with some other library.
-if test "$enable_thread_safety" = yes -a "$PORTNAME" != "win32"; then
+#
+# note: We have to use AS_IF here rather than plain if. The AC_CHECK_HEADER
+# invocation below is the first one in the script, and autoconf generates
+# additional code for that, which must not be inside the if-block. AS_IF
+# knows how to do that.
+AS_IF([test "$enable_thread_safety" = yes -a "$PORTNAME" != "win32"],
+[ # then
 AX_PTHREAD	# set thread flags
 
 # Some platforms use these, so just define them.  They can't hurt if they
@@ -975,10 +981,8 @@ _LIBS="$LIBS"
 CFLAGS="$CFLAGS $PTHREAD_CFLAGS"
 LIBS="$LIBS $PTHREAD_LIBS"
 
-if test "$PORTNAME" != "win32"; then
 AC_CHECK_HEADER(pthread.h, [], [AC_MSG_ERROR([
 pthread.h not found;  use --disable-thread-safety to disable thread safety])])
-fi
 
 AC_CHECK_FUNCS([strerror_r getpwuid_r gethostbyname_r])
 
@@ -988,11 +992,11 @@ PGAC_FUNC_STRERROR_R_INT
 CFLAGS="$_CFLAGS"
 LIBS="$_LIBS"
 
-else
+], [ # else
 # do not use values from template file
 PTHREAD_CFLAGS=
 PTHREAD_LIBS=
-fi
+]) # fi
 
 AC_SUBST(PTHREAD_CFLAGS)
 AC_SUBST(PTHREAD_LIBS)