diff --git a/app/KjcEngine.java b/app/KjcEngine.java
index 439fd1760..e51c781b1 100644
--- a/app/KjcEngine.java
+++ b/app/KjcEngine.java
@@ -600,6 +600,8 @@ public class KjcEngine extends PdeEngine {
 	applet = (KjcApplet) c.newInstance();
 	//((KjcApplet)applet).errStream = leechErr;
 	applet.setEngine(this);
+	// has to be before init
+	applet.serialProperties(PdeBase.properties);
 	applet.init();
 	applet.start();
 
diff --git a/app/PdeBase.java b/app/PdeBase.java
index ba8e4f1a5..5053c79fb 100644
--- a/app/PdeBase.java
+++ b/app/PdeBase.java
@@ -67,6 +67,8 @@ public class PdeBase implements ActionListener {
 
 
   static public void main(String args[]) {
+    //System.getProperties().list(System.out);
+    System.out.println(System.getProperty("java.class.path"));
     PdeBase app = new PdeBase();
   }
 
diff --git a/app/PdeEditor.java b/app/PdeEditor.java
index 81c6fe08c..a2267724b 100644
--- a/app/PdeEditor.java
+++ b/app/PdeEditor.java
@@ -537,18 +537,18 @@ public class PdeEditor extends Panel {
   // -> keep this around for closing the external window
   public void doClose() {
     // grab window position
-    if (engine != null) {
+    //if (engine != null) {
+    try {
       if ((presentationWindow == null) || 
 	  (!presentationWindow.isVisible())) {
 	appletLocation = engine.window.getLocation();
       }
-
       // prone to bugs and doesn't work yet
       //      if ((presentationWindow != null) &&
       //	  (presentationWindow.isVisible())) {
       //	presentLocation = engine.window.getLocation();
       //      }
-    }
+    } catch (NullPointerException e) { }
 
     if (running) {
       //System.out.println("was running, will call doStop()");
diff --git a/build/windows/dist/Proce55ing.exe b/build/windows/dist/Proce55ing.exe
index b7efc7a01..d87368016 100755
Binary files a/build/windows/dist/Proce55ing.exe and b/build/windows/dist/Proce55ing.exe differ
diff --git a/build/windows/dist/lib/pde.properties_windows b/build/windows/dist/lib/pde.properties_windows
index e69de29bb..4d486acea 100644
--- a/build/windows/dist/lib/pde.properties_windows
+++ b/build/windows/dist/lib/pde.properties_windows
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+serial.port=COM1
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/build/windows/launcher/launcher.cpp b/build/windows/launcher/launcher.cpp
index 055cb6fbd..4c2859b0c 100644
--- a/build/windows/launcher/launcher.cpp
+++ b/build/windows/launcher/launcher.cpp
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 //#define STACKSIZE_MATCH " -mx"
 #define JAVA_ARGS ""
 #define JAVA_MAIN_CLASS "PdeBase"
+//#define JAVA_CLASS_PATH "lib;lib\\build;lib\\pde.jar;lib\\kjc.jar;lib\\oro.jar;lib\\ext\\comm.jar"
 
 #ifdef _DEBUG
 #define new DEBUG_NEW
@@ -55,9 +56,9 @@ BOOL CLauncherApp::InitInstance()
 	// what was passed to this application
 	char *incoming_cmdline = (char *)malloc(256 * sizeof(char));
 	strcpy (incoming_cmdline, this->m_lpCmdLine);
-	
+
 	// what gets put together to pass to jre
-	char *outgoing_cmdline = (char *)malloc(2048 * sizeof(char));
+	char *outgoing_cmdline = (char *)malloc(16384 * sizeof(char));
 	char *p = outgoing_cmdline;
 	
 	// prepend the args for -mx and -ms if they weren't
@@ -89,26 +90,36 @@ BOOL CLauncherApp::InitInstance()
 	strcpy(outgoing_cmdline, JAVA_ARGS);
 
 	// append the classpath and launcher.Application
-	char *cp = (char *)malloc(1024 * sizeof(char));
+	//char *cp = (char *)malloc(1024 * sizeof(char));
 	char *loaddir = (char *)malloc(MAX_PATH * sizeof(char));
+    *loaddir = 0;
 
     GetModuleFileName(NULL, loaddir, MAX_PATH);
     // remove the application name
 	*(strrchr(loaddir, '\\')) = '\0';
 
-    //cp = (char *)malloc(5 * strlen(loaddir) + 200);
+    char *cp = (char *)malloc(8 * strlen(loaddir) + 200);
 	// put quotes around contents of cp, 
 	// because %s might have spaces in it.
+	
     sprintf(cp, 
 		"-cp \""
         "%s\\lib;"
         "%s\\lib\\build;"
         "%s\\lib\\pde.jar;"
 	    "%s\\lib\\kjc.jar;"
-	    "%s\\lib\\oro.jar"
+	    "%s\\lib\\oro.jar;"
+	    "%s\\lib\\java\\ext\\comm.jar"
 		"\" ",
-	    loaddir, loaddir, loaddir, loaddir, loaddir);
+	    loaddir, loaddir, loaddir, loaddir, loaddir, loaddir);
+		
+	//sprintf(cp, "-cp ");
+	//strcat(cp, JAVA_CLASSPATH);
+	//strcat(cp, " ");
 	strcat(outgoing_cmdline, cp);
+	//strcat(outgoing_cmdline, "-cp ");
+	//strcat(outgoing_cmdline, JAVA_CLASS_PATH);
+	//strcat(outgoing_cmdline, " ");
 
 	// add the name of the class to execute
 	//strcat(outgoing_cmdline, "launcher.Application ");
@@ -125,7 +136,7 @@ BOOL CLauncherApp::InitInstance()
 	strcpy(executable, loaddir);
 	// copy in the path for jrew, relative to launcher.exe
 	//strcat(executable, "\\bin\\jrew");
-	strcat(executable, "\\java\\bin\\javaw");
+	strcat(executable, "\\java\\bin\\java");
 	
 	//AfxMessageBox(executable);
 
@@ -145,7 +156,8 @@ BOOL CLauncherApp::InitInstance()
 
 	HINSTANCE result;
 	result = ShellExecute(NULL, "open", executable,
-		                  outgoing_cmdline, NULL, SW_SHOWNORMAL);
+		                  outgoing_cmdline, loaddir, SW_SHOWNORMAL);
+//		                  outgoing_cmdline, NULL, SW_SHOWNORMAL);
 
 	if ((int)result <= 32) {
 		// some type of error occurred
diff --git a/build/windows/launcher/launcher.exe b/build/windows/launcher/launcher.exe
index b7efc7a01..9a8dabd4b 100755
Binary files a/build/windows/launcher/launcher.exe and b/build/windows/launcher/launcher.exe differ
diff --git a/build/windows/run.sh b/build/windows/run.sh
index f7219861d..7c873ac84 100644
--- a/build/windows/run.sh
+++ b/build/windows/run.sh
@@ -1,2 +1,2 @@
 #!/bin/sh
-cd work && ./java/bin/java -cp lib\;lib\\build\;lib\\pde.jar\;lib\\kjc.jar\;lib\\oro.jar PdeBase
+cd work && ./java/bin/java -cp lib\;lib\\build\;lib\\pde.jar\;lib\\kjc.jar\;lib\\oro.jar\;java\\lib\\ext\\comm.jar PdeBase
diff --git a/todo.txt b/todo.txt
index 5a2d0b39c..eb33a6700 100644
--- a/todo.txt
+++ b/todo.txt
@@ -4,16 +4,13 @@ X get icon in macos9/macosx/windows formats
 X wahoo! figure out how to do do simple .exe with icons
 o   use launcher code from sun jre
 o   needs to be built from command line
-
-dammit we need a text editor.
-gonna get sick of people bitching about it.
-also an interesting possibility (for tech-minded only)
-  use terminal emulator, and run iostream from process
-  use pooterm stuff for the emulation window
-  key commands would conflict
-  but could use emacs under osx, linux
-  use nano (maybe emacs?) under windows
-  and nothing for macos9  
+X keyPressed() and others weren't being called
+X serial work under windows
+X   make bapplet a serialporteventlistener
+X   remove 'public' from beginner listener event handlers
+X   trying to make eventlistener work
+X   comm.jar has to be in classpath for kjc (interesting)
+X   fixed launcher.exe because of problems in classpath
 
 a _ this code is not performing correctly
 BImage b;  // declare variable "b" of type BImage
@@ -54,6 +51,7 @@ a _ for 'java' mode, try run using external vm
 a _   would need to get error output stream from app.. argh
 a _   only allow under win/osx/linux
 a _   not clear how to kill the process.. does that work w/ 1.3?
+? _ lockup when something missing from classpath on dynamic load
 
 macos9
 a _ getResource stuff breaks, sketch.properties can't save
@@ -123,6 +121,16 @@ a _   queue for people reporting things externally
 a _   bugzilla but simpler
 a _   would also be nice for people to be able to vote on features
 
+dammit we need a text editor.
+gonna get sick of people bitching about it.
+also an interesting possibility (for tech-minded only)
+  use terminal emulator, and run iostream from process
+  use pooterm stuff for the emulation window
+  key commands would conflict
+  but could use emacs under osx, linux
+  use nano (maybe emacs?) under windows
+  and nothing for macos9  
+
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////