diff --git a/dtool/pptempl/Global.gmsvc.pp b/dtool/pptempl/Global.gmsvc.pp
index c67221d0d1..f4a3b7d18a 100644
--- a/dtool/pptempl/Global.gmsvc.pp
+++ b/dtool/pptempl/Global.gmsvc.pp
@@ -99,14 +99,6 @@
 #defer LDFLAGS_OPT3 $[LINKER_FLAGS] $[LDFLAGS_OPT3]
 #defer LDFLAGS_OPT4 $[LINKER_FLAGS] $[LDFLAGS_OPT4]
 
-// $[build_pdbs] will be nonempty (true) if we should expect to
-// generate a .pdb file when we build a DLL or EXE.
-#if $[eq $[USE_COMPILER], MSVC]
-  #define build_pdbs yes
-#else
-  #define build_pdbs
-#endif
-
 // $[dllext] will be "_d" for debug builds, and empty for non-debug
 // builds.  This is the extra bit of stuff we tack on to the end of a
 // dll name.  We name the debug dll's file_d.dll, partly to be
diff --git a/dtool/pptempl/Global.msvc.pp b/dtool/pptempl/Global.msvc.pp
index 4da1e4e248..344e77d9b3 100644
--- a/dtool/pptempl/Global.msvc.pp
+++ b/dtool/pptempl/Global.msvc.pp
@@ -101,15 +101,6 @@
 #defer LDFLAGS_OPT3 $[LINKER_FLAGS] $[LDFLAGS_OPT3]
 #defer LDFLAGS_OPT4 $[LINKER_FLAGS] $[LDFLAGS_OPT4]
 
-// $[build_pdbs] will be nonempty (true) if we should expect to
-// generate a .pdb file when we build a DLL or EXE.
-// we now build pdb for all Opt values
-#if $[eq $[USE_COMPILER], MSVC]
-  #define build_pdbs yes
-#else
-  #define build_pdbs
-#endif
-
 // $[dllext] will be "_d" for debug builds, and empty for non-debug
 // builds.  This is the extra bit of stuff we tack on to the end of a
 // dll name.  We name the debug dll's file_d.dll, partly to be
diff --git a/dtool/pptempl/compilerSettings.pp b/dtool/pptempl/compilerSettings.pp
index 11f6d0c011..3967a4b1a8 100644
--- a/dtool/pptempl/compilerSettings.pp
+++ b/dtool/pptempl/compilerSettings.pp
@@ -41,6 +41,9 @@
       #define EXTRA_CDEFS FORCE_INLINING $[EXTRA_CDEFS]
   #endif 
   
+  // ensure pdbs are copied to install dir
+  #define build_pdbs yes  
+  
 #elif $[eq $[USE_COMPILER], MSVC7]
 
   #define COMPILER cl
@@ -104,6 +107,9 @@
 // in case we have mixed intel/msvc build
 //  #define EXTRA_LIBPATH /ia32/lib
 //  #define EXTRA_INCPATH /ia32/include  
+
+  // ensure pdbs are copied to install dir
+  #define build_pdbs yes  
     
 #elif $[eq $[USE_COMPILER], INTEL]
   #define COMPILER icl
@@ -147,6 +153,9 @@
   // Note: all Opts will link w/debug info now 
   #define LINKER_FLAGS /DEBUG /DEBUGTYPE:CV $[PROFILE_FLAG] /MAP $[MAPINFOFLAGS] /fixed:no /incremental:no
   
+  // ensure pdbs are copied to install dir
+  #define build_pdbs yes    
+  
 #elif $[eq $[USE_COMPILER], BOUNDS] // NuMega BoundsChecker
   #define COMPILER nmcl
   #define LINKER nmlink
@@ -165,7 +174,7 @@
     #define COMPILER $[COMPILER] /NMttOn
     #define LINKER $[LINKER] /NMttOn
   #endif 
-
+  
 #elif $[eq $[USE_COMPILER], TRUETIME] // NuMega TrueTime Profiler
   // This may look like a bad thing (to extend the compiler 
   // and linker with a switch), but I think it's the right 
@@ -195,3 +204,4 @@
 #if $[PREPROCESSOR_OUTPUT]
 #define END_CFLAGS $[END_CFLAGS] /E 
 #endif 
+