diff --git a/dtool/Config.pp b/dtool/Config.pp
index 22c93e3add..f5e059d845 100644
--- a/dtool/Config.pp
+++ b/dtool/Config.pp
@@ -76,13 +76,19 @@
 #endif
 
 // What is the default install directory for all trees in the Panda
-// suite?  You may also override this for a particular tree by
-// defining a variable name like DTOOL_INSTALL or PANDA_INSTALL.  This
-// variable will have no effect when you are using the cttools to
-// control your attachment to the trees; in this case, the install
-// directory for each tree will by default be the root of the tree
-// itself (although this may be overridden).
-#define INSTALL_DIR /usr/local/panda
+// suite?  The default value for this variable is provided by
+// ppremake; on Unix machines it is the value of --prefix passed in to
+// the configure script, and on Windows machines the default is
+// hardcoded to C:\Panda3d.
+
+// You may also override this for a particular tree by defining a
+// variable name like DTOOL_INSTALL or PANDA_INSTALL.  This variable
+// will have no effect when you are using the cttools to control your
+// attachment to the trees; in this case, the install directory for
+// each tree will by default be the root of the tree itself (although
+// this may be overridden).
+
+// #define INSTALL_DIR /usr/local/panda
 
 // If you intend to use Panda only as a Python module, you may find
 // the following define useful (but you should put in the correct path
diff --git a/dtool/Package.pp b/dtool/Package.pp
index 0096833d17..cf2162abcc 100644
--- a/dtool/Package.pp
+++ b/dtool/Package.pp
@@ -80,7 +80,16 @@
   #set PPREMAKE_CONFIG $[unixfilename $[PPREMAKE_CONFIG]]
   #print Reading $[PPREMAKE_CONFIG]
   #include $[PPREMAKE_CONFIG]
+
+#elif $[wildcard $[unixfilename $[INSTALL_DIR]]/Config.pp]
+  // If the PPREMAKE_CONFIG variable is not, but there exists a
+  // Config.pp in the compiled-in INSTALL_DIR, use that one by default.
+  #set PPREMAKE_CONFIG $[unixfilename $[INSTALL_DIR]]/Config.pp
+  #print Reading $[PPREMAKE_CONFIG]
+  #include $[PPREMAKE_CONFIG]
+
 #else
+  // Otherwise, just carry on without it.
   #print Environment variable PPREMAKE_CONFIG not set; using defaults.
 #endif
 
diff --git a/ppremake/config_msvc.h b/ppremake/config_msvc.h
index 1867a060d0..92b8367836 100644
--- a/ppremake/config_msvc.h
+++ b/ppremake/config_msvc.h
@@ -79,9 +79,12 @@
 /* Name of package */
 #define PACKAGE "ppremake"
 
+/* The default value of INSTALL_DIR within ppremake. */
+#define INSTALL_DIR C:\\Panda3d
+
 /****************  UPDATE VERSION NUMBER HERE  ****************
  **         Also be sure to change the version number        **
  **             at the beginning of configure.in.            **
  ****************                              ****************/
-#define VERSION "1.13"
+#define VERSION "1.14"
 /****************  UPDATE VERSION NUMBER HERE  ****************/
diff --git a/ppremake/configure.in b/ppremake/configure.in
index 13a74b92a6..4cf0651428 100644
--- a/ppremake/configure.in
+++ b/ppremake/configure.in
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ dnl ****************  UPDATE VERSION NUMBER HERE  ****************
 dnl **         Also be sure to change the version number        **
 dnl **                at the end of config_msvc.h.              **
 dnl ****************                              ****************
-AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE(ppremake, 1.13)
+AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE(ppremake, 1.14)
 dnl ****************  UPDATE VERSION NUMBER HERE  ****************
 
 AM_CONFIG_HEADER(config.h)
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ AC_CANONICAL_HOST
 if test "${CXXFLAGS+set}" != set -a "${CFLAGS+set}" = set; then
   CXXFLAGS=$CFLAGS
 fi
+CPPFLAGS="${CPPFLAGS} -DINSTALL_DIR="'$(prefix)'
 
 # Save these variables for later, so we can easily append to them or
 # change them.
@@ -84,5 +85,4 @@ AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED(PLATFORM, "$PLATFORM",
    [The platform ppremake is compiled for.  This primarily controls the
     initial setting of the PLATFORM ppremake variable.])
 
-
 AC_OUTPUT(Makefile)
diff --git a/ppremake/filename.cxx b/ppremake/filename.cxx
index df64a041e1..2b49e1248a 100644
--- a/ppremake/filename.cxx
+++ b/ppremake/filename.cxx
@@ -1159,7 +1159,42 @@ find_on_searchpath(const DSearchPath &searchpath) {
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 bool Filename::
 scan_directory(vector_string &contents) const {
-#if defined(HAVE_GLOB_H)
+#if defined(WIN32_VC)
+  // Use FindFirstFile()/FindNextFile() to walk through the list of
+  // files in a directory.
+  size_t orig_size = contents.size();
+
+  string match;
+  if (empty()) {
+    match = "*.*";
+  } else {
+    match = to_os_specific() + "\\*.*";
+  }
+  WIN32_FIND_DATA find_data;
+
+  HANDLE handle = FindFirstFile(match.c_str(), &find_data);
+  if (handle == INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE) {
+    if (GetLastError() == ERROR_NO_MORE_FILES) {
+      // No matching files is not an error.
+      return true;
+    }
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  do {
+    string filename = find_data.cFileName;
+    if (filename != "." && filename != "..") {
+      contents.push_back(filename);
+    }
+  } while (FindNextFile(handle, &find_data));
+
+  bool scan_ok = (GetLastError() == ERROR_NO_MORE_FILES);
+  FindClose(handle);
+
+  sort(contents.begin() + orig_size, contents.end());
+  return scan_ok;
+
+#elif defined(HAVE_GLOB_H)
   // In some cases, particularly with NFS, it seems that opendir()
   // .. readdir() fails to properly read the entire directory ("Value
   // too large for defined data type"), but glob() succeeds.
@@ -1175,10 +1210,12 @@ scan_directory(vector_string &contents) const {
   glob_t globbuf;
 
   int r = glob(dirname.c_str(), GLOB_ERR, NULL, &globbuf);
+#ifdef GLOB_NOMATCH
   if (r != 0 && r != GLOB_NOMATCH) {
     perror(dirname.c_str());
     return false;
   }
+#endif
   size_t offset = dirname.size() - 1;
 
   for (int i = 0; globbuf.gl_pathv[i] != NULL; i++) {
@@ -1221,41 +1258,6 @@ scan_directory(vector_string &contents) const {
 
   sort(contents.begin() + orig_size, contents.end());
   return true;
-
-#elif defined(WIN32_VC)
-  // Use FindFirstFile()/FindNextFile() to walk through the list of
-  // files in a directory.
-  size_t orig_size = contents.size();
-
-  string match;
-  if (empty()) {
-    match = "*.*";
-  } else {
-    match = to_os_specific() + "\\*.*";
-  }
-  WIN32_FIND_DATA find_data;
-
-  HANDLE handle = FindFirstFile(match.c_str(), &find_data);
-  if (handle == INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE) {
-    if (GetLastError() == ERROR_NO_MORE_FILES) {
-      // No matching files is not an error.
-      return true;
-    }
-    return false;
-  }
-
-  do {
-    string filename = find_data.cFileName;
-    if (filename != "." && filename != "..") {
-      contents.push_back(filename);
-    }
-  } while (FindNextFile(handle, &find_data));
-
-  bool scan_ok = (GetLastError() == ERROR_NO_MORE_FILES);
-  FindClose(handle);
-
-  sort(contents.begin() + orig_size, contents.end());
-  return scan_ok;
   
 #else
   // Don't know how to scan directories!
diff --git a/ppremake/ppremake.cxx b/ppremake/ppremake.cxx
index 9b900b9413..ae0d0e0cea 100644
--- a/ppremake/ppremake.cxx
+++ b/ppremake/ppremake.cxx
@@ -28,6 +28,8 @@
 #include <sys/stat.h>
 #include <assert.h>
 
+#define STRINGIZE(x) #x
+
 bool unix_platform = false;
 bool windows_platform = false;
 bool dry_run = false;
@@ -71,6 +73,7 @@ usage() {
 
     "  -h           Display this page.\n"
     "  -V           Report the version of ppremake, and exit.\n"
+    "  -I           Report the compiled-in default for INSTALL_DIR, and exit.\n"
     "  -v           Turn on verbose output (may help in debugging .pp files).\n"
     "  -vv          Be very verbose (if you're getting desperate).\n"
     "  -P           Report the current platform name, and exit.\n\n"
@@ -103,6 +106,12 @@ report_version() {
        << ".\n";
 }
 
+static void
+report_install_dir() {
+  cerr << "Default value for INSTALL_DIR is "
+       << STRINGIZE(INSTALL_DIR) << ".\n";
+}
+
 static void
 report_platform() {
   cerr << "ppremake built for default platform " << PLATFORM << ".\n";
@@ -223,7 +232,7 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
   string progname = argv[0];
   extern char *optarg;
   extern int optind;
-  const char *optstr = "hVvPD:drnNp:c:s:";
+  const char *optstr = "hVIvPD:drnNp:c:s:";
 
   bool any_d = false;
   bool dependencies_stale = false;
@@ -253,6 +262,11 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
       exit(0);
       break;
 
+    case 'I':
+      report_install_dir();
+      exit(0);
+      break;
+
     case 'v':
       ++verbose;
       break;
@@ -339,6 +353,7 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
   global_scope.define_variable("PLATFORM", platform);
   global_scope.define_variable("PACKAGE_FILENAME", PACKAGE_FILENAME);
   global_scope.define_variable("SOURCE_FILENAME", SOURCE_FILENAME);
+  global_scope.define_variable("INSTALL_DIR", STRINGIZE(INSTALL_DIR));
 
   if (got_ppremake_config) {
     // If this came in on the command line, define a variable as such.
@@ -349,8 +364,11 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 
   // Also, it's convenient to have a way to represent the literal tab
   // character, without actually putting a literal tab character in
-  // the source file.
+  // the source file.  Similarly with some other special characters.
   global_scope.define_variable("TAB", "\t");
+  global_scope.define_variable("SPACE", " ");
+  global_scope.define_variable("DOLLAR", "$");
+  global_scope.define_variable("HASH", "#");
 
   PPMain ppmain(&global_scope);
   if (!ppmain.read_source(".")) {