diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 5639e9271..a79c11076 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
  * src/spice.def: for creating dll
  * src/makefile.am: libs for tclspice MINGW added
  * configure.in: automatically select building shared or static libraries
+ * tclspice.c: some additions for MS Visual 2008
 
 2009-04-18 Dietmar Warning
  * devices/bsim3soi/*.c, *.h, tests/bsim3soi/*.cir, *.out, *.mod, DEVICES: 
diff --git a/src/tclspice.c b/src/tclspice.c
index 9e32f027d..3d1fde276 100755
--- a/src/tclspice.c
+++ b/src/tclspice.c
@@ -73,13 +73,18 @@ typedef pthread_t threadId_t;
 	    #define  srandom(a) srand(a) /* srandom */
 	#endif
 #elif defined(_MSC_VER)
-    #include <stdarg.h>
-    /* remove type incompatibility with winnt.h*/
-    #undef BOOLEAN
-    #include <windows.h> /* Sleep */
+   #include <stdarg.h>
+   /* remove type incompatibility with winnt.h*/
+   #undef BOOLEAN
+   #include <windows.h> /* Sleep */
 	#ifndef srandom
 	    #define  srandom(a) srand(a) /* srandom */
 	#endif
+   #include <process.h> /* _getpid */
+   #define dup _dup
+   #define dup2 _dup2
+   #define open _open
+   #define close _close
 #else
     #include <unistd.h> /* usleep */
 #endif /* __MINGW32__ */
@@ -149,8 +154,9 @@ extern JMP_BUF jbuf;
 extern IFfrontEnd nutmeginfo;
 
 extern struct comm spcp_coms[ ];
- 
+extern void DevInit(); 
 extern int SIMinit(IFfrontEnd *frontEnd, IFsimulator **simulator);
+extern wordlist * cp_varwl(struct variable *var);
 
 /*For blt spice to use*/
 typedef struct {
@@ -619,7 +625,7 @@ static void * _thread_run(void *string){
   FREE(string);
   bgtid = (threadId_t)0;
   fl_exited = TRUE;
-  return;
+  return NULL;
 }
 
 /*Stops a running thread, hopefully */
@@ -2166,7 +2172,6 @@ int Spice_Init(Tcl_Interp *interp) {
 #endif
 
   {
-    extern void DevInit();
     int i;
     char *key;
     Tcl_CmdInfo infoPtr;