diff --git a/gui/Gui/Scytherthread.py b/gui/Gui/Scytherthread.py
index 48879e0..fb10a33 100644
--- a/gui/Gui/Scytherthread.py
+++ b/gui/Gui/Scytherthread.py
@@ -9,17 +9,13 @@ import sys
 import re
 import threading
 import StringIO
-try:
-    from subprocess import Popen
-    AvailablePopen = True
-except:
-    AvailablePopen = False
 
 #---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 """ Import scyther components """
 import Scyther.Scyther
 import Scyther.Error
+from Scyther.Misc import *
 
 """ Import scyther-gui components """
 import Tempfile
@@ -166,8 +162,6 @@ class AttackThread(threading.Thread):
             font = wx.Font(9,wx.SWISS,wx.NORMAL,wx.NORMAL)
             self.fontname = font.GetFaceName()
 
-
-
         # write all graph lines but add layout modifiers
         for l in txt.splitlines():
             fp.write(l)
@@ -204,8 +198,6 @@ class AttackThread(threading.Thread):
     def makeImage(self,attack):
         """ create image for this particular attack """
 
-        global AvailablePopen
-
         if Preference.usePIL():
             # If we have the PIL library, we can do postscript! great
             # stuff.
@@ -229,11 +221,7 @@ class AttackThread(threading.Thread):
 
         # execute command
         # Start the process
-        if AvailablePopen:
-            p = Popen(cmd, shell=False)
-            sts = p.wait()
-        else:
-            os.system(cmd)
+        safeCommand(cmd)
 
         # Print
         #print fpname2
diff --git a/gui/Scyther/Misc.py b/gui/Scyther/Misc.py
index 4346491..1a1a212 100644
--- a/gui/Scyther/Misc.py
+++ b/gui/Scyther/Misc.py
@@ -5,7 +5,14 @@
 #---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 """ Import externals """
+import sys
 import os.path
+try:
+    from subprocess import Popen
+    AvailablePopen = True
+except:
+    import os
+    AvailablePopen = False
 
 #---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
@@ -43,3 +50,21 @@ def mypath(file):
     basedir = os.path.dirname(__file__)
     return os.path.join(basedir,file)
 
+def safeCommand(cmd):
+    """ Execute a command with some arguments. Safe cross-platform
+    version, I hope. """
+
+    global AvailablePopen
+
+    if AvailablePopen:
+        if sys.platform.startswith("win"):
+            shell=False
+        else:
+            shell=True
+        p = Popen(cmd, shell=shell)
+        sts = p.wait()
+    else:
+        sts = os.system(cmd)
+
+    return sts
+
diff --git a/gui/Scyther/Scyther.py b/gui/Scyther/Scyther.py
index 736a0f2..a29c2d6 100755
--- a/gui/Scyther/Scyther.py
+++ b/gui/Scyther/Scyther.py
@@ -11,11 +11,6 @@ import os.path
 import sys
 import StringIO
 import tempfile
-try:
-    from subprocess import Popen
-    AvailablePopen = True
-except:
-    AvailablePopen = False
 
 
 #---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -198,7 +193,6 @@ class Scyther(object):
             output -- string which is the real output
             errors -- string which captures the errors
         """
-        global AvailablePopen
 
         if self.program == None:
             raise Error.NoBinaryError
@@ -233,11 +227,7 @@ class Scyther(object):
         ##print self.cmd
 
         # Start the process
-        if AvailablePopen:
-            p = Popen(self.cmd, shell=False)
-            sts = p.wait()
-        else:
-            os.system(self.cmd)
+        safeCommand(self.cmd)
 
         # reseek
         fhe = os.fdopen(fde)