diff --git a/extra/my_print_defaults.c b/extra/my_print_defaults.c
index d5836cb0dc8..9cc24b4ae4e 100644
--- a/extra/my_print_defaults.c
+++ b/extra/my_print_defaults.c
@@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ static void usage(my_bool version)
   puts("Prints all arguments that is give to some program using the default files");
   printf("Usage: %s [OPTIONS] groups\n", my_progname);
   my_print_help(my_long_options);
+  my_print_default_files(config_file);
   my_print_variables(my_long_options);
   printf("\nExample usage:\n%s --config-file=my client mysql\n", my_progname);
 }
diff --git a/include/my_sys.h b/include/my_sys.h
index f63743a4c6c..f052a073339 100644
--- a/include/my_sys.h
+++ b/include/my_sys.h
@@ -781,6 +781,7 @@ extern int my_search_option_files(const char *conf_file, int *argc,
                                   char ***argv, uint *args_used,
                                   Process_option_func func, void *func_ctx);
 extern void free_defaults(char **argv);
+extern void my_print_default_files(const char *conf_file);
 extern void print_defaults(const char *conf_file, const char **groups);
 extern my_bool my_compress(byte *, ulong *, ulong *);
 extern my_bool my_uncompress(byte *, ulong *, ulong *);
diff --git a/mysys/default.c b/mysys/default.c
index 0f33c94d17e..c898f4a6532 100644
--- a/mysys/default.c
+++ b/mysys/default.c
@@ -45,11 +45,12 @@ char *defaults_extra_file=0;
 
 /* Which directories are searched for options (and in which order) */
 
-#define MAX_DEFAULT_DIRS 4
+#define MAX_DEFAULT_DIRS 5
 const char *default_directories[MAX_DEFAULT_DIRS + 1];
 
 #ifdef __WIN__
 static const char *f_extensions[]= { ".ini", ".cnf", 0 };
+static char system_dir[FN_REFLEN], shared_system_dir[FN_REFLEN];
 #else
 static const char *f_extensions[]= { ".cnf", 0 };
 #endif
@@ -140,20 +141,6 @@ int my_search_option_files(const char *conf_file, int *argc, char ***argv,
   }
   else
   {
-#ifdef __WIN__
-    char system_dir[FN_REFLEN];
-    GetWindowsDirectory(system_dir,sizeof(system_dir));
-    if ((search_default_file(func, func_ctx, system_dir, conf_file)))
-      goto err;
-#endif
-#if defined(__EMX__) || defined(OS2)
-    {
-      const char *etc; 
-      if ((etc= getenv("ETC")) &&
-          (search_default_file(func, func_ctx, etc, conf_file)) < 0)
-      goto err;
-    }
-#endif
     for (dirs= default_directories ; *dirs; dirs++)
     {
       if (**dirs)
@@ -396,8 +383,11 @@ static int search_default_file(Process_option_func opt_handler,
 			       const char *config_file)
 {
   char **ext;
+  const char *empty_list[]= { "", 0 };
+  my_bool have_ext= fn_ext(config_file)[0] != 0;
+  const char **exts_to_use= have_ext ? empty_list : f_extensions;
 
-  for (ext= (char**) f_extensions; *ext; *ext++)
+  for (ext= (char**) exts_to_use; *ext; *ext++)
   {
     int error;
     if ((error= search_default_file_with_ext(opt_handler, handler_ctx,
@@ -734,11 +724,11 @@ static char *remove_end_comment(char *ptr)
 
 #include <help_start.h>
 
-void print_defaults(const char *conf_file, const char **groups)
+void my_print_default_files(const char *conf_file)
 {
-#ifdef __WIN__
+  const char *empty_list[]= { "", 0 };
   my_bool have_ext= fn_ext(conf_file)[0] != 0;
-#endif
+  const char **exts_to_use= have_ext ? empty_list : f_extensions;
   char name[FN_REFLEN], **ext;
   const char **dirs;
 
@@ -749,30 +739,9 @@ void print_defaults(const char *conf_file, const char **groups)
     fputs(conf_file,stdout);
   else
   {
-#ifdef __WIN__
-    GetWindowsDirectory(name,sizeof(name));
-    if (!have_ext)
-    {
-      for (ext= (char**) f_extensions; *ext; *ext++)
-        printf("%s\\%s%s ", name, conf_file, *ext);
-    }
-    else
-        printf("%s\\%s ", name, conf_file);
-#endif
-#if defined(__EMX__) || defined(OS2)
-    {
-      const char *etc;
-
-      if ((etc= getenv("ETC")))
-      {
-	for (ext= (char**) f_extensions; *ext; *ext++)
-	  printf("%s\\%s%s ", etc, conf_file, *ext);
-      }
-    }
-#endif
     for (dirs=default_directories ; *dirs; dirs++)
     {
-      for (ext= (char**) f_extensions; *ext; *ext++)
+      for (ext= (char**) exts_to_use; *ext; *ext++)
       {
 	const char *pos;
 	char *end;
@@ -791,6 +760,12 @@ void print_defaults(const char *conf_file, const char **groups)
     }
     puts("");
   }
+}
+
+void print_defaults(const char *conf_file, const char **groups)
+{
+  my_print_default_files(conf_file);
+
   fputs("The following groups are read:",stdout);
   for ( ; *groups ; groups++)
   {
@@ -806,15 +781,58 @@ void print_defaults(const char *conf_file, const char **groups)
 
 #include <help_end.h>
 
+
+/*
+  Create the list of default directories.
+
+  On Microsoft Windows, this is:
+    1. C:/
+    2. GetWindowsDirectory()
+    3. GetSystemWindowsDirectory()
+    4. getenv(DEFAULT_HOME_ENV)
+    5. ""
+
+  On Novell NetWare, this is:
+    1. sys:/etc/
+    2. getenv(DEFAULT_HOME_ENV)
+    3. ""
+
+  On OS/2, this is:
+    1. getenv(ETC)
+    2. /etc/
+    3. getenv(DEFAULT_HOME_ENV)
+    4. ""
+    5. "~/"
+
+  Everywhere else, this is:
+    1. /etc/
+    2. getenv(DEFAULT_HOME_ENV)
+    3. ""
+    4. "~/"
+
+ */
+
 static void init_default_directories()
 {
   const char *env, **ptr= default_directories;
 
 #ifdef __WIN__
   *ptr++= "C:/";
+
+  if (GetWindowsDirectory(system_dir,sizeof(system_dir)))
+    *ptr++= &system_dir;
+  /* Only add shared system directory if different from default. */
+  if (GetSystemWindowsDirectory(shared_system_dir,sizeof(shared_system_dir)) &&
+      strcmp(system_dir, shared_system_dir))
+    *ptr++= &shared_system_dir;
+
 #elif defined(__NETWARE__)
   *ptr++= "sys:/etc/";
 #else
+#if defined(__EMX__) || defined(OS2)
+  if ((env= getenv("ETC")))
+    *ptr++= env;
+#endif
   *ptr++= "/etc/";
 #endif
   if ((env= getenv(STRINGIFY_ARG(DEFAULT_HOME_ENV))))