diff --git a/Docs/src/compiler.but b/Docs/src/compiler.but
index 2fa27c7f..5c1aebe6 100644
--- a/Docs/src/compiler.but
+++ b/Docs/src/compiler.but
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ This command will issue an error to the script compiler and will stop execution
 
 \c command
 
-This command will execute 'command' using a call to CreateProcess(). Unlike \R{system}{!system}, it does not use the command line processor, so input/output redirection and commands like 'cd', 'dir' and 'type' can not be used. \R{execute}{!execute} also ignores the return value of the executed command. Currently, the only known advantage of \R{execute}{!execute} over \R{system}{!system} is that it does not give trouble when the current working directory is specified using UNC.
+This command will execute 'command' using a call to CreateProcess(). Unlike \R{system}{!system}, it does not use the command line processor, so input/output redirection and commands like 'cd', 'dir' and 'type' can not be used. Currently, the only known advantage of \R{execute}{!execute} over \R{system}{!system} is that it does not give trouble when the current working directory is specified using UNC.
 
 On POSIX platforms, \R{execute}{!execute} will use system() just like \R{system}{!system}.
 
diff --git a/Docs/src/history.but b/Docs/src/history.but
index f00c0937..1f6b14da 100644
--- a/Docs/src/history.but
+++ b/Docs/src/history.but
@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@ Released on ?, 2014
 
 \b !system will decode child output as OEMCP if GetConsoleOutputCP() == GetOEMCP()
 
+\b !execute supports comparing the exit code with the same syntax as !system
+
 \H{v3.0a2} 3.0 Alpha 2
 
 Released on December 24th, 2013
diff --git a/Source/script.cpp b/Source/script.cpp
index 3569a95b..ef661522 100644
--- a/Source/script.cpp
+++ b/Source/script.cpp
@@ -3186,17 +3186,38 @@ int CEXEBuild::doCommand(int which_token, LineParser &line)
       }
     return PS_OK;
     case TOK_P_SYSTEMEXEC:
+    case TOK_P_EXECUTE:
       {
+        const TCHAR *cmdname=get_commandtoken_name(which_token);
         TCHAR *exec=line.gettoken_str(1);
         int comp=line.gettoken_enum(2,_T("<\0>\0<>\0=\0ignore\0"));
         if (line.getnumtokens() == 2) comp = 4;
         if (comp == -1 && line.getnumtokens() == 3) comp=4;
         if (comp == -1) PRINTHELP()
-        int success=0;
+        int success=0, ret;
         int cmpv=line.gettoken_int(3,&success);
         if (!success && comp != 4) PRINTHELP()
-        SCRIPT_MSG(_T("!system: \"%") NPRIs _T("\"\n"),exec);
-        int ret=sane_system(exec);
+        SCRIPT_MSG(_T("%") NPRIs _T(": \"%") NPRIs _T("\"\n"),cmdname,exec);
+#ifdef _WIN32
+        if (TOK_P_EXECUTE == which_token)
+        {
+#ifdef _UNICODE
+          ret=RunChildProcessRedirected(0,exec);
+#else
+          ret=-1;
+          PROCESS_INFORMATION pi;
+          STARTUPINFO si={sizeof(STARTUPINFO),};
+          if (CreateProcess(NULL,exec,NULL,NULL,FALSE,0,NULL,NULL,&si,&pi))
+          {
+            WaitForSingleObject(pi.hProcess,INFINITE);
+            if (GetExitCodeProcess(pi.hProcess, &si.cb)) ret=(int)si.cb;
+            CloseHandle(pi.hThread), CloseHandle(pi.hProcess);
+          }
+#endif
+        }
+        else
+#endif //~ _WIN32
+          ret=sane_system(exec);
         if (comp == 0 && ret < cmpv);
         else if (comp == 1 && ret > cmpv);
         else if (comp == 2 && ret != cmpv);
@@ -3204,33 +3225,12 @@ int CEXEBuild::doCommand(int which_token, LineParser &line)
         else if (comp == 4);
         else
         {
-          ERROR_MSG(_T("!system: returned %d, aborting\n"),ret);
+          ERROR_MSG(_T("%") NPRIs _T(": returned %d, aborting\n"),cmdname,ret);
           return PS_ERROR;
         }
-        SCRIPT_MSG(_T("!system: returned %d\n"),ret);
+        SCRIPT_MSG(_T("%") NPRIs _T(": returned %d\n"),cmdname,ret);
       }
     return PS_OK;
-    case TOK_P_EXECUTE:
-      {
-        TCHAR *exec=line.gettoken_str(1);
-        SCRIPT_MSG(_T("!execute: \"%") NPRIs _T("\"\n"),exec);
-#ifdef _WIN32
-#ifdef _UNICODE
-        RunChildProcessRedirected(0,exec);
-#else
-        PROCESS_INFORMATION pi;
-        STARTUPINFO si={sizeof(STARTUPINFO),};
-        if (CreateProcess(NULL,exec,NULL,NULL,FALSE,0,NULL,NULL,&si,&pi))
-        {
-          WaitForSingleObject(pi.hProcess,INFINITE);
-          CloseHandle(pi.hThread);
-          CloseHandle(pi.hProcess);
-        }
-#endif
-#else
-        sane_system(exec);
-#endif
-      }
     case TOK_P_ADDINCLUDEDIR:
       {
         TCHAR *f = line.gettoken_str(1);
diff --git a/Source/tokens.cpp b/Source/tokens.cpp
index 5a2732da..c117dd0c 100644
--- a/Source/tokens.cpp
+++ b/Source/tokens.cpp
@@ -244,8 +244,8 @@ static tokenType tokenlist[TOK__LAST] =
 {TOK_MANIFEST_SUPPORTEDOS,_T("ManifestSupportedOS"),1,-1,_T("none|all|WinVista|Win7|Win8|Win8.1|{GUID} [...]"),TP_GLOBAL},
 {TOK_P_PACKEXEHEADER,_T("!packhdr"),2,0,_T("temp_file_name command_line_to_compress_that_temp_file"),TP_ALL},
 {TOK_P_FINALIZE,_T("!finalize"),1,0,_T("command_with_%1"),TP_ALL},
-{TOK_P_SYSTEMEXEC,_T("!system"),1,2,_T("command [<|>|<>|=) retval]"),TP_ALL},
-{TOK_P_EXECUTE,_T("!execute"),1,0,_T("command"),TP_ALL},
+{TOK_P_SYSTEMEXEC,_T("!system"),1,2,_T("command [<|>|<>|= retval]"),TP_ALL},
+{TOK_P_EXECUTE,  _T("!execute"),1,2,_T("command [<|>|<>|= retval]"),TP_ALL},
 {TOK_P_ADDINCLUDEDIR,_T("!AddIncludeDir"),1,0,_T("dir"),TP_ALL},
 {TOK_P_INCLUDE,_T("!include"),1,2,_T("[/NONFATAL] [/CHARSET=<") TSTR_INPUTCHARSET _T(">] filename.nsh"),TP_ALL},
 {TOK_P_CD,_T("!cd"),1,0,_T("absolute_or_relative_new_directory"),TP_ALL},