diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yaml b/.github/workflows/ci.yaml
index de407ec2b..7fb327774 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yaml
@@ -29,9 +29,7 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/checkout@master
       - uses: actions-rs/toolchain@v1
       - name: Set up the Windows environment
-        run: |
-          choco install llvm
-          powershell.exe scripts/symlinks-to-hardlinks.ps1
+        run: choco install llvm
         if: runner.os == 'Windows'
       - name: Set up the Mac environment
         run: brew install autoconf automake libtool
@@ -62,9 +60,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           python-version: 3.8
       - name: Set up the Windows environment
-        run: |
-          choco install llvm
-          powershell.exe scripts/symlinks-to-hardlinks.ps1
+        run: choco install llvm
         if: runner.os == 'Windows'
       - name: Set up the Mac environment
         run: brew install autoconf automake libtool
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index e632bd675..490334fd3 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -28,8 +28,6 @@ To build RustPython locally, do the following:
 
     $ git clone https://github.com/RustPython/RustPython
     $ cd RustPython
-      # if you're on windows:
-    $ powershell scripts\symlinks-to-hardlinks.ps1
       # --release is needed (at least on windows) to prevent stack overflow
     $ cargo run --release demo.py
     Hello, RustPython!
diff --git a/derive/src/compile_bytecode.rs b/derive/src/compile_bytecode.rs
index 43d84c770..e6f3b7c7a 100644
--- a/derive/src/compile_bytecode.rs
+++ b/derive/src/compile_bytecode.rs
@@ -115,9 +115,18 @@ impl CompilationSource {
         mode: compile::Mode,
     ) -> Result<HashMap<String, FrozenModule>, Diagnostic> {
         let mut code_map = HashMap::new();
-        let paths = fs::read_dir(&path).map_err(|err| {
-            Diagnostic::spans_error(self.span, format!("Error listing dir {:?}: {}", path, err))
-        })?;
+        let paths = fs::read_dir(path)
+            .or_else(|e| {
+                if cfg!(windows) {
+                    if let Ok(real_path) = fs::read_to_string(path.canonicalize().unwrap()) {
+                        return fs::read_dir(real_path.trim());
+                    }
+                }
+                Err(e)
+            })
+            .map_err(|err| {
+                Diagnostic::spans_error(self.span, format!("Error listing dir {:?}: {}", path, err))
+            })?;
         for path in paths {
             let path = path.map_err(|err| {
                 Diagnostic::spans_error(self.span, format!("Failed to list file: {}", err))
@@ -133,12 +142,6 @@ impl CompilationSource {
                     mode,
                 )?);
             } else if file_name.ends_with(".py") {
-                let source = fs::read_to_string(&path).map_err(|err| {
-                    Diagnostic::spans_error(
-                        self.span,
-                        format!("Error reading file {:?}: {}", path, err),
-                    )
-                })?;
                 let stem = path.file_stem().unwrap().to_str().unwrap();
                 let is_init = stem == "__init__";
                 let module_name = if is_init {
@@ -148,15 +151,39 @@ impl CompilationSource {
                 } else {
                     format!("{}.{}", parent, stem)
                 };
+
+                let compile_path = |src_path: &Path| {
+                    let source = fs::read_to_string(src_path).map_err(|err| {
+                        Diagnostic::spans_error(
+                            self.span,
+                            format!("Error reading file {:?}: {}", path, err),
+                        )
+                    })?;
+                    self.compile_string(&source, mode, module_name.clone(), || {
+                        path.strip_prefix(&*CARGO_MANIFEST_DIR)
+                            .ok()
+                            .unwrap_or(&path)
+                            .display()
+                    })
+                };
+                let code = compile_path(&path).or_else(|e| {
+                    if cfg!(windows) {
+                        if let Ok(real_path) = fs::read_to_string(path.canonicalize().unwrap()) {
+                            let joined = path.parent().unwrap().join(real_path.trim());
+                            if joined.exists() {
+                                return compile_path(&joined);
+                            } else {
+                                return Err(e);
+                            }
+                        }
+                    }
+                    Err(e)
+                })?;
+
                 code_map.insert(
-                    module_name.clone(),
+                    module_name,
                     FrozenModule {
-                        code: self.compile_string(&source, mode, module_name, || {
-                            path.strip_prefix(&*CARGO_MANIFEST_DIR)
-                                .ok()
-                                .unwrap_or(&path)
-                                .display()
-                        })?,
+                        code,
                         package: is_init,
                     },
                 );
diff --git a/scripts/symlinks-to-hardlinks.ps1 b/scripts/symlinks-to-hardlinks.ps1
deleted file mode 100644
index 9ec79de4e..000000000
--- a/scripts/symlinks-to-hardlinks.ps1
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,31 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env powershell
-
-Set-Location -Path $(Split-Path -Parent $PSScriptRoot)
-
-git ls-files -s | Select-String '^120000' | ConvertFrom-String -PropertyNames Get-Content,Hash,_,Path | ForEach-Object {
-  $symlink = $_.Path
-
-  git checkout --quiet -- $symlink
-  if (Test-Path $symlink -PathType Leaf) {
-    $parent = (Get-Item $symlink).Directory
-  } else {
-    $parent = (Get-Item $symlink).Parent
-  }
-  $child = (Get-Content $symlink)
-
-  $src = (Join-Path -Path $parent -ChildPath $child)
-
-  if (Test-Path $src -PathType Leaf) {
-    Remove-Item $symlink
-    New-Item -ItemType HardLink -Name $symlink -Value $src
-  } elseif (Test-Path $src -PathType Container) {
-    Remove-Item $symlink
-    New-Item -ItemType Junction -Name $symlink -Value $src
-  } else {
-    Write-Error 'error: git-rm-symlink: Not a valid source\n'
-    Write-Error '$symlink =/=> $src...'
-    return
-  }
-
-  git update-index --assume-unchanged $symlink
-}
diff --git a/vm/src/frozen.rs b/vm/src/frozen.rs
index ec94b7ecd..160ae22ab 100644
--- a/vm/src/frozen.rs
+++ b/vm/src/frozen.rs
@@ -38,7 +38,6 @@ pub fn get_module_inits() -> impl Iterator<Item = (String, bytecode::FrozenModul
     // Python modules that the vm calls into, but are not actually part of the stdlib. They could
     // in theory be implemented in Rust, but are easiest to do in Python for one reason or another.
     // Includes _importlib_bootstrap and _importlib_bootstrap_external
-    // For Windows: did you forget to run `powershell scripts\symlinks-to-hardlinks.ps1`?
     ext_modules!(iter, dir = "Lib/python_builtins/");
 
     #[cfg(not(feature = "freeze-stdlib"))]
diff --git a/vm/src/stdlib/os.rs b/vm/src/stdlib/os.rs
index 9589ca7a8..e89793900 100644
--- a/vm/src/stdlib/os.rs
+++ b/vm/src/stdlib/os.rs
@@ -2764,6 +2764,7 @@ pub(crate) use posix::raw_set_inheritable;
 #[pymodule]
 mod nt {
     use super::*;
+    #[cfg(target_env = "msvc")]
     use crate::builtins::list::PyListRef;
     #[cfg(target_env = "msvc")]
     use winapi::vc::vcruntime::intptr_t;
@@ -3120,7 +3121,7 @@ mod nt {
 }
 #[cfg(windows)]
 use nt as platform;
-#[cfg(windows)]
+#[cfg(all(windows, target_env = "msvc"))]
 pub use nt::{_set_thread_local_invalid_parameter_handler, silent_iph_handler};
 
 #[cfg(not(any(unix, windows)))]