diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 9f0e2fb0d1..f0de599955 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -1751,8 +1751,8 @@ if eval "test \"`echo '$''{'cf_cv_pthread_flag'+set}'`\" = set"; then
   echo $ac_n "(cached) $ac_c" 1>&6
 else
   
-								save_CPPFLAGS=$CPPFLAGS
-				CPPFLAGS="-pthread $CPPFLAGS"
+								save_LIBS="$LIBS"
+				LIBS="-pthread $LIBS"
 				cat > conftest.$ac_ext <<EOF
 #line 1758 "configure"
 #include "confdefs.h"
@@ -1774,7 +1774,7 @@ else
   cf_cv_pthread_flag=no
 fi
 rm -f conftest*
-								CPPFLAGS=$save_CPPFLAGS
+								LIBS="$save_LIBS"
 			
 fi
 
diff --git a/configure.in b/configure.in
index f1dd41b909..6b5abd5d29 100644
--- a/configure.in
+++ b/configure.in
@@ -263,14 +263,14 @@ dnl			AC_DEFINE(HAVE_LINUX_THREADS,1)
 			AC_CACHE_CHECK([for pthread_create with -pthread],
 				cf_cv_pthread_flag, [
 				dnl save the CPPFLAGS
-				save_CPPFLAGS=$CPPFLAGS
-				CPPFLAGS="-pthread $CPPFLAGS"
+				save_LIBS="$LIBS"
+				LIBS="-pthread $LIBS"
 				AC_TRY_LINK([#include <pthread.h>],[
 					if(0) pthread_create((pthread_t*) 0,
 						(pthread_attr_t*) 0, 0, 0);
 					], cf_cv_pthread_flag=yes, cf_cv_pthread_flag=no)
-				dnl restore the CPPFLAGS
-				CPPFLAGS=$save_CPPFLAGS
+				dnl restore the LIBS
+				LIBS="$save_LIBS"
 			])
 
 			if test $cf_cv_pthread_flag = yes ; then