diff --git a/configure.in b/configure.in
index 2935237c..dde4fc15 100644
--- a/configure.in
+++ b/configure.in
@@ -921,39 +921,6 @@ have_std_namespace="yes"
 [AC_MSG_RESULT(no - either STL is not present or in a non-standard namespace.)
 AC_MSG_ERROR([Sorry, you can't compile this library unless the standard library is in namespace std.])])
 
-AC_MSG_CHECKING(for <exception>)
-AC_TRY_COMPILE(
-[ 
-#include <exception>
-#include "confdefs.h"
-
-class bad_expression : public std::exception
-{
-   unsigned int code;
-public:
-   bad_expression(unsigned int err) : code(err) {}
-   bad_expression(const bad_expression& e) : std::exception(e), code(e.code) {}
-   bad_expression& operator=(const bad_expression& e)
-   {
-      std::exception::operator=(e);
-      code = e.code;
-      return *this;
-   }
-   virtual const char* what()const throw();
-};
-
-
-std::exception e;
-std::bad_exception e3;
-],
-[
-],
-[AC_MSG_RESULT(yes)
-],
-[AC_MSG_RESULT(no)
-AC_DEFINE(BOOST_RE_NO_EXCEPTION_H, [])
-])
-
 AC_MSG_CHECKING(for <iterator>)
 AC_TRY_COMPILE(
 [ 
diff --git a/demo/regress/tests.cpp b/demo/regress/tests.cpp
index b50a895c..efdca26c 100644
--- a/demo/regress/tests.cpp
+++ b/demo/regress/tests.cpp
@@ -613,7 +613,6 @@ void run_tests()
       re_type e(expression.c_str(), f);
       cpp_tests(e, true);
    }
-   #ifndef BOOST_RE_NO_EXCEPTION_H
    catch(const std::exception& e)
    {
       //
@@ -624,7 +623,6 @@ void run_tests()
          cout << "Unexpected exception thrown from C++ library: " << e.what() << endl;
       }
    }
-   #endif
    catch(...)
    {
       begin_error();
diff --git a/demo/regress/wregex_test.cpp b/demo/regress/wregex_test.cpp
index bee8a293..4c549cbf 100644
--- a/demo/regress/wregex_test.cpp
+++ b/demo/regress/wregex_test.cpp
@@ -26,6 +26,18 @@
 // disable automatic selection of support library:
 #define BOOST_RE_NO_LIB
 
+#if defined(_MSC_VER) && defined(__STL_DEBUG) && defined(_DLL)
+//
+// Ugly hack:
+// when this file is built with VC6 + STLPort 4 we get unresolved externals
+// from std::wstring if __STL_DEBUG is defined.  As a workaround disable
+// STL debugging support in this case.  This weakens the regression tests
+// but is still better than not being able to run them at all.  This should be
+// removed once STLPort gets fixed.
+//
+#undef __STL_DEBUG
+#endif
+
 #include <boost/regex.hpp>
 
 #ifdef BOOST_RE_NO_WCSTRING
@@ -163,7 +175,6 @@ template test_string_type regex_merge(const test_string_type&,
 
 #endif
 
-
 } // namespace boost
 
 //
diff --git a/include/boost/pattern_except.hpp b/include/boost/pattern_except.hpp
index 31e5727a..2fc8e525 100644
--- a/include/boost/pattern_except.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/pattern_except.hpp
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
 #ifndef BOOST_RE_PAT_EXCEPT_HPP
 #define BOOST_RE_PAT_EXCEPT_HPP
 
-#include <stdexcept>
+#include <boost/re_detail/regex_config.hpp>
 
 namespace boost{
 
diff --git a/include/boost/re_detail/regex_config.hpp b/include/boost/re_detail/regex_config.hpp
index 507e0cfc..e8d9f315 100644
--- a/include/boost/re_detail/regex_config.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/re_detail/regex_config.hpp
@@ -87,34 +87,7 @@ Do not change this file unless you really really have to, add options to
       #define BOOST_RE_NO_MUTABLE
    #endif
 
-   #if __BORLANDC__ < 0x520
-      #define BOOST_RE_NO_WCSTRING
-      #define BOOST_RE_NO_INT64
-      // Early versions of Borlands namespace code can't cope with iterators
-      // that are in different namespaces from STL code.
-      #define boost std
-      #define BOOST_RE_NO_NOT_EQUAL
-   #endif
-
-   #if __BORLANDC__ < 0x530
-      #define BOOST_RE_NO_WCTYPE_H
-      #define BOOST_RE_NO_WCHAR_H
-      #define BOOST_RE_OLD_IOSTREAM
-      #define BOOST_RE_NO_TRICKY_DEFAULT_PARAM
-      #define BOOST_RE_NO_EXCEPTION_H
-      #ifndef __WIN32__
-         #define BOOST_RE_NO_WCSTRING
-      #endif
-      #define BOOST_RE_NO_LOCALE_H
-      #define BOOST_RE_NO_TEMPLATE_RETURNS
-      //
-      // this is a hack to get around buggy namespace support in the
-      // 0x520 compiler version
-      #define BOOST_RE_NO_USING
-      #define BOOST_RE_USING_HACK
-      #define BOOST_RE_OLD_IOSTREAM
-   #endif
-
+   // versions prior to 0x530 not supported:
    #if __BORLANDC__ < 0x540
       #define BOOST_RE_NO_MEMBER_TEMPLATES
       // inline contructors exhibit strange behaviour
@@ -267,9 +240,6 @@ Do not change this file unless you really really have to, add options to
       #define BOOST_RE_NO_PARTIAL_FUNC_SPEC
       #define BOOST_RE_NO_TEMPLATE_FRIEND
    #endif
-   #ifndef __STL_USE_NAMESPACES
-      //#define BOOST_RE_NO_EXCEPTION_H
-   #endif
    #define BOOST_RE_INT64t long long
    #define BOOST_RE_IMM64(val) val##LL
 
@@ -309,9 +279,6 @@ Do not change this file unless you really really have to, add options to
       #define BOOST_RE_NO_MEMBER_TEMPLATES
       #define BOOST_RE_OLD_IOSTREAM
    #endif
-   #ifndef __STL_USE_NAMESPACES
-      #define BOOST_RE_NO_EXCEPTION_H
-   #endif
    #define BOOST_RE_INT64t long long
    #define BOOST_RE_IMM64(val) val##LL
    #define BOOST_RE_NESTED_TEMPLATE_DECL
@@ -327,17 +294,11 @@ Do not change this file unless you really really have to, add options to
    #define BOOST_RE_NO_NAMESPACES
    #define BOOST_RE_NO_MUTABLE
    #define BOOST_RE_OLD_IOSTREAM
-   #ifndef __STL_USE_NAMESPACES
-      #define BOOST_RE_NO_EXCEPTION_H
-   #endif
    #define BOOST_RE_NESTED_TEMPLATE_DECL
    #define BOOST_RE_NO_TEMPLATE_FRIEND
 #else
    #if !defined(_NAMESPACE_STD)
       #define BOOST_RE_OLD_IOSTREAM
-      #ifndef __STL_USE_NAMESPACES
-         #define BOOST_RE_NO_EXCEPTION_H
-      #endif
    #endif
    #define BOOST_RE_NESTED_TEMPLATE_DECL template
 #endif
@@ -434,17 +395,8 @@ typedef unsigned long jm_uintfast32_t;
 /* STL configuration goes here: */
 
 #ifndef BOOST_RE_AUTO_CONFIGURE
-#ifdef BOOST_RE_NO_STL
-   #define BOOST_RE_NO_EXCEPTION_H
-   #define BOOST_RE_NO_ITERATOR_H
-   #define BOOST_RE_NO_MEMORY_H
-   #define BOOST_RE_NO_LOCALE_H
-   #define BOOST_RE_NO_STRING_H
-#endif
 
-#ifndef BOOST_RE_NO_EXCEPTION_H
-   #include <exception>
-#endif
+#include <stdexcept>
 
 #ifndef BOOST_RE_NO_ITERATOR_H
    #include <iterator>
diff --git a/include/boost/re_detail/regex_options.hpp b/include/boost/re_detail/regex_options.hpp
index 615a215b..f1b060b8 100644
--- a/include/boost/re_detail/regex_options.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/re_detail/regex_options.hpp
@@ -124,10 +124,6 @@
 
 /* STL options: */
 
-/* BOOST_RE_NO_EXCEPTION_H         Define if you do not a compliant <exception>
-                             header file. */
-/* #define BOOST_RE_NO_EXCEPTION_H */
-
 /* BOOST_RE_NO_ITERATOR_H          Define if you do not have a version of <iterator>. */
 /* #define BOOST_RE_NO_ITERATOR_H */
 
diff --git a/jm_opt.in b/jm_opt.in
index 1b86792d..ad2b32ef 100644
--- a/jm_opt.in
+++ b/jm_opt.in
@@ -124,10 +124,6 @@
 
 /* STL options: */
 
-/* BOOST_RE_NO_EXCEPTION_H         Define if you do not a compliant <exception>
-                             header file. */
-#undef BOOST_RE_NO_EXCEPTION_H
-
 /* BOOST_RE_NO_ITERATOR_H          Define if you do not have a version of <iterator>. */
 #undef BOOST_RE_NO_ITERATOR_H
 
@@ -419,9 +415,7 @@ syntax error
 #endif
 
 
-#ifndef BOOST_RE_NO_EXCEPTION_H
-#include <exception>
-#endif
+#include <stdexcept>
 
 #ifndef BOOST_RE_NO_ITERATOR_H
 #include <iterator>