diff --git a/doc/reference.html b/doc/reference.html
index 2381252..be513cd 100644
--- a/doc/reference.html
+++ b/doc/reference.html
@@ -689,7 +689,10 @@ application program interfaces.</p>
     {
     public:
       system_error( error_code ec );
+      system_error( error_code ec, const char * what_arg );
       system_error( error_code ec, const std::string &amp; what_arg );
+      system_error( error_code::value_type ev, const error_category &amp; ecat,
+                    const char * what_arg );
       system_error( error_code::value_type ev, const error_category &amp; ecat,
                     const std::string &amp; what_arg );
       system_error( error_code::value_type ev, const error_category &amp; ecat);
@@ -706,12 +709,25 @@ application program interfaces.</p>
   <p><i>Postcondition:</i> <code>code() == ec <br>
 &nbsp; &amp;&amp; std::strcmp( this-&gt;runtime_error::what(), &quot;&quot; ) == 0</code></p>
 </blockquote>
+<pre>system_error( error_code ec, const char * what_arg );</pre>
+<blockquote>
+  <p><i>Effects:</i> Constructs an object of class <code>system_error</code>.</p>
+  <p><i>Postcondition:</i> <code>code() == ec <br>
+&nbsp; &amp;&amp; std::strcmp( this-&gt;runtime_error::what(), what_arg ) == 0</code></p>
+</blockquote>
 <pre>system_error( error_code ec, const std::string &amp; what_arg );</pre>
 <blockquote>
   <p><i>Effects:</i> Constructs an object of class <code>system_error</code>.</p>
   <p><i>Postcondition:</i> <code>code() == ec <br>
 &nbsp; &amp;&amp; std::strcmp( this-&gt;runtime_error::what(), what_arg.c_str() ) == 0</code></p>
 </blockquote>
+<pre>system_error( error_code::value_type ev, const error_category &amp; ecat,
+             const char * what_arg );</pre>
+<blockquote>
+  <p><i>Effects:</i> Constructs an object of class <code>system_error</code>.</p>
+  <p><i>Postcondition:</i> <code>code() == error_code( ev, ecat )<br>
+&nbsp; &amp;&amp; std::strcmp( this-&gt;runtime_error::what(), what_arg ) == 0</code></p>
+</blockquote>
 <pre>system_error( error_code::value_type ev, const error_category &amp; ecat,
              const std::string &amp; what_arg );</pre>
 <blockquote>
@@ -743,7 +759,7 @@ Distributed under the Boost Software License, Version 1.0. See
 <a href="http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt">www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt</a></p>
 
 <p>Revised 
-<!--webbot bot="Timestamp" S-Type="EDITED" S-Format="%B %d, %Y" startspan -->June 24, 2008<!--webbot bot="Timestamp" endspan i-checksum="14232" --> </font>
+<!--webbot bot="Timestamp" S-Type="EDITED" S-Format="%B %d, %Y" startspan -->June 25, 2008<!--webbot bot="Timestamp" endspan i-checksum="14296" --> </font>
 </p>
 
 </body>
diff --git a/include/boost/system/system_error.hpp b/include/boost/system/system_error.hpp
index 3b4204b..4091647 100644
--- a/include/boost/system/system_error.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/system/system_error.hpp
@@ -24,13 +24,23 @@ namespace boost
     public:
       system_error( error_code ec )
           : std::runtime_error(""), m_error_code(ec) {}
+
       system_error( error_code ec, const std::string & what_arg )
           : std::runtime_error(what_arg), m_error_code(ec) {}
+
+      system_error( error_code ec, const char* what_arg )
+          : std::runtime_error(what_arg), m_error_code(ec) {}
+
+      system_error( int ev, const error_category & ecat )
+          : std::runtime_error(""), m_error_code(ev,ecat) {}
+
       system_error( int ev, const error_category & ecat,
         const std::string & what_arg )
           : std::runtime_error(what_arg), m_error_code(ev,ecat) {}
-      system_error( int ev, const error_category & ecat )
-          : std::runtime_error(""), m_error_code(ev,ecat) {}
+
+      system_error( int ev, const error_category & ecat,
+        const char * what_arg )
+          : std::runtime_error(what_arg), m_error_code(ev,ecat) {}
 
       virtual ~system_error() throw() {}
 
diff --git a/test/system_error_test.cpp b/test/system_error_test.cpp
index d49ced4..269fb5d 100644
--- a/test/system_error_test.cpp
+++ b/test/system_error_test.cpp
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 #include <boost/test/minimal.hpp>
 #include <boost/system/system_error.hpp>
 #include <iostream>
+#include <string>
 
 #ifdef BOOST_WINDOWS_API
 #include <windows.h>
@@ -22,6 +23,7 @@
 using boost::system::system_error;
 using boost::system::error_code;
 using boost::system::system_category;
+using std::string;
 
 #define TEST(x,v,w) test(#x,x,v,w)
 
@@ -51,29 +53,52 @@ namespace
 # endif
   }
 
-  const boost::uint_least32_t uvalue = 1u;
+  const boost::uint_least32_t uvalue = 2u;
 }
 
 int test_main( int, char *[] )
 {
-  // all combinations of constructors:
+  // all constructors, in the same order as they appear in the header:
 
-  system_error se_0_m( error_code(0, system_category), "se_0_m" ); 
-  system_error se_1_m( 1, system_category, "se_1_m" ); 
-  system_error se_0_nm( error_code(0, system_category), "" ); 
-  system_error se_1_nm( 1, system_category, "" ); 
-  system_error se_0_nmx( error_code(0, system_category), "" ); 
-  system_error se_1_nmx( 1, system_category, "" ); 
-  system_error se_1u_m( uvalue, system_category, "se_1u_m" );
+  system_error c1_0( error_code(0, system_category) ); 
+  system_error c1_1( error_code(1, system_category) );
+  system_error c1_2u( error_code(uvalue, system_category) );
 
-  TEST( se_0_m, 0, "se_0_m" );
-  TEST( se_1_m, 1, "se_1_m: Incorrect function" );
-  TEST( se_0_nm, 0, "" );
-  TEST( se_1_nm, 1, "Incorrect function" );
-  TEST( se_0_nmx, 0, "" );
-  TEST( se_1_nmx, 1, "Incorrect function" );
-  TEST( se_1u_m, 1, "se_1u_m: Incorrect function" );
+  system_error c2_0( error_code(0, system_category), string("c2_0") ); 
+  system_error c2_1( error_code(1, system_category), string("c2_1") );
 
+  system_error c3_0( error_code(0, system_category), "c3_0" ); 
+  system_error c3_1( error_code(1, system_category), "c3_1" );
+
+  system_error c4_0( 0, system_category ); 
+  system_error c4_1( 1, system_category );
+  system_error c4_2u( uvalue, system_category );
+
+  system_error c5_0( 0, system_category, string("c5_0") ); 
+  system_error c5_1( 1, system_category, string("c5_1") );
+
+  system_error c6_0( 0, system_category, "c6_0" ); 
+  system_error c6_1( 1, system_category, "c6_1" );
+
+  TEST( c1_0, 0, "" );
+  TEST( c1_1, 1, "Incorrect function" );
+  TEST( c1_2u, 2, "The system cannot find the file specified" );
+
+  TEST( c2_0, 0, "c2_0" );
+  TEST( c2_1, 1, "c2_1: Incorrect function" );
+
+  TEST( c3_0, 0, "c3_0" );
+  TEST( c3_1, 1, "c3_1: Incorrect function" );
+
+  TEST( c4_0, 0, "" );
+  TEST( c4_1, 1, "Incorrect function" );
+  TEST( c4_2u, 2, "The system cannot find the file specified" );
+
+  TEST( c5_0, 0, "c5_0" );
+  TEST( c5_1, 1, "c5_1: Incorrect function" );
+
+  TEST( c6_0, 0, "c6_0" );
+  TEST( c6_1, 1, "c6_1: Incorrect function" );
 
   return 0;
 }