diff --git a/cmake/modules/FindFaceshift.cmake b/cmake/modules/FindFaceshift.cmake
index 92eb5d5c0f..ccb457497b 100644
--- a/cmake/modules/FindFaceshift.cmake
+++ b/cmake/modules/FindFaceshift.cmake
@@ -23,16 +23,28 @@ else (FACESHIFT_LIBRARIES AND FACESHIFT_INCLUDE_DIRS)
   elseif (UNIX)
     find_library(FACESHIFT_LIBRARIES libfaceshift.a ${FACESHIFT_ROOT_DIR}/lib/UNIX/)
   elseif (WIN32)
-    find_library(FACESHIFT_LIBRARIES faceshift.lib ${FACESHIFT_ROOT_DIR}/lib/WIN32/)
+	# For windows, we're going to build the faceshift sources directly into the interface build
+	# and not link to a prebuilt library. This is because the VS2010 linker doesn't like cross-linking
+	# between release and debug libraries. If we change that in the future we can make win32 more
+	# like the other platforms
+    #find_library(FACESHIFT_LIBRARIES faceshift.lib ${FACESHIFT_ROOT_DIR}/lib/WIN32/)
   endif ()
 
-  if (FACESHIFT_INCLUDE_DIRS AND FACESHIFT_LIBRARIES)
-     set(FACESHIFT_FOUND TRUE)
-  endif (FACESHIFT_INCLUDE_DIRS AND FACESHIFT_LIBRARIES)
- 
+  if (WIN32)
+    # Windows only cares about the headers
+    if (FACESHIFT_INCLUDE_DIRS)
+      set(FACESHIFT_FOUND TRUE)
+    endif (FACESHIFT_INCLUDE_DIRS AND FACESHIFT_LIBRARIES)
+  else (WIN32)
+    # Mac and Unix requires libraries
+    if (FACESHIFT_INCLUDE_DIRS AND FACESHIFT_LIBRARIES)
+      set(FACESHIFT_FOUND TRUE)
+    endif (FACESHIFT_INCLUDE_DIRS AND FACESHIFT_LIBRARIES)
+  endif (WIN32)
+
   if (FACESHIFT_FOUND)
     if (NOT FACESHIFT_FIND_QUIETLY)
-      message(STATUS "Found Faceshift: ${FACESHIFT_LIBRARIES}")
+      message(STATUS "Found Faceshift... ${FACESHIFT_LIBRARIES}")
     endif (NOT FACESHIFT_FIND_QUIETLY)
   else (FACESHIFT_FOUND)
     if (FACESHIFT_FIND_REQUIRED)
diff --git a/interface/CMakeLists.txt b/interface/CMakeLists.txt
index ac0a13ff8f..a39283774a 100644
--- a/interface/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/interface/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -22,8 +22,6 @@ else ()
   set(BUILD_SEQ "0")
 endif ()
 
-#set(CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH ${CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH} $ENV{QT_CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH} )
-
 if (APPLE)
   set(GL_HEADERS "#include <GLUT/glut.h>\n#include <OpenGL/glext.h>")
 endif (APPLE)
@@ -34,20 +32,25 @@ if (UNIX AND NOT APPLE)
 endif (UNIX AND NOT APPLE)
 
 if (WIN32)
-	#MESSAGE(${CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH})
-	#set(CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH ${CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH} "C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Microsoft SDKs\\Windows\\v7.0A")
-	MESSAGE("interface cmake")
-	MESSAGE(${CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH})
 
-    add_definitions( -D_USE_MATH_DEFINES -DWINDOWS_LEAN_AND_MEAN ) # apparently needed to get M_PI and other defines from cmath/math.h
+    add_definitions( -D_USE_MATH_DEFINES ) # apparently needed to get M_PI and other defines from cmath/math.h
+    add_definitions( -DWINDOWS_LEAN_AND_MEAN ) # needed to make sure windows doesn't go to crazy with its defines
 
+	# windows build needs an external glut, we're using freeglut
     set(GLUT_ROOT_PATH ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/external/freeglut)
-    set(PTHREADS_ROOT_PATH ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/external/pthreads)
 	set(CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH ${CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH} ${GLUT_ROOT_PATH})
 
-    #set(GL_HEADERS "#define GLEW_STATIC\n#define FREEGLUT_STATIC\n#define FREEGLUT_LIB_PRAGMAS 0\n#include <GL/glew.h>\n#include <GL/wglew.h>\n#include <GL/freeglut_std.h>\n#include <GL/freeglut_ext.h>")
+	# windows build needs glew (opengl extention wrangler) this will handle providing access to OpenGL methods after 1.1
+	# which are not accessible on windows without glew or some other dynamic linking mechanism
+    set(GLEW_ROOT_PATH ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/external/glew)
+	set(CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH ${CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH} ${GLEW_ROOT_PATH})
+    include_directories(SYSTEM ${GLEW_ROOT_PATH}/include)
 
-    set(GL_HEADERS "#include <windowshacks.h>\n#include <GL/glut.h>")
+	# windows still using pthreads, TODO: switch to QThreads
+    set(PTHREADS_ROOT_PATH ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/external/pthreads)
+
+    #set(GL_HEADERS "#define GLEW_STATIC\n#define FREEGLUT_STATIC\n#define FREEGLUT_LIB_PRAGMAS 0\n#include <GL/glew.h>\n#include <GL/wglew.h>\n#include <GL/freeglut_std.h>\n#include <GL/freeglut_ext.h>")
+    set(GL_HEADERS "#define GLEW_STATIC\n#include <windowshacks.h>\n#include <GL/glew.h>\n#include <GL/glut.h>")
     include_directories(SYSTEM ${PTHREADS_ROOT_PATH}/include)
 
 endif (WIN32)
@@ -67,6 +70,16 @@ foreach(SUBDIR avatar devices renderer ui starfield)
   set(INTERFACE_SRCS ${INTERFACE_SRCS} ${SUBDIR_SRCS})
 endforeach(SUBDIR)
 
+#windows also includes the faceshift externals, because using a lib doesn't work due to debug/release mismatch
+if (WIN32)
+  set(EXTERNAL_SOURCE_SUBDIRS "faceshift")
+endif (WIN32)
+foreach(EXTERNAL_SOURCE_SUBDIR ${EXTERNAL_SOURCE_SUBDIRS})
+  file(GLOB_RECURSE SUBDIR_SRCS external/${EXTERNAL_SOURCE_SUBDIR}/src/*.cpp external/${EXTERNAL_SOURCE_SUBDIR}/src/*.c external/${EXTERNAL_SOURCE_SUBDIR}/src/*.h)
+  set(INTERFACE_SRCS ${INTERFACE_SRCS} ${SUBDIR_SRCS})
+endforeach(SUBDIR)
+
+
 find_package(Qt5Core REQUIRED)
 find_package(Qt5Gui REQUIRED)
 find_package(Qt5Multimedia REQUIRED)
@@ -241,10 +254,9 @@ if (WIN32)
     target_link_libraries(
         ${TARGET_NAME}
 	    ${OPENCV_LIBRARIES}
-		${FACESHIFT_LIBRARIES}
+		#${FACESHIFT_LIBRARIES}
 
-		# this was from the first verion of the attempt to port to windows, it may or may not be correct, temporarily disabled
-        #${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/external/glut/Release/glew32.lib
+        ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/external/glew/lib/Release/Win32/glew32s.lib
         ${GLUT_ROOT_PATH}/lib/freeglut.lib
 
 		# note: the pthreads stuff was in the /external/glut before, that's not right, I moved it to it's own location
diff --git a/interface/external/faceshift/lib/WIN32/faceshift.lib b/interface/external/faceshift/lib/WIN32/faceshift.lib
deleted file mode 100644
index 14fea97753..0000000000
Binary files a/interface/external/faceshift/lib/WIN32/faceshift.lib and /dev/null differ