diff --git a/.github/workflows/windows-msys1.yml b/.github/workflows/windows-msys1.yml
index 91c320178..d51fc4bf9 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/windows-msys1.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/windows-msys1.yml
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ jobs:
           rem note: MSYS1 cannot connect to https://gmplib.org, so using GNU mirror side instead
           curl -L https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/gmp/%MINGW_GMP_VERS%.tar.xz -o %MINGW_GMP_VERS%.tar.xz
           tar -xvf %MINGW_GMP_VERS%.tar.xz
-          bash -lc "cd %MINGW_GMP_VERS% && ./configure --prefix=/mingw --enable-fat --enable-shared --disable-static CFLAGS=\"-Wno-attributes -Wno-ignored-attributes\" ABI=32 && make"
+          bash -lc "cd %MINGW_GMP_VERS% && ./configure --prefix=/mingw --enable-fat --enable-shared --disable-static CFLAGS=\"-Wno-attributes -Wno-ignored-attributes\" ABI=32 && make --jobs=$(($(nproc)+1))"
 
       - name: Install GMP
         run: |
@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ jobs:
           bash -lc "cd %MINGW_BDB_VERS% && patch -p1 -i ../db-tls-m4-fix-pthread.patch"
           bash -lc "cd %MINGW_BDB_VERS% && patch -p1 -i ../mingw.patch"
           bash -lc "cd %MINGW_BDB_VERS% && patch -p1 -i ../cx11.patch"
-          bash -lc "cd %MINGW_BDB_VERS%/build_unix && ../dist/configure --prefix=/mingw --enable-mingw --enable-debug --disable-static --disable-replication --disable-tcl --without-cryptography LIBCSO_LIBS=-lwsock32 && make"
+          bash -lc "cd %MINGW_BDB_VERS%/build_unix && ../dist/configure --prefix=/mingw --enable-mingw --enable-debug --disable-static --disable-replication --disable-tcl --without-cryptography LIBCSO_LIBS=-lwsock32 && make --jobs=$(($(nproc)+1))"
 
       - name: Install BDB
         run: |
@@ -196,9 +196,9 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           curl -L https://github.com/Bill-Gray/PDCursesMod/archive/refs/tags/v%MINGW_PDCM_VERS%.tar.gz -o "PDCursesMod-%MINGW_PDCM_VERS%.tar.xz"
           tar -xvf PDCursesMod-%MINGW_PDCM_VERS%.tar.xz
-          bash -lc "cd PDCursesMod-%MINGW_PDCM_VERS% && make -C wincon INFOEX=N CHTYPE_64=Y DEBUG=Y DLL=Y DLLNAME=libpdcurses LIBNAME=libpdcurses.dll"
-          bash -lc "cd PDCursesMod-%MINGW_PDCM_VERS% && make -C wingui CHTYPE_64=Y DEBUG=Y DLL=Y DLLNAME=libpdcurses LIBNAME=libpdcurses.dll"
-          bash -lc "cd PDCursesMod-%MINGW_PDCM_VERS% && make -C vt     CHTYPE_64=Y DEBUG=Y DLL=Y DLLNAME=libpdcurses LIBNAME=libpdcurses.dll CFLAGS=\"-Wall -Wextra -pedantic -g -DPDCDEBUG -fPIC -DPDC_DLLbuild\""
+          bash -lc "cd PDCursesMod-%MINGW_PDCM_VERS% && make -C wincon --jobs=$(($(nproc)+1)) INFOEX=N CHTYPE_64=Y DEBUG=Y DLL=Y DLLNAME=libpdcurses LIBNAME=libpdcurses.dll"
+          bash -lc "cd PDCursesMod-%MINGW_PDCM_VERS% && make -C wingui --jobs=$(($(nproc)+1)) CHTYPE_64=Y DEBUG=Y DLL=Y DLLNAME=libpdcurses LIBNAME=libpdcurses.dll"
+          bash -lc "cd PDCursesMod-%MINGW_PDCM_VERS% && make -C vt     --jobs=$(($(nproc)+1)) CHTYPE_64=Y DEBUG=Y DLL=Y DLLNAME=libpdcurses LIBNAME=libpdcurses.dll CFLAGS=\"-Wall -Wextra -pedantic -g -DPDCDEBUG -fPIC -DPDC_DLLbuild\""
           echo #define CHTYPE_64 > PDCursesMod-%MINGW_PDCM_VERS%\pdcurses.h
           echo #define PDC_DLLbuild >> PDCursesMod-%MINGW_PDCM_VERS%\pdcurses.h
           echo #include "pdcurses/curses.h" >> PDCursesMod-%MINGW_PDCM_VERS%\pdcurses.h
@@ -235,7 +235,7 @@ jobs:
           curl -L https://github.com/GNOME/libxml2/archive/refs/tags/v%MINGW_XML2_VERS%.tar.gz -o libxml2-%MINGW_XML2_VERS%.tar.xz
           tar -xvf libxml2-%MINGW_XML2_VERS%.tar.xz
           bash -lc "cd libxml2-%MINGW_XML2_VERS% && ./autogen.sh"
-          bash -lc "cd libxml2-%MINGW_XML2_VERS% && ./configure --prefix=/mingw --enable-debug && make"
+          bash -lc "cd libxml2-%MINGW_XML2_VERS% && ./configure --prefix=/mingw --enable-debug && make --jobs=$(($(nproc)+1))"
 
       - name: Install LibXML2
         run: |
@@ -267,7 +267,14 @@ jobs:
           sed -i 'N;s/else/else :;/g' .\configure
           sed -i 's/\} else \:;/} else/g' .\configure
           sed -i 's/#else \:;/#else/g' .\configure
-          bash -lc "cd build && ../configure %CFGOPT% --with-db --with-xml2 --with-json=local --with-curses=pdcurses --prefix=/mingw"
+          rem extra setting CPPFLAGS as " are wrong here
+          bash -lc "cd build && ../configure CPPFLAGS=\"-I../libcob\" %CFGOPT% --with-db --with-xml2 --with-json=local --with-curses=pdcurses --prefix=/mingw"
+
+      - name: Build GnuCOBOL
+        run: |
+          bash -lc "CPATH=$(pwd) make -C build --jobs=$(($(nproc)+1))"
+
+# Note: the extra CPATH above is only required in debug builds (otherwise "extras" does not build), for some reason...
 
       - name: Upload config-${{ matrix.target }}.log
         uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
@@ -276,12 +283,6 @@ jobs:
           name: config-${{ matrix.target }}.log
           path: ${{ env.GITHUB_WORKSPACE }}/build/config.log
 
-      - name: Build GnuCOBOL
-        run: |
-          bash -lc "CPATH=$(pwd)/.. make -C build --jobs=$(($(nproc)+1))"
-
-# Note: the extra CPATH above is only required in debug builds, for some reason...
-
       - name: Run testsuite
         run: |
           sed -i '/AT_SETUP(\[temporary path invalid\])/a AT_SKIP_IF(\[true\])' tests/testsuite.src/used_binaries.at