diff --git a/src/bin/Makefile.am b/src/bin/Makefile.am
index eb3845720b..24f25c2215 100644
--- a/src/bin/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/bin/Makefile.am
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ gnucash: gnucash.in ${top_builddir}/config.status Makefile
 	    -e 's#@-GNC_SCM_INSTALL_DIR-@#${GNC_SCM_INSTALL_DIR}#g' \
             -e 's#@-GNC_LIB_INSTALLDIR-@#${libdir}#' \
             -e 's#@-GNC_PKGLIB_INSTALLDIR-@#${pkglibdir}#g' \
+	    -e 's#@-PATH_SEPARATOR-@#${PATH_SEPARATOR}#g' \
 	    -e 's#@-GNC_MODULE_DIR-@#${GNC_MODULE_DIR}#g'
 	mv $@.tmp $@
 	chmod u+x $@
diff --git a/src/bin/gnucash.in b/src/bin/gnucash.in
index 50b6de7bb0..cd6a482090 100644
--- a/src/bin/gnucash.in
+++ b/src/bin/gnucash.in
@@ -6,20 +6,20 @@ export PATH
 GUILE_WARN_DEPRECATED="no"
 export GUILE_WARN_DEPRECATED
 
-GNC_MODULE_PATH="@-GNC_PKGLIB_INSTALLDIR-@:${GNC_MODULE_PATH}"
+GNC_MODULE_PATH="@-GNC_PKGLIB_INSTALLDIR-@@-PATH_SEPARATOR-@${GNC_MODULE_PATH}"
 
 EXTRA_PATH="@-G_WRAP_MODULE_DIR-@"
-EXTRA_PATH="${EXTRA_PATH}:@-GNC_GUILE_MODULE_DIR-@"
-EXTRA_PATH="${EXTRA_PATH}:@-GNC_SCM_INSTALL_DIR-@"
-GUILE_LOAD_PATH="${EXTRA_PATH}:${GUILE_LOAD_PATH}"
+EXTRA_PATH="${EXTRA_PATH}@-PATH_SEPARATOR-@@-GNC_GUILE_MODULE_DIR-@"
+EXTRA_PATH="${EXTRA_PATH}@-PATH_SEPARATOR-@@-GNC_SCM_INSTALL_DIR-@"
+GUILE_LOAD_PATH="${EXTRA_PATH}@-PATH_SEPARATOR-@${GUILE_LOAD_PATH}"
 
 EXTRA_LIBS="${GNC_MODULE_PATH}"
-EXTRA_LIBS="${EXTRA_LIBS}:@-GNC_LIB_INSTALLDIR-@"
-EXTRA_LIBS="${EXTRA_LIBS}:@-GNC_MODULE_DIR-@"
-EXTRA_LIBS="${EXTRA_LIBS}:@-G_WRAP_LIB_DIR-@"
+EXTRA_LIBS="${EXTRA_LIBS}@-PATH_SEPARATOR-@@-GNC_LIB_INSTALLDIR-@"
+EXTRA_LIBS="${EXTRA_LIBS}@-PATH_SEPARATOR-@@-GNC_MODULE_DIR-@"
+EXTRA_LIBS="${EXTRA_LIBS}@-PATH_SEPARATOR-@@-G_WRAP_LIB_DIR-@"
 
-LD_LIBRARY_PATH="${EXTRA_LIBS}:${LD_LIBRARY_PATH}"
-LTDL_LIBRARY_PATH="${EXTRA_LIBS}:${LTDL_LIBRARY_PATH}"
+LD_LIBRARY_PATH="${EXTRA_LIBS}@-PATH_SEPARATOR-@${LD_LIBRARY_PATH}"
+LTDL_LIBRARY_PATH="${EXTRA_LIBS}@-PATH_SEPARATOR-@${LTDL_LIBRARY_PATH}"
 
 export GNC_MODULE_PATH
 export GUILE_LOAD_PATH