diff --git a/src/common/execcmn.cpp b/src/common/execcmn.cpp
index f89e061b2c..9e9012f244 100644
--- a/src/common/execcmn.cpp
+++ b/src/common/execcmn.cpp
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ inline void wxStreamTempInputBuffer::Init(wxPipeInputStream *stream)
 
 void wxStreamTempInputBuffer::Update()
 {
-    if ( m_stream && m_stream->IsAvailable() )
+    if ( m_stream && m_stream->CanRead() )
     {
         // realloc in blocks of 4Kb: this is the default (and minimal) buffer
         // size of the Unix pipes so it should be the optimal step
@@ -111,24 +111,5 @@ wxStreamTempInputBuffer::~wxStreamTempInputBuffer()
     }
 }
 
-// ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// platform-dependent parts of wxProcess implementation included
-// ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-bool wxProcess::IsInputOpened() const
-{
-    return m_inputStream && ((wxPipeInputStream *)m_inputStream)->IsOpened();
-}
-
-bool wxProcess::IsInputAvailable() const
-{
-    return m_inputStream && ((wxPipeInputStream *)m_inputStream)->IsAvailable();
-}
-
-bool wxProcess::IsErrorAvailable() const
-{
-    return m_errorStream && ((wxPipeInputStream *)m_errorStream)->IsAvailable();
-}
-
 #endif // _WX_WXEXEC_CPP_
 
diff --git a/src/common/process.cpp b/src/common/process.cpp
index 0e9769d95e..ed1c866ba3 100644
--- a/src/common/process.cpp
+++ b/src/common/process.cpp
@@ -120,28 +120,22 @@ void wxProcess::SetPipeStreams(wxInputStream *inputSstream,
     m_outputStream = outputStream;
 }
 
-// these are implemented in platform-dependent (and correct!) way under MSW and
-// Unix but we still have to provide these dummy versions for the other
-// platforms here
-#if !defined(__WIN32__) && !defined(__UNIX_LIKE__)
-
 bool wxProcess::IsInputOpened() const
 {
-    return m_inputStream != NULL;
+    return m_inputStream &&
+                m_inputStream->GetLastError() != wxSTREAM_PIPE_ERROR;
 }
 
 bool wxProcess::IsInputAvailable() const
 {
-    return m_inputStream && !m_inputStream->Eof();
+    return m_inputStream && m_inputStream->CanRead();
 }
 
 bool wxProcess::IsErrorAvailable() const
 {
-    return m_errorStream && !m_errorStream->Eof();
+    return m_errorStream && m_errorStream->CanRead();
 }
 
-#endif // !Win32 && !Unix
-
 #endif // wxUSE_STREAMS
 
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/src/msw/utilsexc.cpp b/src/msw/utilsexc.cpp
index 92f78fc292..d2958034a0 100644
--- a/src/msw/utilsexc.cpp
+++ b/src/msw/utilsexc.cpp
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ public:
     bool IsOpened() const { return m_hInput != INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE; }
 
     // returns TRUE if there is any data to be read from the pipe
-    bool IsAvailable() const;
+    virtual bool CanRead() const;
 
 protected:
     size_t OnSysRead(void *buffer, size_t len);
@@ -341,12 +341,12 @@ wxPipeInputStream::~wxPipeInputStream()
         ::CloseHandle(m_hInput);
 }
 
-bool wxPipeInputStream::IsAvailable() const
+bool wxPipeInputStream::CanRead() const
 {
     // FIXME
 #ifdef __WXWINE__
     return FALSE;
-#else
+#else // !Wine
     if ( !IsOpened() )
         return FALSE;
 
@@ -374,37 +374,29 @@ bool wxPipeInputStream::IsAvailable() const
         // it had been closed
         ::CloseHandle(m_hInput);
 
-        wxConstCast(this, wxPipeInputStream)->m_hInput = INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE;
+        wxPipeInputStream *self = wxConstCast(this, wxPipeInputStream);
 
-        return FALSE;
+        self->m_hInput = INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE;
+        self->m_lasterror = wxSTREAM_PIPE_ERROR;
+
+        nAvailable = 0;
     }
 
     return nAvailable != 0;
-#endif
+#endif // Wine/!Wine
 }
 
 size_t wxPipeInputStream::OnSysRead(void *buffer, size_t len)
 {
-    // reading from a pipe may block if there is no more data, always check for
-    // EOF first
-    if ( !IsAvailable() )
-    {
-        m_lasterror = wxSTREAM_EOF;
-
-        return 0;
-    }
-
-    m_lasterror = wxSTREAM_NOERROR;
-
     DWORD bytesRead;
     if ( !::ReadFile(m_hInput, buffer, len, &bytesRead, NULL) )
     {
-        if ( ::GetLastError() == ERROR_BROKEN_PIPE )
-            m_lasterror = wxSTREAM_EOF;
-        else
-            m_lasterror = wxSTREAM_READ_ERROR;
+        m_lasterror = ::GetLastError() == ERROR_BROKEN_PIPE
+                        ? wxSTREAM_EOF
+                        : wxSTREAM_READ_ERROR;
     }
 
+    // bytesRead is set to 0, as desired, if an error occured
     return bytesRead;
 }
 
@@ -424,18 +416,17 @@ wxPipeOutputStream::~wxPipeOutputStream()
 
 size_t wxPipeOutputStream::OnSysWrite(const void *buffer, size_t len)
 {
-    DWORD bytesRead;
+    DWORD bytesWritten;
 
     m_lasterror = wxSTREAM_NOERROR;
-    if ( !::WriteFile(m_hOutput, buffer, len, &bytesRead, NULL) )
+    if ( !::WriteFile(m_hOutput, buffer, len, &bytesWritten, NULL) )
     {
-        if ( ::GetLastError() == ERROR_BROKEN_PIPE )
-            m_lasterror = wxSTREAM_EOF;
-        else
-            m_lasterror = wxSTREAM_READ_ERROR;
+        m_lasterror = ::GetLastError() == ERROR_BROKEN_PIPE
+                            ? wxSTREAM_EOF
+                            : wxSTREAM_WRITE_ERROR;
     }
 
-    return bytesRead;
+    return bytesWritten;
 }
 
 #endif // wxUSE_STREAMS
diff --git a/src/unix/utilsunx.cpp b/src/unix/utilsunx.cpp
index 463825755f..6dcfb86558 100644
--- a/src/unix/utilsunx.cpp
+++ b/src/unix/utilsunx.cpp
@@ -362,10 +362,10 @@ public:
     bool IsOpened() const { return !Eof(); }
 
     // return TRUE if we have anything to read, don't block
-    bool IsAvailable() const;
+    virtual bool CanRead() const;
 };
 
-bool wxPipeInputStream::IsAvailable() const
+bool wxPipeInputStream::CanRead() const
 {
     if ( m_lasterror == wxSTREAM_EOF )
         return FALSE;