diff --git a/include/wx/utils.h b/include/wx/utils.h
index 222e822c5b..c18128a791 100644
--- a/include/wx/utils.h
+++ b/include/wx/utils.h
@@ -171,6 +171,9 @@ WXDLLEXPORT int wxFindMenuItemId(wxFrame *frame, const wxString& menuString, con
 // Yield to other apps/messages
 WXDLLEXPORT bool wxYield();
 
+// Yield to other apps/messages and disable user input
+WXDLLEXPORT bool wxSafeYield(wxWindow *win = NULL);
+
 // Format a message on the standard error (UNIX) or the debugging
 // stream (Windows)
 WXDLLEXPORT void wxDebugMsg(const char *fmt ...) ;
diff --git a/src/common/utilscmn.cpp b/src/common/utilscmn.cpp
index f15e7f0bbd..be9df90d2f 100644
--- a/src/common/utilscmn.cpp
+++ b/src/common/utilscmn.cpp
@@ -748,6 +748,27 @@ whereami(name)
 
 #endif
 
+
+// Yield to other apps/messages and disable user input
+bool wxSafeYield(wxWindow *win)
+{
+   wxNode *node;
+   for ( node = wxTopLevelWindows.GetFirst();
+         node;
+         node = node->GetNext() )
+      ((wxWindow*)node->GetData())->Enable(FALSE);
+   
+   // always enable ourselves
+   if(win) win->Enable(true);
+   bool rc = wxYield();
+
+   for ( node = wxTopLevelWindows.GetFirst();
+         node;
+         node = node->GetNext() )
+      ((wxWindow*)node->GetData())->Enable(TRUE);
+   return rc;
+}
+
 /*
  * N.B. these convenience functions must be separate from msgdlgg.cpp, textdlgg.cpp
  * since otherwise the generic code may be pulled in unnecessarily.