diff --git a/modules/contrib/src/inputoutput.cpp b/modules/contrib/src/inputoutput.cpp
index a711f242ad7cd93dc7a586c463345ba2e9926dd5..0c8175352c1218eca083a6b9c265e965bfdc1172 100644
--- a/modules/contrib/src/inputoutput.cpp
+++ b/modules/contrib/src/inputoutput.cpp
@@ -16,10 +16,23 @@ namespace cv
         list.clear();
         std::string path_f = path + "/" + exten;
         #ifdef WIN32
+        #if HAVE_WINRT
+            WIN32_FIND_DATAW FindFileData;
+        #else
             WIN32_FIND_DATA FindFileData;
-            HANDLE hFind;
-
-            hFind = FindFirstFile((LPCSTR)path_f.c_str(), &FindFileData);
+        #endif
+        HANDLE hFind;
+
+        #ifdef HAVE_WINRT
+            size_t size = mbstowcs(NULL, path_f.c_str(), path_f.size());
+            wchar_t* wpath = (wchar_t*)malloc((size+1)*sizeof(wchar_t));
+            wpath[size] = 0;
+            mbstowcs(wpath, path_f.c_str(), path_f.size());
+            hFind = FindFirstFileW(wpath, &FindFileData);
+            free(wpath);
+        #else
+            hFind = FindFirstFileA((LPCSTR)path_f.c_str(), &FindFileData);
+        #endif
             if (hFind == INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE)
             {
                 return list;
@@ -34,13 +47,29 @@ namespace cv
                         FindFileData.dwFileAttributes == FILE_ATTRIBUTE_SYSTEM  ||
                         FindFileData.dwFileAttributes == FILE_ATTRIBUTE_READONLY)
                     {
+                        char* fname;
+                    #ifdef HAVE_WINRT
+                        size_t asize = wcstombs(NULL, FindFileData.cFileName, 0);
+                        char* fname = (char*)malloc((asize+1)*sizeof(char));
+                        fname[asize] = 0;
+                        wcstombs(fname, FindFileData.cFileName, asize);
+                    #else
+                        fname = FindFileData.cFileName;
+                    #endif
                         if (addPath)
-                            list.push_back(path + "/" + FindFileData.cFileName);
+                            list.push_back(path + "/" + fname);
                         else
-                            list.push_back(FindFileData.cFileName);
+                            list.push_back(fname);
+                    #ifdef HAVE_WINRT
+                        free(fname);
+                    #endif
                     }
                 }
-                while(FindNextFile(hFind, &FindFileData));
+            #ifdef HAVE_WINRT
+                while(FindNextFileW(hFind, &FindFileData));
+            #else
+                while(FindNextFileA(hFind, &FindFileData));
+            #endif
                 FindClose(hFind);
             }
         #else
@@ -75,10 +104,23 @@ namespace cv
         std::string path_f = path + "/" + exten;
         list.clear();
         #ifdef WIN32
+        #if HAVE_WINRT
+            WIN32_FIND_DATAW FindFileData;
+        #else
             WIN32_FIND_DATA FindFileData;
+        #endif
             HANDLE hFind;
 
-            hFind = FindFirstFile((LPCSTR)path_f.c_str(), &FindFileData);
+        #ifdef HAVE_WINRT
+            size_t size = mbstowcs(NULL, path_f.c_str(), path_f.size());
+            wchar_t* wpath = (wchar_t*)malloc((size+1)*sizeof(wchar_t));
+            wpath[size] = 0;
+            mbstowcs(wpath, path_f.c_str(), path_f.size());
+            hFind = FindFirstFileW(wpath, &FindFileData);
+            free(wpath);
+        #else
+            hFind = FindFirstFileA((LPCSTR)path_f.c_str(), &FindFileData);
+        #endif
             if (hFind == INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE)
             {
                 return list;
@@ -91,13 +133,27 @@ namespace cv
                         strcmp(FindFileData.cFileName, ".") != 0 &&
                         strcmp(FindFileData.cFileName, "..") != 0)
                     {
+                    char* fname;
+                    #ifdef HAVE_WINRT
+                        size_t asize = wcstombs(NULL, FindFileData.cFileName, 0);
+                        char* fname = (char*)malloc((asize+1)*sizeof(char));
+                        fname[asize] = 0;
+                        wcstombs(fname, FindFileData.cFileName, asize);
+                    #else
+                        fname = FindFileData.cFileName;
+                    #endif
+
                         if (addPath)
-                            list.push_back(path + "/" + FindFileData.cFileName);
+                            list.push_back(path + "/" + fname);
                         else
-                            list.push_back(FindFileData.cFileName);
+                            list.push_back(fname);
                     }
                 }
-                while(FindNextFile(hFind, &FindFileData));
+            #ifdef HAVE_WINRT
+                while(FindNextFileW(hFind, &FindFileData));
+            #else
+                while(FindNextFileA(hFind, &FindFileData));
+            #endif
                 FindClose(hFind);
             }
 
diff --git a/modules/core/src/alloc.cpp b/modules/core/src/alloc.cpp
index da89673f0249fd28596e2e214484833e0528e088..37b1e0db94704d62aaef77a8bd466317678fbb4e 100644
--- a/modules/core/src/alloc.cpp
+++ b/modules/core/src/alloc.cpp
@@ -42,10 +42,6 @@
 
 #include "precomp.hpp"
 
-#if (_WIN32_WINNT >= 0x0602)
-#include <synchapi.h>
-#endif
-
 #define CV_USE_SYSTEM_MALLOC 1
 
 namespace cv
@@ -98,6 +94,10 @@ void fastFree(void* ptr)
 #define STAT(stmt)
 
 #ifdef WIN32
+#if (_WIN32_WINNT >= 0x0602)
+#include <synchapi.h>
+#endif
+
 struct CriticalSection
 {
     CriticalSection()
diff --git a/modules/core/src/rand.cpp b/modules/core/src/rand.cpp
index 2cdbe3916d8b044687cf5715d77cee7782e84ade..54bb753a150b0ea4fa5bb652686622d066576de9 100644
--- a/modules/core/src/rand.cpp
+++ b/modules/core/src/rand.cpp
@@ -726,33 +726,54 @@ void RNG::fill( InputOutputArray _mat, int disttype,
 }
 
 #ifdef WIN32
+
+
+#ifdef HAVE_WINRT
+// using C++11 thread attribute for local thread data
+__declspec( thread ) RNG* rng = NULL;
+
+ void deleteThreadRNGData()
+ {
+    if (rng)
+        delete rng;
+}
+
+RNG& theRNG()
+{
+    if (!rng)
+    {
+        rng =  new RNG;
+    }
+    return *rng;
+}
+#else
 #ifdef WINCE
 #	define TLS_OUT_OF_INDEXES ((DWORD)0xFFFFFFFF)
 #endif
 static DWORD tlsRNGKey = TLS_OUT_OF_INDEXES;
 
-void deleteThreadRNGData()
-{
-    if( tlsRNGKey != TLS_OUT_OF_INDEXES )
-        delete (RNG*)TlsGetValue( tlsRNGKey );
+ void deleteThreadRNGData()
+ {
+     if( tlsRNGKey != TLS_OUT_OF_INDEXES )
+         delete (RNG*)TlsGetValue( tlsRNGKey );
 }
 
 RNG& theRNG()
 {
     if( tlsRNGKey == TLS_OUT_OF_INDEXES )
     {
-        tlsRNGKey = TlsAlloc();
-        CV_Assert(tlsRNGKey != TLS_OUT_OF_INDEXES);
+       tlsRNGKey = TlsAlloc();
+       CV_Assert(tlsRNGKey != TLS_OUT_OF_INDEXES);
     }
     RNG* rng = (RNG*)TlsGetValue( tlsRNGKey );
     if( !rng )
     {
-        rng = new RNG;
-        TlsSetValue( tlsRNGKey, rng );
+       rng = new RNG;
+       TlsSetValue( tlsRNGKey, rng );
     }
     return *rng;
 }
-
+#endif //HAVE_WINRT
 #else
 
 static pthread_key_t tlsRNGKey = 0;
diff --git a/modules/core/src/system.cpp b/modules/core/src/system.cpp
index da697af2edd203257dbdf2ea8633f59e35435bab..a90fb8b588693d77043141a1aeebd1b4b329b933 100644
--- a/modules/core/src/system.cpp
+++ b/modules/core/src/system.cpp
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@
 #endif
 #include <windows.h>
 #if (_WIN32_WINNT >= 0x0602)
-#include <synchapi.h>
+  #include <synchapi.h>
 #endif
 #undef small
 #undef min
@@ -80,8 +80,8 @@
 #endif
 
 #ifdef HAVE_WINRT
-#pragma comment(lib, "MinCore_Downlevel")
 #include <wrl/client.h>
+#pragma comment(lib, "MinCore_Downlevel")
 
 std::wstring GetTempPathWinRT()
 {