diff --git a/gdbstub.c b/gdbstub.c
index 2b7f22b2d2b8c70af89954294fa069ebf23a5c54..0e5a3f5bf97750aab3690a36294797f23c7c1d50 100644
--- a/gdbstub.c
+++ b/gdbstub.c
@@ -1553,7 +1553,7 @@ static void gdb_accept(void)
 static int gdbserver_open(int port)
 {
     struct sockaddr_in sockaddr;
-    int fd, val, ret;
+    int fd, ret;
 
     fd = socket(PF_INET, SOCK_STREAM, 0);
     if (fd < 0) {
@@ -1564,9 +1564,7 @@ static int gdbserver_open(int port)
     fcntl(fd, F_SETFD, FD_CLOEXEC);
 #endif
 
-    /* allow fast reuse */
-    val = 1;
-    qemu_setsockopt(fd, SOL_SOCKET, SO_REUSEADDR, &val, sizeof(val));
+    socket_set_fast_reuse(fd);
 
     sockaddr.sin_family = AF_INET;
     sockaddr.sin_port = htons(port);
diff --git a/include/qemu/sockets.h b/include/qemu/sockets.h
index c5174d76a70365b3f873dc677ae15fc065742cb2..45588d7d589670b8e4e638c56f4a5322cd86e638 100644
--- a/include/qemu/sockets.h
+++ b/include/qemu/sockets.h
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ int socket_set_cork(int fd, int v);
 int socket_set_nodelay(int fd);
 void qemu_set_block(int fd);
 void qemu_set_nonblock(int fd);
+int socket_set_fast_reuse(int fd);
 int send_all(int fd, const void *buf, int len1);
 int recv_all(int fd, void *buf, int len1, bool single_read);
 
diff --git a/net/socket.c b/net/socket.c
index e61309d8d5ddd6eaa1371ed3724ba05e8048ca67..fb21e20a54caacb8e612f118966bfc7e77f954da 100644
--- a/net/socket.c
+++ b/net/socket.c
@@ -262,6 +262,11 @@ static int net_socket_mcast_create(struct sockaddr_in *mcastaddr, struct in_addr
         return -1;
     }
 
+    /* Allow multiple sockets to bind the same multicast ip and port by setting
+     * SO_REUSEADDR. This is the only situation where SO_REUSEADDR should be set
+     * on windows. Use socket_set_fast_reuse otherwise as it sets SO_REUSEADDR
+     * only on posix systems.
+     */
     val = 1;
     ret = qemu_setsockopt(fd, SOL_SOCKET, SO_REUSEADDR, &val, sizeof(val));
     if (ret < 0) {
@@ -510,7 +515,7 @@ static int net_socket_listen_init(NetClientState *peer,
     NetClientState *nc;
     NetSocketState *s;
     struct sockaddr_in saddr;
-    int fd, val, ret;
+    int fd, ret;
 
     if (parse_host_port(&saddr, host_str) < 0)
         return -1;
@@ -522,9 +527,7 @@ static int net_socket_listen_init(NetClientState *peer,
     }
     qemu_set_nonblock(fd);
 
-    /* allow fast reuse */
-    val = 1;
-    qemu_setsockopt(fd, SOL_SOCKET, SO_REUSEADDR, &val, sizeof(val));
+    socket_set_fast_reuse(fd);
 
     ret = bind(fd, (struct sockaddr *)&saddr, sizeof(saddr));
     if (ret < 0) {
@@ -645,7 +648,7 @@ static int net_socket_udp_init(NetClientState *peer,
                                  const char *lhost)
 {
     NetSocketState *s;
-    int fd, val, ret;
+    int fd, ret;
     struct sockaddr_in laddr, raddr;
 
     if (parse_host_port(&laddr, lhost) < 0) {
@@ -661,11 +664,9 @@ static int net_socket_udp_init(NetClientState *peer,
         perror("socket(PF_INET, SOCK_DGRAM)");
         return -1;
     }
-    val = 1;
-    ret = qemu_setsockopt(fd, SOL_SOCKET, SO_REUSEADDR,
-                          &val, sizeof(val));
+
+    ret = socket_set_fast_reuse(fd);
     if (ret < 0) {
-        perror("setsockopt(SOL_SOCKET, SO_REUSEADDR)");
         closesocket(fd);
         return -1;
     }
diff --git a/slirp/misc.c b/slirp/misc.c
index c0d489950a371d8b61d077877f399f12ffe568ce..6c1636f7b6d6acf424cd3e6070f00499c42d408a 100644
--- a/slirp/misc.c
+++ b/slirp/misc.c
@@ -212,8 +212,7 @@ fork_exec(struct socket *so, const char *ex, int do_pty)
                     so->s = accept(s, (struct sockaddr *)&addr, &addrlen);
                 } while (so->s < 0 && errno == EINTR);
                 closesocket(s);
-                opt = 1;
-                qemu_setsockopt(so->s, SOL_SOCKET, SO_REUSEADDR, &opt, sizeof(int));
+                socket_set_fast_reuse(so->s);
                 opt = 1;
                 qemu_setsockopt(so->s, SOL_SOCKET, SO_OOBINLINE, &opt, sizeof(int));
 		qemu_set_nonblock(so->s);
diff --git a/slirp/socket.c b/slirp/socket.c
index 25d60e7a89b20bcdf30d0d03beb2db3b6e205e28..37ac5cf2fb260cffbf85b5f4f80b72d0fbcc9053 100644
--- a/slirp/socket.c
+++ b/slirp/socket.c
@@ -627,9 +627,7 @@ tcp_listen(Slirp *slirp, uint32_t haddr, u_int hport, uint32_t laddr,
 	addr.sin_port = hport;
 
 	if (((s = qemu_socket(AF_INET,SOCK_STREAM,0)) < 0) ||
-#ifndef _WIN32
-	    (qemu_setsockopt(s, SOL_SOCKET, SO_REUSEADDR, &opt, sizeof(int)) < 0) ||
-#endif
+	    (socket_set_fast_reuse(s) < 0) ||
 	    (bind(s,(struct sockaddr *)&addr, sizeof(addr)) < 0) ||
 	    (listen(s,1) < 0)) {
 		int tmperrno = errno; /* Don't clobber the real reason we failed */
diff --git a/slirp/tcp_subr.c b/slirp/tcp_subr.c
index 043f28fcaeedf1cb89c40a029fc45f482f7c30a1..7571c5a2820bd25220985883f66b6a1e10198619 100644
--- a/slirp/tcp_subr.c
+++ b/slirp/tcp_subr.c
@@ -337,8 +337,7 @@ int tcp_fconnect(struct socket *so)
     struct sockaddr_in addr;
 
     qemu_set_nonblock(s);
-    opt = 1;
-    qemu_setsockopt(s, SOL_SOCKET, SO_REUSEADDR, &opt, sizeof(opt));
+    socket_set_fast_reuse(s);
     opt = 1;
     qemu_setsockopt(s, SOL_SOCKET, SO_OOBINLINE, &opt, sizeof(opt));
 
@@ -426,8 +425,7 @@ void tcp_connect(struct socket *inso)
         return;
     }
     qemu_set_nonblock(s);
-    opt = 1;
-    qemu_setsockopt(s, SOL_SOCKET, SO_REUSEADDR, &opt, sizeof(int));
+    socket_set_fast_reuse(s);
     opt = 1;
     qemu_setsockopt(s, SOL_SOCKET, SO_OOBINLINE, &opt, sizeof(int));
     socket_set_nodelay(s);
diff --git a/slirp/udp.c b/slirp/udp.c
index b105f871f377a02074c6436a6f62bef5cedc4d32..8cc6cb66da5e5b666402207cb0af06f95efc8971 100644
--- a/slirp/udp.c
+++ b/slirp/udp.c
@@ -354,7 +354,7 @@ udp_listen(Slirp *slirp, uint32_t haddr, u_int hport, uint32_t laddr,
 {
 	struct sockaddr_in addr;
 	struct socket *so;
-	socklen_t addrlen = sizeof(struct sockaddr_in), opt = 1;
+	socklen_t addrlen = sizeof(struct sockaddr_in);
 
 	so = socreate(slirp);
 	if (!so) {
@@ -372,7 +372,7 @@ udp_listen(Slirp *slirp, uint32_t haddr, u_int hport, uint32_t laddr,
 		udp_detach(so);
 		return NULL;
 	}
-	qemu_setsockopt(so->s, SOL_SOCKET, SO_REUSEADDR, &opt, sizeof(int));
+	socket_set_fast_reuse(so->s);
 
 	getsockname(so->s,(struct sockaddr *)&addr,&addrlen);
 	so->so_fport = addr.sin_port;
diff --git a/util/oslib-posix.c b/util/oslib-posix.c
index 253bc3df2e899ccf9e4a7e1cde9c5886b86dd877..e00a44c86f0271ab4c430639996f5a1c7d129747 100644
--- a/util/oslib-posix.c
+++ b/util/oslib-posix.c
@@ -157,6 +157,18 @@ void qemu_set_nonblock(int fd)
     fcntl(fd, F_SETFL, f | O_NONBLOCK);
 }
 
+int socket_set_fast_reuse(int fd)
+{
+    int val = 1, ret;
+
+    ret = setsockopt(fd, SOL_SOCKET, SO_REUSEADDR,
+                     (const char *)&val, sizeof(val));
+
+    assert(ret == 0);
+
+    return ret;
+}
+
 void qemu_set_cloexec(int fd)
 {
     int f;
diff --git a/util/oslib-win32.c b/util/oslib-win32.c
index 983b7a2375808608c6dc16a604b33fffafa2c942..776ccfaaf00467dfc42d1d59d24839f752297edb 100644
--- a/util/oslib-win32.c
+++ b/util/oslib-win32.c
@@ -124,6 +124,16 @@ void qemu_set_nonblock(int fd)
     qemu_fd_register(fd);
 }
 
+int socket_set_fast_reuse(int fd)
+{
+    /* Enabling the reuse of an endpoint that was used by a socket still in
+     * TIME_WAIT state is usually performed by setting SO_REUSEADDR. On Windows
+     * fast reuse is the default and SO_REUSEADDR does strange things. So we
+     * don't have to do anything here. More info can be found at:
+     * http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ms740621.aspx */
+    return 0;
+}
+
 int inet_aton(const char *cp, struct in_addr *ia)
 {
     uint32_t addr = inet_addr(cp);
diff --git a/util/qemu-sockets.c b/util/qemu-sockets.c
index 095716ecdb6b4832ef5ab557d9466842a7c3cc30..6b97dc11f98a7bf30bba0c535dff8c2a5948b828 100644
--- a/util/qemu-sockets.c
+++ b/util/qemu-sockets.c
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ int inet_listen_opts(QemuOpts *opts, int port_offset, Error **errp)
             continue;
         }
 
-        qemu_setsockopt(slisten, SOL_SOCKET, SO_REUSEADDR, &on, sizeof(on));
+        socket_set_fast_reuse(slisten);
 #ifdef IPV6_V6ONLY
         if (e->ai_family == PF_INET6) {
             /* listen on both ipv4 and ipv6 */
@@ -274,7 +274,7 @@ static int inet_connect_addr(struct addrinfo *addr, bool *in_progress,
         error_set_errno(errp, errno, QERR_SOCKET_CREATE_FAILED);
         return -1;
     }
-    qemu_setsockopt(sock, SOL_SOCKET, SO_REUSEADDR, &on, sizeof(on));
+    socket_set_fast_reuse(sock);
     if (connect_state != NULL) {
         qemu_set_nonblock(sock);
     }
@@ -455,7 +455,7 @@ int inet_dgram_opts(QemuOpts *opts, Error **errp)
         error_set_errno(errp, errno, QERR_SOCKET_CREATE_FAILED);
         goto err;
     }
-    qemu_setsockopt(sock, SOL_SOCKET, SO_REUSEADDR, &on, sizeof(on));
+    socket_set_fast_reuse(sock);
 
     /* bind socket */
     if (bind(sock, local->ai_addr, local->ai_addrlen) < 0) {