diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 522c8b0e..1382f41c 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -61,13 +61,13 @@ $(GENDOCS): doc/%.rst: src/%.c tools/code2rst.py
 	env PYTHONPATH=. http_proxy= $(PYTHON) tools/code2rst.py $(SQLITEVERSION) $< $@
 
 build_ext:
-	$(PYTHON) setup.py fetch --version=$(SQLITEVERSION) --all build_ext --inplace --force --enable-all-extensions
+	env APSW_FORCE_DISTUTILS=t $(PYTHON) setup.py fetch --version=$(SQLITEVERSION) --all build_ext --inplace --force --enable-all-extensions
 
 coverage:
-	$(PYTHON) setup.py fetch --version=$(SQLITEVERSION) --all && env APSW_PY_COVERAGE=t tools/coverage.sh
+	env APSW_FORCE_DISTUTILS=t $(PYTHON) setup.py fetch --version=$(SQLITEVERSION) --all && env APSW_PY_COVERAGE=t tools/coverage.sh
 
 test: build_ext
-	$(PYTHON) tests.py
+	env APSW_FORCE_DISTUTILS=t $(PYTHON) tests.py
 
 debugtest:
 	gcc -pthread -fno-strict-aliasing -g -fPIC -Wall -DAPSW_USE_SQLITE_CONFIG=\"sqlite3/sqlite3config.h\" -DEXPERIMENTAL -DSQLITE_DEBUG -DAPSW_USE_SQLITE_AMALGAMATION=\"sqlite3.c\" -DAPSW_NO_NDEBUG -DAPSW_TESTFIXTURES -I`$(PYTHON) -c "import distutils.sysconfig,sys; sys.stdout.write(distutils.sysconfig.get_python_inc())"` -I. -Isqlite3 -Isrc -c src/apsw.c
@@ -128,26 +128,26 @@ compile-win:
 	cmd /c del /s /q build
 	cmd /c del /s /q apsw.egg-info
 	-cmd /c md dist
-	c:/python35/python setup.py $(WINBPREFIX) $(WINBSUFFIX) $(WINBINST)
-	"c:\program files (x86)\microsoft visual studio 14.0\vc\vcvarsall.bat" amd64 & c:/python35-64/python setup.py $(WINBPREFIX) $(WINBSUFFIX) $(WINBINST)
-	c:/python34/python setup.py $(WINBPREFIX) $(WINBSUFFIX) $(WINBINST)
-	c:/python34-64/python setup.py $(WIN64HACK) $(WINBPREFIX) $(WINBSUFFIX) $(WINBINST)
-	c:/python33/python setup.py $(WINBPREFIX) $(WINBSUFFIX) $(WINBINST)
-	c:/python33-64/python setup.py $(WIN64HACK) $(WINBPREFIX) $(WINBSUFFIX) $(WINBINST)
-	c:/python32/python setup.py $(WINBPREFIX) $(WINBSUFFIX) $(WINBINST)
-	c:/python32-64/python setup.py  $(WIN64HACK) $(WINBPREFIX) $(WINBSUFFIX) $(WINBINST)
-	c:/python31/python setup.py $(WINBPREFIX) $(WINBSUFFIX) $(WINBINST)
-	c:/python31-64/python setup.py  $(WIN64HACK) $(WINBPREFIX) $(WINBSUFFIX) $(WINBINST)
-	c:/python27/python setup.py $(WINBPREFIX) $(WINBSUFFIX) $(WINBINST)
-	c:/python27-64/python setup.py  $(WIN64HACK) $(WINBPREFIX) $(WINBSUFFIX) $(WINBINST)
-	c:/python26/python setup.py $(WINBPREFIX) $(WINBSUFFIX) $(WINBINST)
-	c:/python26-64/python setup.py $(WIN64HACK) $(WINBPREFIX) $(WINBSUFFIX) $(WINBINST)
-	c:/python25/python setup.py $(WINBPREFIX) --compile=mingw32 $(WINBSUFFIX) $(WINBINST)
-	c:/python24/python setup.py $(WINBPREFIX) --compile=mingw32 $(WINBSUFFIX) $(WINBINST)
-	c:/python23/python setup.py $(WINBPREFIX) --compile=mingw32 $(WINBSUFFIX) $(WINBINST)
+	set APSW_FORCE_DISTUTILS=t & c:/python35/python setup.py $(WINBPREFIX) $(WINBSUFFIX) $(WINBINST)
+	set APSW_FORCE_DISTUTILS=t & "c:\program files (x86)\microsoft visual studio 14.0\vc\vcvarsall.bat" amd64 & c:/python35-64/python setup.py $(WINBPREFIX) $(WINBSUFFIX) $(WINBINST)
+	set APSW_FORCE_DISTUTILS=t & c:/python34/python setup.py $(WINBPREFIX) $(WINBSUFFIX) $(WINBINST)
+	set APSW_FORCE_DISTUTILS=t & c:/python34-64/python setup.py $(WIN64HACK) $(WINBPREFIX) $(WINBSUFFIX) $(WINBINST)
+	set APSW_FORCE_DISTUTILS=t & c:/python33/python setup.py $(WINBPREFIX) $(WINBSUFFIX) $(WINBINST)
+	set APSW_FORCE_DISTUTILS=t & c:/python33-64/python setup.py $(WIN64HACK) $(WINBPREFIX) $(WINBSUFFIX) $(WINBINST)
+	set APSW_FORCE_DISTUTILS=t & c:/python32/python setup.py $(WINBPREFIX) $(WINBSUFFIX) $(WINBINST)
+	set APSW_FORCE_DISTUTILS=t & c:/python32-64/python setup.py  $(WIN64HACK) $(WINBPREFIX) $(WINBSUFFIX) $(WINBINST)
+	set APSW_FORCE_DISTUTILS=t & c:/python31/python setup.py $(WINBPREFIX) $(WINBSUFFIX) $(WINBINST)
+	set APSW_FORCE_DISTUTILS=t & c:/python31-64/python setup.py  $(WIN64HACK) $(WINBPREFIX) $(WINBSUFFIX) $(WINBINST)
+	set APSW_FORCE_DISTUTILS=t & c:/python27/python setup.py $(WINBPREFIX) $(WINBSUFFIX) $(WINBINST)
+	set APSW_FORCE_DISTUTILS=t & c:/python27-64/python setup.py  $(WIN64HACK) $(WINBPREFIX) $(WINBSUFFIX) $(WINBINST)
+	set APSW_FORCE_DISTUTILS=t & c:/python26/python setup.py $(WINBPREFIX) $(WINBSUFFIX) $(WINBINST)
+	set APSW_FORCE_DISTUTILS=t & c:/python26-64/python setup.py $(WIN64HACK) $(WINBPREFIX) $(WINBSUFFIX) $(WINBINST)
+	set APSW_FORCE_DISTUTILS=t & c:/python25/python setup.py $(WINBPREFIX) --compile=mingw32 $(WINBSUFFIX) $(WINBINST)
+	set APSW_FORCE_DISTUTILS=t & c:/python24/python setup.py $(WINBPREFIX) --compile=mingw32 $(WINBSUFFIX) $(WINBINST)
+	set APSW_FORCE_DISTUTILS=t & c:/python23/python setup.py $(WINBPREFIX) --compile=mingw32 $(WINBSUFFIX) $(WINBINST)
 
 source_nocheck: docs
-	$(PYTHON) setup.py sdist --formats zip --add-doc
+	env APSW_FORCE_DISTUTILS=t $(PYTHON) setup.py sdist --formats zip --add-doc
 
 # Make the source and then check it builds and tests correctly.  This will catch missing files etc
 source: source_nocheck
diff --git a/doc/changes.rst b/doc/changes.rst
index ad651ecf..d47a8b29 100644
--- a/doc/changes.rst
+++ b/doc/changes.rst
@@ -6,8 +6,10 @@ Change History
 =========
 
 setup.py attempts to use setuptools if present, before falling back to
-distutils. This allows setuptools only commands such as bdist_wheel to work.
-(:issue:`207`)
+distutils. This allows setuptools only commands such as bdist_wheel to work. You
+can force use of distutils by setting the environment variable
+APSW_FORCE_DISTUTILS to any value. Note that setuptools may also affect the
+output file names. (:issue:`207`)
 
 3.11.0-r1
 ==========
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index ef95d906..8be50e86 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -8,11 +8,14 @@
 import glob
 import re
 import time
-import zipfile, tarfile
-import socket
+import zipfile
+import tarfile
 
 try:
-    from setuptools import setup, Extension, Command
+    if not os.environ.get("APSW_FORCE_DISTUTILS"):
+        from setuptools import setup, Extension, Command
+    else:
+        raise ImportError()
 except ImportError:
     from distutils.core import setup, Extension, Command
 
diff --git a/tools/megatest.py b/tools/megatest.py
index f80f1ce6..a1910538 100755
--- a/tools/megatest.py
+++ b/tools/megatest.py
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ def run(cmd):
     raise Exception("Failed with signal "+`os.WTERMSIG(status)`+": "+cmd)
 
 def dotest(pyver, logdir, pybin, pylib, workdir, sqlitever):
-    run("set -e ; cd %s ; ( env LD_LIBRARY_PATH=%s %s setup.py fetch --version=%s --all build_test_extension build_ext --inplace --force --enable-all-extensions test -v ) >%s 2>&1" % (workdir, pylib, pybin, sqlitever, os.path.abspath(os.path.join(logdir, "buildruntests.txt"))))
+    run("set -e ; cd %s ; ( env LD_LIBRARY_PATH=%s APSW_FORCE_DISTUTILS=t %s setup.py fetch --version=%s --all build_test_extension build_ext --inplace --force --enable-all-extensions test -v ) >%s 2>&1" % (workdir, pylib, pybin, sqlitever, os.path.abspath(os.path.join(logdir, "buildruntests.txt"))))
 
 def runtest(workdir, pyver, ucs, sqlitever, logdir):
     pybin, pylib=buildpython(workdir, pyver, ucs, os.path.abspath(os.path.join(logdir, "pybuild.txt")))