Index: server/mpm/winnt/mpm_winnt.c
===================================================================
--- server/mpm/winnt/mpm_winnt.c	(revision 603073)
+++ server/mpm/winnt/mpm_winnt.c	(working copy)
@@ -625,6 +625,7 @@
     apr_pool_t *ptemp;
     apr_procattr_t *attr;
     apr_proc_t new_child;
+    apr_file_t *tmp_stdout;
     HANDLE hExitEvent;
     HANDLE waitlist[2];  /* see waitlist_e */
     char *cmd;
@@ -678,6 +679,12 @@
         return -1;
     }
 
+    /* Always pass a "NUL" stdout to child process */
+    if (apr_file_open(&tmp_stdout, "NUL", APR_READ | APR_WRITE, APR_OS_DEFAULT, ptemp)
+        || apr_procattr_child_out_set(attr, tmp_stdout, NULL) )
+        ap_log_error(APLOG_MARK, APLOG_CRIT, rv, ap_server_conf,
+                        "Parent: Unable to pass NUL stdout to child.");
+
     /* Create the child_ready_event */
     waitlist[waitlist_ready] = CreateEvent(NULL, TRUE, FALSE, NULL);
     if (!waitlist[waitlist_ready]) {
@@ -713,6 +720,8 @@
         env[envc + 1] = NULL;
     }
 
+    apr_file_close(tmp_stdout);
+
     rv = apr_proc_create(&new_child, cmd, args, env, attr, ptemp);
     if (rv != APR_SUCCESS) {
         ap_log_error(APLOG_MARK, APLOG_CRIT, rv, ap_server_conf,
@@ -1267,8 +1276,6 @@
          */
         if (osver.dwPlatformId == VER_PLATFORM_WIN32_NT)
         {
-            apr_file_t *nullfile;
-
             if (!errout) {
                 mpm_nt_eventlog_stderr_open(service_name, process->pool);
             }
@@ -1277,30 +1284,6 @@
             if (service_to_start_success == APR_SUCCESS) {
                 service_set = APR_SUCCESS;
             }
-
-            /* Open a null handle to soak stdout in this process.
-             * Windows service processes are missing any file handle
-             * usable for stdin/out/err.  This was the cause of later 
-             * trouble with invocations of apr_file_open_stdout()
-             */
-            if ((rv = apr_file_open(&nullfile, "NUL",
-                                    APR_READ | APR_WRITE, APR_OS_DEFAULT,
-                                    process->pool)) == APR_SUCCESS) {
-                HANDLE hproc = GetCurrentProcess();
-                HANDLE nullstdout = NULL;
-                HANDLE nullhandle;
-
-                /* Duplicate the handle to be inherited by children */
-                if ((apr_os_file_get(&nullhandle, nullfile) == APR_SUCCESS)
-                    && DuplicateHandle(hproc, nullhandle,
-                                       hproc, &nullstdout,
-                                       0, TRUE, DUPLICATE_SAME_ACCESS)) {
-                    SetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE, nullstdout);
-                }
-
-                /* Close the original handle, we used the duplicate */
-                apr_file_close(nullfile);
-            }
         }
     }
 
@@ -1639,9 +1622,12 @@
         /* Set up the listeners */
         get_listeners_from_parent(s);
 
-        /* Done reading from the parent, close that channel */
-        CloseHandle(pipe);
-
+        /* Dup the NUL stdout for modules which expect a valid Unix-like stdin 
+        *  fd to exist (e.g. mod_perl). Not necessary in single process mode.
+        * This implicitly closes the pipe handle (STD_INPUT_HANDLE)
+        */
+        _dup2(_fileno(stdout), _fileno(stdin));
+ 
         ap_my_generation = ap_scoreboard_image->global->running_generation;
     }
     else {