diff --git a/core/PhysiCell_utilities.cpp b/core/PhysiCell_utilities.cpp
index 91f0cd582..316404856 100644
--- a/core/PhysiCell_utilities.cpp
+++ b/core/PhysiCell_utilities.cpp
@@ -78,18 +78,18 @@ thread_local bool local_pnrg_setup_done = false;
 unsigned int physicell_random_seed = 0; 
 std::vector<unsigned int> physicell_random_seeds; 
 
+bool warned_rng = false;
 void setup_rng( void )
 {
 	static bool setup_done = false;
-	static bool warned = false;
-	if (!warned && setup_done)
+	if (!warned_rng && setup_done)
 	{
 		std::cout << "WARNING: Setting the random seed again." << std::endl
 				  << "\tYou probably have set a user parameter called random_seed." << std::endl
 				  << "\tHere, we will use the random seed set in user parameters." << std::endl	
 				  << "\tHOWEVER, as of PhysiCell 1.14.0, you should set the random seed in the <options><random_seed> element in the config file." << std::endl
 				  << "\tFuture versions of PhysiCell may throw an error here. Kindly remove the user parameter and just use the <options><random_seed> element." << std::endl;
-		warned = true;
+		warned_rng = true;
 	}
 	std::cout << "Setting up RNG with seed " << physicell_random_seed << std::endl;
 
diff --git a/core/PhysiCell_utilities.h b/core/PhysiCell_utilities.h
index 7e4ec1548..199134ef1 100644
--- a/core/PhysiCell_utilities.h
+++ b/core/PhysiCell_utilities.h
@@ -80,9 +80,8 @@
 
 namespace PhysiCell{
 
-
-	extern std::vector<unsigned int> physicell_random_seeds; 
-
+extern std::vector<unsigned int> physicell_random_seeds;
+extern bool warned_rng;
 void setup_rng( void );
 void SeedRandom( unsigned int input );
 void SeedRandom( void );
diff --git a/modules/PhysiCell_settings.cpp b/modules/PhysiCell_settings.cpp
index 538f6a8ea..09fd77158 100644
--- a/modules/PhysiCell_settings.cpp
+++ b/modules/PhysiCell_settings.cpp
@@ -357,7 +357,7 @@ bool create_directories(const std::string &path)
 
 bool create_directory(const std::string &path)
 {
-#if defined(__MINGW32__) || defined(__MINGW64__)
+#if defined(_WIN32)
 	bool success = mkdir(path.c_str()) == 0;
 #else
 	bool success = mkdir(path.c_str(), 0755) == 0;
diff --git a/sample_projects/episode/main.cpp b/sample_projects/episode/main.cpp
index 2f32cb696..f6cf70e11 100644
--- a/sample_projects/episode/main.cpp
+++ b/sample_projects/episode/main.cpp
@@ -160,6 +160,7 @@ int main( int argc, char* argv[] )
 		{
 			// load xml file
 			std::cout << "load setting xml " << settingxml << " ..." << std::endl;
+			warned_rng = true;
 			bool XML_status = false;
 			XML_status = read_PhysiCell_config_file( settingxml );
 			if ( XML_status ) { PhysiCell_settings.read_from_pugixml(); }