diff --git a/src/c/symbols_list.h b/src/c/symbols_list.h
index d18cdd07f..ad236595f 100755
--- a/src/c/symbols_list.h
+++ b/src/c/symbols_list.h
@@ -2069,7 +2069,6 @@ cl_symbols[] = {
 #endif
 {SYS_ "RUN-PROGRAM-INNER" ECL_FUN("si_run_program_inner", si_run_program_inner, 4) ECL_VAR(SI_ORDINARY, OBJNULL)},
 {SYS_ "SPAWN-SUBPROCESS" ECL_FUN("si_spawn_subprocess", si_spawn_subprocess, 6) ECL_VAR(SI_ORDINARY, OBJNULL)},
-{SYS_ "CLOSE-WINDOWS-HANDLE" ECL_FUN("si_close_windows_handle", IF_WINDOWS(si_close_windows_handle), 1) ECL_VAR(SI_ORDINARY, OBJNULL)},
 /* ~ */
 
 {EXT_ "*INVOKE-DEBUGGER-HOOK*" ECL_FUN(NULL, NULL, -1) ECL_VAR(EXT_SPECIAL, ECL_NIL)},
diff --git a/src/c/unixsys.d b/src/c/unixsys.d
index 07f43e801..357f02d3b 100644
--- a/src/c/unixsys.d
+++ b/src/c/unixsys.d
@@ -214,15 +214,6 @@ si_killpid(cl_object pid, cl_object signal) {
 #endif
 
 #if defined(ECL_MS_WINDOWS_HOST)
-cl_object
-si_close_windows_handle(cl_object h)
-{
-  if (ecl_t_of(h) == t_foreign) {
-    HANDLE *ph = (HANDLE*)h->foreign.data;
-    if (ph) CloseHandle(*ph);
-  }
-}
-
 static cl_object
 make_windows_handle(HANDLE h)
 {
@@ -230,7 +221,6 @@ make_windows_handle(HANDLE h)
                                                 sizeof(HANDLE*));
   HANDLE *ph = (HANDLE*)foreign->foreign.data;
   *ph = h;
-  si_set_finalizer(foreign, @'si::close-windows-handle');
   return foreign;
 }
 #endif
diff --git a/src/h/external.h b/src/h/external.h
index 33aba4bad..d99c8a0dc 100755
--- a/src/h/external.h
+++ b/src/h/external.h
@@ -1954,7 +1954,6 @@ extern ECL_API void ecl_check_pending_interrupts(cl_env_ptr env);
 extern ECL_API cl_object si_system(cl_object cmd);
 extern ECL_API cl_object si_make_pipe();
 extern ECL_API cl_object si_run_program _ECL_ARGS((cl_narg narg, cl_object command, cl_object args, ...));
-extern ECL_API cl_object si_close_windows_handle(cl_object h);
 extern ECL_API cl_object si_terminate_process _ECL_ARGS((cl_narg narg, cl_object process, ...));
 extern ECL_API cl_object si_waitpid(cl_object pid, cl_object wait);
 extern ECL_API cl_object si_killpid(cl_object pid, cl_object signal);
diff --git a/src/lsp/process.lsp b/src/lsp/process.lsp
index dfb38e5a5..36215c2b0 100644
--- a/src/lsp/process.lsp
+++ b/src/lsp/process.lsp
@@ -98,6 +98,9 @@
 ;;; We don't handle `sigchld' because we don't want races with
 ;;; `external-process-wait'. Take care of forgotten processes.
 (defun finalize-external-process (process)
+  ;; INV: this finalizer also closes the process handle on windows
+  ;; since external-process-wait calls si:waitpid which closes the
+  ;; handle once the process has exited.
   (unless (member (ext:external-process-wait process nil)
                   '(:exited :signaled :abort :error))
     (ext:set-finalizer process #'finalize-external-process)))