diff --git a/include/boost/archive/detail/utf8_codecvt_facet.hpp b/include/boost/archive/detail/utf8_codecvt_facet.hpp
index a40104ab..00b2b419 100644
--- a/include/boost/archive/detail/utf8_codecvt_facet.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/archive/detail/utf8_codecvt_facet.hpp
@@ -13,27 +13,17 @@
 #error "wide char i/o not supported on this platform"
 #endif
 
-// std::codecvt_utf8 doesn't seem to work for any versions of msvc
+// use boost's utf8 codecvt facet
+#include <boost/archive/detail/decl.hpp>
+#define BOOST_UTF8_BEGIN_NAMESPACE \
+     namespace boost { namespace archive { namespace detail {
+#define BOOST_UTF8_DECL BOOST_ARCHIVE_DECL
+#define BOOST_UTF8_END_NAMESPACE }}}
 
-#if defined(_MSC_VER) || defined(BOOST_NO_CXX11_HDR_CODECVT)
-    // use boost's utf8 codecvt facet
-    #include <boost/archive/detail/decl.hpp>
-    #define BOOST_UTF8_BEGIN_NAMESPACE \
-         namespace boost { namespace archive { namespace detail {
-    #define BOOST_UTF8_DECL BOOST_ARCHIVE_DECL
-    #define BOOST_UTF8_END_NAMESPACE }}}
+#include <boost/detail/utf8_codecvt_facet.hpp>
 
-    #include <boost/detail/utf8_codecvt_facet.hpp>
-
-    #undef BOOST_UTF8_END_NAMESPACE
-    #undef BOOST_UTF8_DECL
-    #undef BOOST_UTF8_BEGIN_NAMESPACE
-#else
-    // use the standard vendor supplied facet
-    #include <codecvt>
-    namespace boost { namespace archive { namespace detail {
-        typedef std::codecvt_utf8<wchar_t> utf8_codecvt_facet;
-    } } }
-#endif
+#undef BOOST_UTF8_END_NAMESPACE
+#undef BOOST_UTF8_DECL
+#undef BOOST_UTF8_BEGIN_NAMESPACE
 
 #endif // BOOST_ARCHIVE_DETAIL_UTF8_CODECVT_FACET_HPP
diff --git a/include/boost/archive/impl/xml_wiarchive_impl.ipp b/include/boost/archive/impl/xml_wiarchive_impl.ipp
index ee66c126..f572b762 100644
--- a/include/boost/archive/impl/xml_wiarchive_impl.ipp
+++ b/include/boost/archive/impl/xml_wiarchive_impl.ipp
@@ -161,13 +161,13 @@ xml_wiarchive_impl<Archive>::xml_wiarchive_impl(
     gimpl(new xml_wgrammar())
 {
     if(0 == (flags & no_codecvt)){
-        std::locale l = std::locale(
+        archive_locale = std::locale(
             is_.getloc(),
             new boost::archive::detail::utf8_codecvt_facet
         );
         // libstdc++ crashes without this
         is_.sync();
-        is_.imbue(l);
+        is_.imbue(archive_locale);
     }
     if(0 == (flags & no_header))
         init();
diff --git a/include/boost/archive/impl/xml_woarchive_impl.ipp b/include/boost/archive/impl/xml_woarchive_impl.ipp
index 01b1a052..630898b8 100644
--- a/include/boost/archive/impl/xml_woarchive_impl.ipp
+++ b/include/boost/archive/impl/xml_woarchive_impl.ipp
@@ -103,7 +103,6 @@ xml_woarchive_impl<Archive>::save(const char * s){
 template<class Archive>
 BOOST_WARCHIVE_DECL void
 xml_woarchive_impl<Archive>::save(const wchar_t * ws){
-    os << ws;
     typedef iterators::xml_escape<const wchar_t *> xmbtows;
     std::copy(
         xmbtows(ws),
@@ -126,12 +125,12 @@ xml_woarchive_impl<Archive>::xml_woarchive_impl(
     basic_xml_oarchive<Archive>(flags)
 {
     if(0 == (flags & no_codecvt)){
-        std::locale l = std::locale(
+        archive_locale = std::locale(
             os_.getloc(),
             new boost::archive::detail::utf8_codecvt_facet
         );
         os_.flush();
-        os_.imbue(l);
+        os_.imbue(archive_locale);
     }
     if(0 == (flags & no_header))
         this->init();
@@ -143,7 +142,7 @@ xml_woarchive_impl<Archive>::~xml_woarchive_impl(){
     if(std::uncaught_exception())
         return;
     if(0 == (this->get_flags() & no_header)){
-        save(L"</boost_serialization>\n");
+        os << L"</boost_serialization>";
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/include/boost/archive/xml_wiarchive.hpp b/include/boost/archive/xml_wiarchive.hpp
index ac24289a..2ca3e559 100644
--- a/include/boost/archive/xml_wiarchive.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/archive/xml_wiarchive.hpp
@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@ protected:
     friend class basic_xml_iarchive<Archive>;
     friend class load_access;
 #endif
+    std::locale archive_locale;
     boost::scoped_ptr<xml_wgrammar> gimpl;
     std::wistream & get_is(){
         return is;
diff --git a/src/archive_exception.cpp b/src/archive_exception.cpp
index 8fcc6eeb..729a4edb 100644
--- a/src/archive_exception.cpp
+++ b/src/archive_exception.cpp
@@ -77,6 +77,14 @@ archive_exception::archive_exception(
         break;
     case input_stream_error:
         length = append(length, "input stream error");
+        if(NULL != e1){
+            length = append(length, "-");
+            length = append(length, e1);
+        }
+        if(NULL != e2){
+            length = append(length, "-");
+            length = append(length, e2);
+        }
         break;
     case invalid_class_name:
         length = append(length, "class name too long");
@@ -105,6 +113,14 @@ archive_exception::archive_exception(
         break;
     case output_stream_error:
         length = append(length, "output stream error");
+        if(NULL != e1){
+            length = append(length, "-");
+            length = append(length, e1);
+        }
+        if(NULL != e2){
+            length = append(length, "-");
+            length = append(length, e2);
+        }
         break;
     default:
         BOOST_ASSERT(false);
diff --git a/src/basic_archive.cpp b/src/basic_archive.cpp
index 54d24b90..6c3386e7 100644
--- a/src/basic_archive.cpp
+++ b/src/basic_archive.cpp
@@ -77,10 +77,12 @@ BOOST_ARCHIVE_SIGNATURE(){
 // 13- simplified visibility, removed Borland, removed pfto
 // 14- improved visibility, refactor map/set
 // 15- corrections to optional and collection loading
+// 16- eliminated dependency on <codecvt> which is buggy in some libraries
+//     and now officially deprecated in the standard
 
 BOOST_SYMBOL_VISIBLE library_version_type
 BOOST_ARCHIVE_VERSION(){
-    return library_version_type(15);
+    return library_version_type(16);
 }
 
 } // namespace archive
diff --git a/src/basic_xml_grammar.ipp b/src/basic_xml_grammar.ipp
index f028f8fc..dcec1cc6 100644
--- a/src/basic_xml_grammar.ipp
+++ b/src/basic_xml_grammar.ipp
@@ -21,6 +21,9 @@
 #  pragma warning(disable : 4244 4511 4512)
 #endif
 
+#include <cerrno>   // errno
+#include <cstring>  // strerror(errno)
+
 // spirit stuff
 #include <boost/spirit/include/classic_operators.hpp>
 #include <boost/spirit/include/classic_actions.hpp>
@@ -31,7 +34,6 @@
 #endif
 
 // for head_iterator test
-//#include <boost/bind.hpp> 
 #include <boost/function.hpp>
 
 #include <boost/io/ios_state.hpp>
@@ -188,8 +190,14 @@ bool basic_xml_grammar<CharType>::my_parse(
     for(;;){
         CharType result;
         is.get(result);
-        if(is.fail())
-            return false;
+        if(is.fail()){
+            boost::serialization::throw_exception(
+                boost::archive::archive_exception(
+                    archive_exception::input_stream_error,
+                    std::strerror(errno)
+                )
+            );
+        }
         if(is.eof())
             return false;
         arg += result;
diff --git a/src/utf8_codecvt_facet.cpp b/src/utf8_codecvt_facet.cpp
index c213c7f9..f6550d07 100644
--- a/src/utf8_codecvt_facet.cpp
+++ b/src/utf8_codecvt_facet.cpp
@@ -9,18 +9,14 @@
 #error "wide char i/o not supported on this platform"
 #endif
 
-// std::codecvt_utf8 doesn't seem to work for any versions of msvc
-#if defined(_MSC_VER) \
-||  defined( BOOST_NO_CXX11_HDR_CODECVT )
-    // include boost implementation of utf8 codecvt facet
-    # define BOOST_ARCHIVE_SOURCE
-    #include <boost/archive/detail/decl.hpp>
-    #define BOOST_UTF8_BEGIN_NAMESPACE \
-         namespace boost { namespace archive { namespace detail {
-    #define BOOST_UTF8_DECL BOOST_ARCHIVE_DECL
-    #define BOOST_UTF8_END_NAMESPACE }}}
-    #include <boost/detail/utf8_codecvt_facet.ipp>
-    #undef BOOST_UTF8_END_NAMESPACE
-    #undef BOOST_UTF8_DECL
-    #undef BOOST_UTF8_BEGIN_NAMESPACE
-#endif
+// include boost implementation of utf8 codecvt facet
+# define BOOST_ARCHIVE_SOURCE
+#include <boost/archive/detail/decl.hpp>
+#define BOOST_UTF8_BEGIN_NAMESPACE \
+     namespace boost { namespace archive { namespace detail {
+#define BOOST_UTF8_DECL BOOST_ARCHIVE_DECL
+#define BOOST_UTF8_END_NAMESPACE }}}
+#include <boost/detail/utf8_codecvt_facet.ipp>
+#undef BOOST_UTF8_END_NAMESPACE
+#undef BOOST_UTF8_DECL
+#undef BOOST_UTF8_BEGIN_NAMESPACE
diff --git a/test/Jamfile.v2 b/test/Jamfile.v2
index 99e0a3d2..3aab6169 100644
--- a/test/Jamfile.v2
+++ b/test/Jamfile.v2
@@ -147,11 +147,7 @@ if ! $(BOOST_ARCHIVE_LIST) {
         [ test-bsl-run test_iterators ]
         [ test-bsl-run test_iterators_base64 ]
         [ test-bsl-run test_smart_cast ]
-        [ test-bsl-run test_codecvt_null 
-            : ../src/codecvt_null
-            :
-            : [ requires std_wstreambuf ]
-        ]
+        [ test-bsl-run test_codecvt_null ]
         
         #[ test-bsl-run test_z ]