diff --git a/client/daemon.go b/client/daemon.go
index 48064b4cf6..15dffbaefb 100644
--- a/client/daemon.go
+++ b/client/daemon.go
@@ -1,11 +1,5 @@
 package main
 
-import (
-	"os"
-	"os/exec"
-	"syscall"
-)
-
 const daemonBinary = "dockerd"
 
 // DaemonProxy acts as a cli.Handler to proxy calls to the daemon binary
@@ -15,29 +9,3 @@ type DaemonProxy struct{}
 func NewDaemonProxy() DaemonProxy {
 	return DaemonProxy{}
 }
-
-// CmdDaemon execs dockerd with the same flags
-// TODO: add a deprecation warning?
-func (p DaemonProxy) CmdDaemon(args ...string) error {
-	args = stripDaemonArg(os.Args[1:])
-
-	binaryAbsPath, err := exec.LookPath(daemonBinary)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	return syscall.Exec(
-		binaryAbsPath,
-		append([]string{daemonBinary}, args...),
-		os.Environ())
-}
-
-// stripDaemonArg removes the `daemon` argument from the list
-func stripDaemonArg(args []string) []string {
-	for i, arg := range args {
-		if arg == "daemon" {
-			return append(args[:i], args[i+1:]...)
-		}
-	}
-	return args
-}
diff --git a/client/daemon_unix.go b/client/daemon_unix.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..abe9ebfc51
--- /dev/null
+++ b/client/daemon_unix.go
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+// +build !windows
+
+package main
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"os/exec"
+	"syscall"
+)
+
+// CmdDaemon execs dockerd with the same flags
+// TODO: add a deprecation warning?
+func (p DaemonProxy) CmdDaemon(args ...string) error {
+	// Use os.Args[1:] so that "global" args are passed to dockerd
+	args = stripDaemonArg(os.Args[1:])
+
+	// TODO: check dirname args[0] first
+	binaryAbsPath, err := exec.LookPath(daemonBinary)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	return syscall.Exec(
+		binaryAbsPath,
+		append([]string{daemonBinary}, args...),
+		os.Environ())
+}
+
+// stripDaemonArg removes the `daemon` argument from the list
+func stripDaemonArg(args []string) []string {
+	for i, arg := range args {
+		if arg == "daemon" {
+			return append(args[:i], args[i+1:]...)
+		}
+	}
+	return args
+}
diff --git a/client/daemon_windows.go b/client/daemon_windows.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..41c0133b67
--- /dev/null
+++ b/client/daemon_windows.go
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+)
+
+// CmdDaemon reports on an error on windows, because there is no exec
+func (p DaemonProxy) CmdDaemon(args ...string) error {
+	return fmt.Errorf(
+		"`docker daemon` does not exist on windows. Please run `dockerd` directly")
+}
diff --git a/client/daemon_windows_test.go b/client/daemon_windows_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3da4e5d7cc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/client/daemon_windows_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestCmdDaemon(t *testing.T) {
+	proxy := NewDaemonProxy()
+	err := proxy.CmdDaemon("--help")
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("Expected CmdDaemon to fail in Windows.")
+	}
+
+	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "Please run `dockerd`") {
+		t.Fatalf("Expected an error about running dockerd, got %s", err)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/client/docker.go b/client/docker.go
index 5641f12b12..838602164d 100644
--- a/client/docker.go
+++ b/client/docker.go
@@ -9,16 +9,11 @@ import (
 	"github.com/docker/docker/cli"
 	"github.com/docker/docker/dockerversion"
 	flag "github.com/docker/docker/pkg/mflag"
-	"github.com/docker/docker/pkg/reexec"
 	"github.com/docker/docker/pkg/term"
 	"github.com/docker/docker/utils"
 )
 
 func main() {
-	if reexec.Init() {
-		return
-	}
-
 	// Set terminal emulation based on platform as required.
 	stdin, stdout, stderr := term.StdStreams()
 
diff --git a/hack/Jenkins/W2L/setup.sh b/hack/Jenkins/W2L/setup.sh
index 1a080c54a1..91fa3423b0 100644
--- a/hack/Jenkins/W2L/setup.sh
+++ b/hack/Jenkins/W2L/setup.sh
@@ -188,7 +188,7 @@ if [ $ec -eq 0 ]; then
 	ec=$?
 	set +x
 	if [ 0 -ne $ec ]; then
-	    	echo "ERROR: Failed to compile and start the linux daemon"
+		echo "ERROR: Failed to compile and start the linux daemon"
 	fi
 fi
 
@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ if [ $ec -eq 0 ]; then
 	export TIMEOUT="5m"
 	export DOCKER_HOST="tcp://$ip:$port_inner"
 	export DOCKER_TEST_HOST="tcp://$ip:$port_inner"
-    unset DOCKER_CLIENTONLY
+	unset DOCKER_CLIENTONLY
 	export DOCKER_REMOTE_DAEMON=1
 	hack/make.sh binary
 	ec=$?
diff --git a/hack/make/binary b/hack/make/binary
index 47db575855..53190fbcbd 100644
--- a/hack/make/binary
+++ b/hack/make/binary
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 set -e
 
-# This script exists as backwards compatiblity for CI
+# This script exists as backwards compatibility for CI
 (
 	DEST="${DEST}-client"
 	ABS_DEST="${ABS_DEST}-client"