--- a/src/bitcoinrpc.cpp
+++ b/src/bitcoinrpc.cpp
@@ -697,7 +697,7 @@
     }
 
     // start HTTP client thread
-    else if (!CreateThread(ThreadRPCServer3, conn)) {
+    else if (!NewThread(ThreadRPCServer3, conn)) {
         printf("Failed to create RPC server client thread\n");
         delete conn;
     }

--- a/src/init.cpp
+++ b/src/init.cpp
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@
     uiInterface.QueueShutdown();
 #else
     // Without UI, Shutdown() can simply be started in a new thread
-    CreateThread(Shutdown, NULL);
+    NewThread(Shutdown, NULL);
 #endif
 }
 
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@
         boost::filesystem::remove(GetPidFile());
         UnregisterWallet(pwalletMain);
         delete pwalletMain;
-        CreateThread(ExitTimeout, NULL);
+        NewThread(ExitTimeout, NULL);
         Sleep(50);
         printf("Bitcoin exited\n\n");
         fExit = true;
@@ -759,11 +759,11 @@
     printf("mapWallet.size() = %d\n",       pwalletMain->mapWallet.size());
     printf("mapAddressBook.size() = %d\n",  pwalletMain->mapAddressBook.size());
 
-    if (!CreateThread(StartNode, NULL))
+    if (!NewThread(StartNode, NULL))
         InitError(_("Error: could not start node"));
 
     if (fServer)
-        CreateThread(ThreadRPCServer, NULL);
+        NewThread(ThreadRPCServer, NULL);
 
     // ********************************************************* Step 11: finished
 

--- a/src/main.cpp
+++ b/src/main.cpp
@@ -4025,8 +4025,8 @@
         printf("Starting %d BitcoinMiner threads\n", nAddThreads);
         for (int i = 0; i < nAddThreads; i++)
         {
-            if (!CreateThread(ThreadBitcoinMiner, pwallet))
-                printf("Error: CreateThread(ThreadBitcoinMiner) failed\n");
+            if (!NewThread(ThreadBitcoinMiner, pwallet))
+                printf("Error: NewThread(ThreadBitcoinMiner) failed\n");
             Sleep(10);
         }
     }

--- a/src/net.cpp
+++ b/src/net.cpp
@@ -1125,7 +1125,7 @@
 {
     if (fUseUPnP && vnThreadsRunning[THREAD_UPNP] < 1)
     {
-        if (!CreateThread(ThreadMapPort, NULL))
+        if (!NewThread(ThreadMapPort, NULL))
             printf("Error: ThreadMapPort(ThreadMapPort) failed\n");
     }
 }
@@ -1887,7 +1887,7 @@
 
     // Don't use external IPv4 discovery, when -onlynet="IPv6"
     if (!IsLimited(NET_IPV4))
-        CreateThread(ThreadGetMyExternalIP, NULL);
+        NewThread(ThreadGetMyExternalIP, NULL);
 }
 
 void StartNode(void* parg)
@@ -1913,36 +1913,36 @@
     if (!GetBoolArg("-dnsseed", true))
         printf("DNS seeding disabled\n");
     else
-        if (!CreateThread(ThreadDNSAddressSeed, NULL))
-            printf("Error: CreateThread(ThreadDNSAddressSeed) failed\n");
+        if (!NewThread(ThreadDNSAddressSeed, NULL))
+            printf("Error: NewThread(ThreadDNSAddressSeed) failed\n");
 
     // Map ports with UPnP
     if (fUseUPnP)
         MapPort();
 
     // Get addresses from IRC and advertise ours
-    if (!CreateThread(ThreadIRCSeed, NULL))
-        printf("Error: CreateThread(ThreadIRCSeed) failed\n");
+    if (!NewThread(ThreadIRCSeed, NULL))
+        printf("Error: NewThread(ThreadIRCSeed) failed\n");
 
     // Send and receive from sockets, accept connections
-    if (!CreateThread(ThreadSocketHandler, NULL))
-        printf("Error: CreateThread(ThreadSocketHandler) failed\n");
+    if (!NewThread(ThreadSocketHandler, NULL))
+        printf("Error: NewThread(ThreadSocketHandler) failed\n");
 
     // Initiate outbound connections from -addnode
-    if (!CreateThread(ThreadOpenAddedConnections, NULL))
-        printf("Error: CreateThread(ThreadOpenAddedConnections) failed\n");
+    if (!NewThread(ThreadOpenAddedConnections, NULL))
+        printf("Error: NewThread(ThreadOpenAddedConnections) failed\n");
 
     // Initiate outbound connections
-    if (!CreateThread(ThreadOpenConnections, NULL))
-        printf("Error: CreateThread(ThreadOpenConnections) failed\n");
+    if (!NewThread(ThreadOpenConnections, NULL))
+        printf("Error: NewThread(ThreadOpenConnections) failed\n");
 
     // Process messages
-    if (!CreateThread(ThreadMessageHandler, NULL))
-        printf("Error: CreateThread(ThreadMessageHandler) failed\n");
+    if (!NewThread(ThreadMessageHandler, NULL))
+        printf("Error: NewThread(ThreadMessageHandler) failed\n");
 
     // Dump network addresses
-    if (!CreateThread(ThreadDumpAddress, NULL))
-        printf("Error; CreateThread(ThreadDumpAddress) failed\n");
+    if (!NewThread(ThreadDumpAddress, NULL))
+        printf("Error; NewThread(ThreadDumpAddress) failed\n");
 
     // Generate coins in the background
     GenerateBitcoins(GetBoolArg("-gen", false), pwalletMain);

--- a/src/qt/qtipcserver.cpp
+++ b/src/qt/qtipcserver.cpp
@@ -152,7 +152,7 @@
         return;
     }
 
-    if (!CreateThread(ipcThread, mq))
+    if (!NewThread(ipcThread, mq))
     {
         delete mq;
         return;

--- a/src/rpcwallet.cpp
+++ b/src/rpcwallet.cpp
@@ -1303,9 +1303,9 @@
             "walletpassphrase <passphrase> <timeout>\n"
             "Stores the wallet decryption key in memory for <timeout> seconds.");
 
-    CreateThread(ThreadTopUpKeyPool, NULL);
+    NewThread(ThreadTopUpKeyPool, NULL);
     int64* pnSleepTime = new int64(params[1].get_int64());
-    CreateThread(ThreadCleanWalletPassphrase, pnSleepTime);
+    NewThread(ThreadCleanWalletPassphrase, pnSleepTime);
 
     return Value::null;
 }

--- a/src/util.cpp
+++ b/src/util.cpp
@@ -1299,3 +1299,15 @@
     (void)name;
 #endif
 }
+
+bool NewThread(void(*pfn)(void*), void* parg)
+{
+    try
+    {
+        boost::thread(pfn, parg); // thread detaches when out of scope
+    } catch(boost::thread_resource_error &e) {
+        printf("Error creating thread: %s\n", e.what());
+        return false;
+    }
+    return true;
+}

--- a/src/util.h
+++ b/src/util.h
@@ -539,65 +539,14 @@
     }
 };
 
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-// Note: It turns out we might have been able to use boost::thread
-// by using TerminateThread(boost::thread.native_handle(), 0);
-#ifdef WIN32
-typedef HANDLE pthread_t;
+bool NewThread(void(*pfn)(void*), void* parg);
 
-inline pthread_t CreateThread(void(*pfn)(void*), void* parg, bool fWantHandle=false)
-{
-    DWORD nUnused = 0;
-    HANDLE hthread =
-        CreateThread(
-            NULL,                        // default security
-            0,                           // inherit stack size from parent
-            (LPTHREAD_START_ROUTINE)pfn, // function pointer
-            parg,                        // argument
-            0,                           // creation option, start immediately
-            &nUnused);                   // thread identifier
-    if (hthread == NULL)
-    {
-        printf("Error: CreateThread() returned %d\n", GetLastError());
-        return (pthread_t)0;
-    }
-    if (!fWantHandle)
-    {
-        CloseHandle(hthread);
-        return (pthread_t)-1;
-    }
-    return hthread;
-}
-
+#ifdef WIN32
 inline void SetThreadPriority(int nPriority)
 {
     SetThreadPriority(GetCurrentThread(), nPriority);
 }
 #else
-inline pthread_t CreateThread(void(*pfn)(void*), void* parg, bool fWantHandle=false)
-{
-    pthread_t hthread = 0;
-    int ret = pthread_create(&hthread, NULL, (void*(*)(void*))pfn, parg);
-    if (ret != 0)
-    {
-        printf("Error: pthread_create() returned %d\n", ret);
-        return (pthread_t)0;
-    }
-    if (!fWantHandle)
-    {
-        pthread_detach(hthread);
-        return (pthread_t)-1;
-    }
-    return hthread;
-}
 
 #define THREAD_PRIORITY_LOWEST          PRIO_MAX
 #define THREAD_PRIORITY_BELOW_NORMAL    2

--- a/src/wallet.cpp
+++ b/src/wallet.cpp
@@ -1385,7 +1385,7 @@
         return nLoadWalletRet;
     fFirstRunRet = !vchDefaultKey.IsValid();
 
-    CreateThread(ThreadFlushWalletDB, &strWalletFile);
+    NewThread(ThreadFlushWalletDB, &strWalletFile);
     return DB_LOAD_OK;
 }