diff --git a/doc/src/sgml/ref/postgres-ref.sgml b/doc/src/sgml/ref/postgres-ref.sgml
new file mode 100644
index 8e225e4..731682c
*** a/doc/src/sgml/ref/postgres-ref.sgml
--- b/doc/src/sgml/ref/postgres-ref.sgml
*************** PostgreSQL documentation
*** 590,595 ****
--- 590,620 ----
       </varlistentry>
      </variablelist>
     </refsect2>
+ 
+    <refsect2>
+     <title>Platform-specific Options</title>
+ 
+ 	<varlistentry>
+ 	 <term><option>--background</option></term>
+ 	 <indexterm>
+ 	  <primary>background execution</primary>
+ 	  <secondary>Windows</secondary>
+ 	 </indexterm>
+ 	 <listitem>
+ 	  <para>
+ 	   This option is effective on Windows only and ignored on all other platforms.
+ 	  </para>
+ 	  <para>
+ 	   It instructs the server to ignore the signals caused by pressing
+ 	   <keycombo action="simul"><keycap>Ctrl</><keycap>C</></> or
+ 	   <keycombo action="simul"><keycap>Ctrl</><keycap>Break</></>
+ 	   in a console window. It is used automatically by
+ 	   <command>pg_ctl</command> when called with the
+ 	   <option>start</option> subcommand.
+ 	  </para>
+ 	 </listitem>
+ 	</varlistentry>
+    </refsect2>
   </refsect1>
  
   <refsect1>
diff --git a/src/backend/port/win32/signal.c b/src/backend/port/win32/signal.c
new file mode 100644
index 322b857..91f8243
*** a/src/backend/port/win32/signal.c
--- b/src/backend/port/win32/signal.c
*************** static pqsigfunc pg_signal_defaults[PG_S
*** 41,46 ****
--- 41,48 ----
  static DWORD WINAPI pg_signal_thread(LPVOID param);
  static BOOL WINAPI pg_console_handler(DWORD dwCtrlType);
  
+ extern bool IsBackgroundPostmaster;
+ extern bool IsUnderPostmaster;
  
  /*
   * pg_usleep --- delay the specified number of microseconds, but
*************** pg_signal_thread(LPVOID param)
*** 346,358 ****
  static BOOL WINAPI
  pg_console_handler(DWORD dwCtrlType)
  {
! 	if (dwCtrlType == CTRL_C_EVENT ||
! 		dwCtrlType == CTRL_BREAK_EVENT ||
! 		dwCtrlType == CTRL_CLOSE_EVENT ||
! 		dwCtrlType == CTRL_SHUTDOWN_EVENT)
  	{
  		pg_queue_signal(SIGINT);
! 		return TRUE;
  	}
! 	return FALSE;
  }
--- 348,369 ----
  static BOOL WINAPI
  pg_console_handler(DWORD dwCtrlType)
  {
! 	switch (dwCtrlType)
  	{
+ 	case CTRL_C_EVENT:
+ 	case CTRL_BREAK_EVENT:
+ 		/* Ignore if started with "pg_ctl start". */
+ 		if (IsUnderPostmaster || IsBackgroundPostmaster)
+ 			break;
+ 		/* fall through */
+ 	case CTRL_CLOSE_EVENT:
+ 	case CTRL_SHUTDOWN_EVENT:
  		pg_queue_signal(SIGINT);
! 		break;
! 	default:
! 		return FALSE;
  	}
! 
! 	return TRUE;
  }
+ 
diff --git a/src/backend/postmaster/postmaster.c b/src/backend/postmaster/postmaster.c
new file mode 100644
index b573fd8..d1ce978
*** a/src/backend/postmaster/postmaster.c
--- b/src/backend/postmaster/postmaster.c
*************** PostmasterMain(int argc, char *argv[])
*** 751,771 ****
  							   *value;
  
  					ParseLongOption(optarg, &name, &value);
! 					if (!value)
  					{
! 						if (opt == '-')
! 							ereport(ERROR,
! 									(errcode(ERRCODE_SYNTAX_ERROR),
! 									 errmsg("--%s requires a value",
! 											optarg)));
! 						else
! 							ereport(ERROR,
! 									(errcode(ERRCODE_SYNTAX_ERROR),
! 									 errmsg("-c %s requires a value",
! 											optarg)));
  					}
  
- 					SetConfigOption(name, value, PGC_POSTMASTER, PGC_S_ARGV);
  					free(name);
  					if (value)
  						free(value);
--- 751,780 ----
  							   *value;
  
  					ParseLongOption(optarg, &name, &value);
! 
! #ifdef WIN32
! 					if (strcmp(name, "background") == 0)
! 						IsBackgroundPostmaster = true;
! 					else
! #endif
  					{
! 						if (!value)
! 						{
! 							if (opt == '-')
! 								ereport(ERROR,
! 										(errcode(ERRCODE_SYNTAX_ERROR),
! 										 errmsg("--%s requires a value",
! 												optarg)));
! 							else
! 								ereport(ERROR,
! 										(errcode(ERRCODE_SYNTAX_ERROR),
! 										 errmsg("-c %s requires a value",
! 												optarg)));
! 						}
! 
! 						SetConfigOption(name, value, PGC_POSTMASTER, PGC_S_ARGV);
  					}
  
  					free(name);
  					if (value)
  						free(value);
diff --git a/src/backend/utils/init/globals.c b/src/backend/utils/init/globals.c
new file mode 100644
index be74835..051b33d
*** a/src/backend/utils/init/globals.c
--- b/src/backend/utils/init/globals.c
*************** bool		IsUnderPostmaster = false;
*** 89,94 ****
--- 89,107 ----
  bool		IsBinaryUpgrade = false;
  bool		IsBackgroundWorker = false;
  
+ #ifdef WIN32
+ /*
+  * This controls whether the postmaster process will respond to incoming
+  * console events (Ctrl-C, Ctrl-Break). If the database was started using
+  * "pg_ctl start", it is running in the background, but will still 
+  * receive the signals generated by these key combinations.
+  *
+  * The reaction of the other server processes is controlled by
+  * IsUnderPostmaster instead.
+  */
+ bool		IsBackgroundPostmaster = false;
+ #endif
+ 
  bool		ExitOnAnyError = false;
  
  int			DateStyle = USE_ISO_DATES;
diff --git a/src/bin/pg_ctl/pg_ctl.c b/src/bin/pg_ctl/pg_ctl.c
new file mode 100644
index fc87e7d..e0d676e
*** a/src/bin/pg_ctl/pg_ctl.c
--- b/src/bin/pg_ctl/pg_ctl.c
*************** start_postmaster(void)
*** 453,462 ****
  	PROCESS_INFORMATION pi;
  
  	if (log_file != NULL)
! 		snprintf(cmd, MAXPGPATH, "CMD /C " SYSTEMQUOTE "\"%s\" %s%s < \"%s\" >> \"%s\" 2>&1" SYSTEMQUOTE,
  				 exec_path, pgdata_opt, post_opts, DEVNULL, log_file);
  	else
! 		snprintf(cmd, MAXPGPATH, "CMD /C " SYSTEMQUOTE "\"%s\" %s%s < \"%s\" 2>&1" SYSTEMQUOTE,
  				 exec_path, pgdata_opt, post_opts, DEVNULL);
  
  	if (!CreateRestrictedProcess(cmd, &pi, false))
--- 453,462 ----
  	PROCESS_INFORMATION pi;
  
  	if (log_file != NULL)
! 		snprintf(cmd, MAXPGPATH, "CMD /C " SYSTEMQUOTE "\"%s\" %s%s --background < \"%s\" >> \"%s\" 2>&1" SYSTEMQUOTE,
  				 exec_path, pgdata_opt, post_opts, DEVNULL, log_file);
  	else
! 		snprintf(cmd, MAXPGPATH, "CMD /C " SYSTEMQUOTE "\"%s\" %s%s --background < \"%s\" 2>&1" SYSTEMQUOTE,
  				 exec_path, pgdata_opt, post_opts, DEVNULL);
  
  	if (!CreateRestrictedProcess(cmd, &pi, false))
diff --git a/src/include/miscadmin.h b/src/include/miscadmin.h
new file mode 100644
index 0d61b82..3a527e9
*** a/src/include/miscadmin.h
--- b/src/include/miscadmin.h
*************** extern PGDLLIMPORT bool IsUnderPostmaste
*** 136,141 ****
--- 136,145 ----
  extern bool IsBackgroundWorker;
  extern bool IsBinaryUpgrade;
  
+ #ifdef WIN32
+ extern bool IsBackgroundPostmaster;
+ #endif
+ 
  extern bool ExitOnAnyError;
  
  extern PGDLLIMPORT char *DataDir;