diff --git a/tools/buildzip.pl b/tools/buildzip.pl
index 7df6af3a36..ea902ddb9a 100755
--- a/tools/buildzip.pl
+++ b/tools/buildzip.pl
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ my $ROOT="..";
 my $ziptool="zip -r9";
 my $output="rockbox.zip";
 my $verbose;
-my $sim;
+my $install=0;
 my $exe;
 my $target;
 my $modelname;
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ GetOptions ( 'r|root=s'		=> \$ROOT,
 	     'o|output=s'	=> \$output,
 	     'f|fonts=s'	=> \$incfonts,   # 0 - no fonts, 1 - fonts only 2 - fonts and package
 	     'v|verbose'	=> \$verbose,
-	     's|sim'		=> \$sim,
+	     'install=s'		=> \$install, # install destination
 	     'rbdir=s'          => \$rbdir, # If we want to put in a different directory
     );
 
@@ -438,8 +438,11 @@ sub runone {
         print "$ziptool $output $rbdir $target >/dev/null\n";
     }
 
-    if($sim) {
-        system("cp -r $rbdir simdisk/ >/dev/null");
+    if($install) {
+        if ($install =~ /\/dev\/null/) {
+            die "ERROR: No PREFIX given\n"
+        }
+        system("cp -r $rbdir \"$install\" >/dev/null");
     }
     else {
         system("$ziptool $output $rbdir $target >/dev/null");
diff --git a/tools/configure b/tools/configure
index 44ae3e524f..72d0c79950 100755
--- a/tools/configure
+++ b/tools/configure
@@ -2526,6 +2526,7 @@ sed > Makefile \
  -e "s,@LANGS@,${buildlangs},g" \
  -e "s,@USE_ELF@,${USE_ELF},g" \
  -e "s,@RBDIR@,${rbdir},g" \
+ -e "s,@PREFIX@,$PREFIX,g" \
  -e "s,@CMDLINE@,$cmdline,g" \
 <<EOF
 ## Automatically generated. http://www.rockbox.org/
@@ -2572,6 +2573,7 @@ export WINDRES=@WINDRES@
 export DLLTOOL=@DLLTOOL@
 export DLLWRAP=@DLLWRAP@
 export RANLIB=@RANLIB@
+export PREFIX=@PREFIX@
 export PROFILE_OPTS=@PROFILE_OPTS@
 export SIMVER=@SIMVER@
 export SIMDIR=\$(ROOTDIR)/uisimulator/sdl
diff --git a/tools/root.make b/tools/root.make
index 803a5d53b3..00586379c6 100644
--- a/tools/root.make
+++ b/tools/root.make
@@ -22,6 +22,20 @@ TOOLS = $(TOOLSDIR)/rdf2binary $(TOOLSDIR)/convbdf \
 	$(TOOLSDIR)/codepages $(TOOLSDIR)/scramble $(TOOLSDIR)/bmp2rb \
 	$(TOOLSDIR)/uclpack $(TOOLSDIR)/mktccboot $(TOOLSDIR)/mkboot
 
+
+ifeq (,$(PREFIX))
+ifdef SIMVER
+# for sims, set simdisk/ as default
+PREFIX = simdisk
+INSTALL = --install="$(PREFIX)"
+else
+# /dev/null as magic to tell it wasn't set, error out later in buildzip.pl
+INSTALL = --install=/dev/null
+endif
+else
+INSTALL = --install="$(PREFIX)"
+endif
+
 RBINFO = $(BUILDDIR)/rockbox-info.txt
 
 # list suffixes to be understood by $*
@@ -254,19 +268,15 @@ voice: voicetools features
 
 endif
 
-ifdef SIMVER
-
 install:
-	@echo "Installing your build in your 'simdisk' dir"
+	@echo "Installing your build in your '$(PREFIX)' dir"
 	$(SILENT)for f in `cat $(BUILDDIR)/apps/features`; do feat="$$feat:$$f" ; done; \
-	$(TOOLSDIR)/buildzip.pl $(VERBOSEOPT) -m \"$(MODELNAME)\" -i \"$(TARGET_ID)\" -s -r "$(ROOTDIR)" --rbdir="$(RBDIR)" -f 0 $(TARGET) $(BINARY)
+	$(TOOLSDIR)/buildzip.pl $(VERBOSEOPT) -m "$(MODELNAME)" -i "$(TARGET_ID)" $(INSTALL) -z "zip -r0" -r "$(ROOTDIR)" --rbdir="$(RBDIR)" -f 0 $(TARGET) $(BINARY)
 
 fullinstall:
-	@echo "Installing a full setup in your 'simdisk' dir"
+	@echo "Installing a full setup in your '$(PREFIX)' dir"
 	$(SILENT)for f in `cat $(BUILDDIR)/apps/features`; do feat="$$feat:$$f" ; done; \
-	$(TOOLSDIR)/buildzip.pl $(VERBOSEOPT) -m \"$(MODELNAME)\" -i \"$(TARGET_ID)\" -s -r "$(ROOTDIR)" --rbdir="$(RBDIR)" -f 2 $(TARGET) $(BINARY)
-
-endif
+	$(TOOLSDIR)/buildzip.pl $(VERBOSEOPT) -m "$(MODELNAME)" -i "$(TARGET_ID)" $(INSTALL) -z "zip -r0" -r "$(ROOTDIR)" --rbdir="$(RBDIR)" -f 2 $(TARGET) $(BINARY)
 
 help:
 	@echo "A few helpful make targets"
@@ -292,8 +302,8 @@ help:
 	@echo "tools       - builds the tools only"
 	@echo "voice       - creates the voice clips (voice builds only)"
 	@echo "voicetools  - builds the voice tools only"
-	@echo "install     - installs your build (for simulator builds only, no fonts)"
-	@echo "fullinstall - installs your build (for simulator builds only, with fonts)"
+	@echo "install     - installs your build (at PREFIX, defaults to simdisk/ for simulators (no fonts))"
+	@echo "fullinstall - installs your build (like install, but with fonts)"
 	@echo "reconf      - rerun configure with the same selection"
 
 ### general compile rules:
@@ -320,4 +330,4 @@ Makefile: $(TOOLSDIR)/configure
 	$(SILENT)echo "*** tools/configure is newer than Makefile. You should run 'make reconf'."
 
 reconf:
-	$(SILENT)$(TOOLSDIR)/configure $(CONFIGURE_OPTIONS)
+	$(SILENT$)PREFIX=$(PREFIX) $(TOOLSDIR)/configure $(CONFIGURE_OPTIONS)