diff --git a/etc/settings.csh b/etc/settings.csh
index 5df50a809aeb9dce1998b6251aaf1a283f8bcfaa..8b51bb7b412ca5878ad26d933fb822419150b078 100644
--- a/etc/settings.csh
+++ b/etc/settings.csh
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ unsetenv MPFR_ARCH_PATH
 # Select compiler installation
 # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 # compilerInstall = OpenFOAM | system
-if ( ! $?compilerInstall ) set compilerInstall=OpenFOAM
+if ( ! $?compilerInstall ) set compilerInstall=system
 
 switch ("$compilerInstall")
 case OpenFOAM:
@@ -209,14 +209,20 @@ case OPENMPI:
     breaksw
 
 case SYSTEMOPENMPI:
-    # use the system installed openmpi, get library directory via mpicc
+
+    # This uses the installed openmpi. It needs mpicc installed!
+
     set mpi_version=openmpi-system
-    set libDir=`mpicc --showme:link | sed -e 's/.*-L\([^ ]*\).*/\1/'`
+
+    # Set compilation flags here instead of in wmake/rules/../mplibSYSTEMOPENMPI
+    setenv PINC "`mpicc --showme:compile`"
+    setenv PLIBS "`mpicc --showme:link`"
+    set libDir=`echo "$PLIBS" | sed -e 's/.*-L\([^ ]*\).*/\1/'`
 
     if ($?FOAM_VERBOSE && $?prompt) then
-        echo "Using system installed OpenMPI:"
-        echo "    compile flags : `mpicc --showme:compile`"
-        echo "    link flags    : `mpicc --showme:link`"
+        echo "Using system installed MPI:"
+        echo "    compile flags : $PINC"
+        echo "    link flags    : $PLIBS"
         echo "    libmpi dir    : $libDir"
     endif
 
diff --git a/etc/settings.sh b/etc/settings.sh
index 17f029539a8b020e292981c3f117a319c9c2058b..aae19a764b20e359fef52f32e66d2e6a670a1e9f 100644
--- a/etc/settings.sh
+++ b/etc/settings.sh
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ unset MPFR_ARCH_PATH
 # Select compiler installation
 # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 # compilerInstall = OpenFOAM | system
-: ${compilerInstall:=OpenFOAM}
+: ${compilerInstall:=system}
 
 case "${compilerInstall:-OpenFOAM}" in
 OpenFOAM)
@@ -237,13 +237,17 @@ OPENMPI)
 SYSTEMOPENMPI)
     # use the system installed openmpi, get library directory via mpicc
     mpi_version=openmpi-system
-    libDir=`mpicc --showme:link | sed -e 's/.*-L\([^ ]*\).*/\1/'`
+
+    # Set compilation flags here instead of in wmake/rules/../mplibSYSTEMOPENMPI
+    export PINC="`mpicc --showme:compile`"
+    export PLIBS="`mpicc --showme:link`"
+    libDir=`echo "$PLIBS" | sed -e 's/.*-L\([^ ]*\).*/\1/'`
 
     if [ "$FOAM_VERBOSE" -a "$PS1" ]
     then
-        echo "Using system installed OpenMPI:"
-        echo "    compile flags : `mpicc --showme:compile`"
-        echo "    link flags    : `mpicc --showme:link`"
+        echo "Using system installed MPI:"
+        echo "    compile flags : $PINC"
+        echo "    link flags    : $PLIBS"
         echo "    libmpi dir    : $libDir"
     fi