diff --git a/src/hotspot/os/windows/os_windows.cpp b/src/hotspot/os/windows/os_windows.cpp
index 06fe8a826cd..ec03a45594c 100644
--- a/src/hotspot/os/windows/os_windows.cpp
+++ b/src/hotspot/os/windows/os_windows.cpp
@@ -2600,6 +2600,7 @@ static inline void report_error(Thread* t, DWORD exception_code,
 //-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 JNIEXPORT
 LONG WINAPI topLevelExceptionFilter(struct _EXCEPTION_POINTERS* exceptionInfo) {
+  PreserveLastError ple;
   if (InterceptOSException) return EXCEPTION_CONTINUE_SEARCH;
   PEXCEPTION_RECORD exception_record = exceptionInfo->ExceptionRecord;
   DWORD exception_code = exception_record->ExceptionCode;
diff --git a/test/hotspot/gtest/utilities/test_vmerror.cpp b/test/hotspot/gtest/utilities/test_vmerror.cpp
index a779133b711..ad2f2c3004f 100644
--- a/test/hotspot/gtest/utilities/test_vmerror.cpp
+++ b/test/hotspot/gtest/utilities/test_vmerror.cpp
@@ -28,6 +28,17 @@
 
 #ifdef ASSERT
 
+#ifdef _WINDOWS
+
+#include <windows.h>
+
+TEST_VM_ASSERT_MSG(vmErrorTest, fatalWithError,
+                   "fatal error: GetLastError should be 6 - actually: 6") {
+  SetLastError(6);
+  fatal("GetLastError should be 6 - actually: %lu", GetLastError());
+}
+#endif // WINDOWS
+
 TEST_VM_ASSERT_MSG(vmErrorTest, resourceMark,
                   "fatal error: memory leak: allocating without ResourceMark") {