diff --git a/ctypes_generation/generate.py b/ctypes_generation/generate.py
index b634451..388bd59 100644
--- a/ctypes_generation/generate.py
+++ b/ctypes_generation/generate.py
@@ -111,9 +111,15 @@ common_header = "#Generated file\n"
 
 defs_header = common_header + """
 import sys
+import platform
 if sys.version_info.major == 3:
     long = int
 
+bits = platform.architecture()[0]
+bitness =  int(bits[:2])
+
+NATIVE_WORD_MAX_VALUE = 0xffffffff if bitness == 32 else 0xffffffffffffffff
+
 class Flag(long):
     def __new__(cls, name, value):
         return super(Flag, cls).__new__(cls, value)
diff --git a/ctypes_generation/windef.txt b/ctypes_generation/windef.txt
index 9562b28..e9b5633 100644
--- a/ctypes_generation/windef.txt
+++ b/ctypes_generation/windef.txt
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+#define INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE ((-1) & NATIVE_WORD_MAX_VALUE)
 #define NULL    0
 #define MAX_PATH          260
 #define ANYSIZE_ARRAY 1
diff --git a/windows/generated_def/windef.py b/windows/generated_def/windef.py
index 48e6cec..e06db5e 100644
--- a/windows/generated_def/windef.py
+++ b/windows/generated_def/windef.py
@@ -1,9 +1,15 @@
 #Generated file
 
 import sys
+import platform
 if sys.version_info.major == 3:
     long = int
 
+bits = platform.architecture()[0]
+bitness =  int(bits[:2])
+
+NATIVE_WORD_MAX_VALUE = 0xffffffff if bitness == 32 else 0xffffffffffffffff
+
 class Flag(long):
     def __new__(cls, name, value):
         return super(Flag, cls).__new__(cls, value)
@@ -16,6 +22,7 @@ class Flag(long):
 
     __str__ = __repr__
 
+INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE = Flag("INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE", ( ( -1 ) & NATIVE_WORD_MAX_VALUE ))
 NULL = Flag("NULL", 0)
 MAX_PATH = Flag("MAX_PATH", 260)
 ANYSIZE_ARRAY = Flag("ANYSIZE_ARRAY", 1)
diff --git a/windows/test/mytest.py b/windows/test/mytest.py
index a0a7755..59861d8 100644
--- a/windows/test/mytest.py
+++ b/windows/test/mytest.py
@@ -285,10 +285,15 @@ class WindowsTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
             cont = t.context
             self.assertEqual(cont.Rax, 0x4242424243434343)
 
+class WindowsAPITestCase(unittest.TestCase):
+    def test_createfileA_fail(self):
+        with self.assertRaises(WindowsError) as ar:
+            windows.winproxy.CreateFileA("NONEXISTFILE.FILE")
+
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
     alltests = unittest.TestSuite()
-    alltests.addTest(unittest.makeSuite(WindowsTestCase))
+    alltests.addTest(unittest.makeSuite(WindowsTestCase), unittest.makeSuite(WindowsAPITestCase))
     alltests.debug()
     tester = unittest.TextTestRunner(verbosity=2)
     tester.run(alltests)
diff --git a/windows/winproxy.py b/windows/winproxy.py
index 738a44f..a1d1672 100644
--- a/windows/winproxy.py
+++ b/windows/winproxy.py
@@ -252,12 +252,19 @@ Wow64EnableWow64FsRedirection = OptionalExport(TransparentKernel32Proxy)("Wow64E
 Wow64GetThreadContext = OptionalExport(TransparentKernel32Proxy)("Wow64GetThreadContext")
 
 
-@Kernel32Proxy("CreateFileA")
+def CreateFile_error_check(func_name, result, func, args):
+    """raise Kernel32Error if result is NOT 0"""
+    if result == INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE:
+        raise Kernel32Error(func_name)
+    return args
+
+
+@Kernel32Proxy("CreateFileA", error_check=CreateFile_error_check)
 def CreateFileA(lpFileName, dwDesiredAccess=GENERIC_READ, dwShareMode=0, lpSecurityAttributes=None, dwCreationDisposition=OPEN_EXISTING, dwFlagsAndAttributes=FILE_ATTRIBUTE_NORMAL, hTemplateFile=None):
     return CreateFileA.ctypes_function(lpFileName, dwDesiredAccess, dwShareMode, lpSecurityAttributes, dwCreationDisposition, dwFlagsAndAttributes, hTemplateFile)
 
 
-@Kernel32Proxy("CreateFileW")
+@Kernel32Proxy("CreateFileW", error_check=CreateFile_error_check)
 def CreateFileW(lpFileName, dwDesiredAccess=GENERIC_READ, dwShareMode=0, lpSecurityAttributes=None, dwCreationDisposition=OPEN_EXISTING, dwFlagsAndAttributes=FILE_ATTRIBUTE_NORMAL, hTemplateFile=None):
     return CreateFileA.ctypes_function(lpFileName, dwDesiredAccess, dwShareMode, lpSecurityAttributes, dwCreationDisposition, dwFlagsAndAttributes, hTemplateFile)