diff --git a/ikvmc/Compiler.cs b/ikvmc/Compiler.cs
index 5795c70e..bc779b70 100644
--- a/ikvmc/Compiler.cs
+++ b/ikvmc/Compiler.cs
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ class IkvmcCompiler
 	private Dictionary<string, byte[]> resources = new Dictionary<string, byte[]>();
 	private string defaultAssemblyName;
 	private List<string> classesToExclude = new List<string>();
-	private List<string> references = new List<string>();
+	private List<Assembly> references = new List<Assembly>();
 	private static bool time;
 
 	private static List<string> GetArgs(string[] args)
@@ -242,7 +242,7 @@ class IkvmcCompiler
 				nestedLevel.resources = new Dictionary<string, byte[]>(resources);
 				nestedLevel.defaultAssemblyName = defaultAssemblyName;
 				nestedLevel.classesToExclude = new List<string>(classesToExclude);
-				nestedLevel.references = new List<string>(references);
+				nestedLevel.references = new List<Assembly>(references);
 				int rc = nestedLevel.ContinueParseCommandLine(arglist, targets, options.Copy());
 				if(rc != 0)
 				{
@@ -422,11 +422,22 @@ class IkvmcCompiler
 							Console.Error.WriteLine("Error: reference not found: {0}", r);
 							return 1;
 						}
-						files = new string[] { asm.Location };
+						references.Add(asm);
 					}
-					foreach(string f in files)
+					else
 					{
-						references.Add(f);
+						foreach(string file in files)
+						{
+							try
+							{
+								references.Add(Assembly.LoadFile(file));
+							}
+							catch(FileLoadException)
+							{
+								Console.Error.WriteLine("Error: reference not found: {0}", file);
+								return 1;
+							}
+						}
 					}
 				}
 				else if(s.StartsWith("-recurse:"))
diff --git a/ikvmc/CompilerClassLoader.cs b/ikvmc/CompilerClassLoader.cs
index 9a0a5066..66634cd7 100644
--- a/ikvmc/CompilerClassLoader.cs
+++ b/ikvmc/CompilerClassLoader.cs
@@ -746,7 +746,7 @@ namespace IKVM.Internal
 				this.classLoader = classLoader;
 				classDef = c;
 				bool baseIsSealed = false;
-				shadowType = Type.GetType(c.Shadows, true);
+				shadowType = JVM.GetType(c.Shadows, true);
 				classLoader.SetRemappedType(shadowType, this);
 				Type baseType = shadowType;
 				Type baseInterface = null;
@@ -2523,20 +2523,14 @@ namespace IKVM.Internal
 			AssemblyName runtimeAssemblyName = StaticCompiler.runtimeAssembly.GetName();
 			bool allReferencesAreStrongNamed = IsSigned(StaticCompiler.runtimeAssembly);
 			List<Assembly> references = new List<Assembly>();
-			foreach(string r in options.references)
+			foreach(Assembly reference in options.references)
 			{
 				try
 				{
-					Assembly reference = LoadReferencedAssembly(r);
 					if(IsCoreAssembly(reference))
 					{
 						JVM.CoreAssembly = reference;
 					}
-					if(reference == null)
-					{
-						Console.Error.WriteLine("Error: reference not found: {0}", r);
-						return 1;
-					}
 					references.Add(reference);
 					allReferencesAreStrongNamed &= IsSigned(reference);
 					Tracer.Info(Tracer.Compiler, "Loaded reference assembly: {0}", reference.FullName);
@@ -2550,7 +2544,7 @@ namespace IKVM.Internal
 							{
 								if(asmref.FullName != runtimeAssemblyName.FullName)
 								{
-									Console.Error.WriteLine("Error: referenced assembly {0} was compiled with an incompatible IKVM.Runtime version ({1})", r, asmref.Version);
+									Console.Error.WriteLine("Error: referenced assembly {0} was compiled with an incompatible IKVM.Runtime version ({1})", reference.Location, asmref.Version);
 									Console.Error.WriteLine("   Current runtime: {0}", runtimeAssemblyName.FullName);
 									Console.Error.WriteLine("   Referenced assembly runtime: {0}", asmref.FullName);
 									return 1;
@@ -2560,7 +2554,7 @@ namespace IKVM.Internal
 							{
 								if(asmref.GetPublicKeyToken() != null && asmref.GetPublicKeyToken().Length != 0)
 								{
-									Console.Error.WriteLine("Error: referenced assembly {0} was compiled with an incompatible (signed) IKVM.Runtime version", r);
+									Console.Error.WriteLine("Error: referenced assembly {0} was compiled with an incompatible (signed) IKVM.Runtime version", reference.Location);
 									Console.Error.WriteLine("   Current runtime: {0}", runtimeAssemblyName.FullName);
 									Console.Error.WriteLine("   Referenced assembly runtime: {0}", asmref.FullName);
 									return 1;
@@ -2571,7 +2565,7 @@ namespace IKVM.Internal
 				}
 				catch(Exception x)
 				{
-					Console.Error.WriteLine("Error: invalid reference: {0} ({1})", r, x.Message);
+					Console.Error.WriteLine("Error: invalid reference: {0} ({1})", reference.Location, x.Message);
 					return 1;
 				}
 			}
@@ -3078,7 +3072,7 @@ namespace IKVM.Internal
 		internal PEFileKinds target;
 		internal bool guessFileKind;
 		internal Dictionary<string, byte[]> classes;
-		internal string[] references;
+		internal Assembly[] references;
 		internal Dictionary<string, byte[]> resources;
 		internal string[] classesToExclude;
 		internal string remapfile;