diff --git a/src/common/processing.h b/src/common/processing.h
index 08d8c64bf..37dfceba3 100644
--- a/src/common/processing.h
+++ b/src/common/processing.h
@@ -5,7 +5,18 @@
 
 #include "util/FFstrbuf.h"
 
-const char* ffProcessAppendStdOut(FFstrbuf* buffer, char* const argv[]);
-const char* ffProcessAppendStdErr(FFstrbuf* buffer, char* const argv[]);
+#define FF_WAIT_TIMEOUT 1000
+
+const char* ffProcessAppendOutput(FFstrbuf* buffer, char* const argv[], bool useStdErr);
+
+static inline const char* ffProcessAppendStdOut(FFstrbuf* buffer, char* const argv[])
+{
+    return ffProcessAppendOutput(buffer, argv, false);
+}
+
+static inline const char* ffProcessAppendStdErr(FFstrbuf* buffer, char* const argv[])
+{
+    return ffProcessAppendOutput(buffer, argv, true);
+}
 
 #endif
diff --git a/src/common/processing_linux.c b/src/common/processing_linux.c
index 105f725bd..45311b2b1 100644
--- a/src/common/processing_linux.c
+++ b/src/common/processing_linux.c
@@ -14,8 +14,6 @@
     #include <poll.h>
 #endif
 
-#define FF_WAIT_TIMEOUT 1000
-
 int waitpid_timeout(pid_t pid, int* status)
 {
     if (FF_WAIT_TIMEOUT <= 0)
@@ -55,7 +53,7 @@ int waitpid_timeout(pid_t pid, int* status)
     }
 }
 
-const char* ffProcessAppendStdOut(FFstrbuf* buffer, char* const argv[])
+const char* ffProcessAppendOutput(FFstrbuf* buffer, char* const argv[], bool useStdErr)
 {
     int pipes[2];
 
@@ -69,52 +67,10 @@ const char* ffProcessAppendStdOut(FFstrbuf* buffer, char* const argv[])
     //Child
     if(childPid == 0)
     {
-        dup2(pipes[1], STDOUT_FILENO);
+        dup2(pipes[1], useStdErr ? STDERR_FILENO : STDOUT_FILENO);
         close(pipes[0]);
         close(pipes[1]);
-        close(STDERR_FILENO);
-        execvp(argv[0], argv);
-        exit(901);
-    }
-
-    //Parent
-    close(pipes[1]);
-
-    int FF_AUTO_CLOSE_FD childPipeFd = pipes[0];
-    int status = -1;
-    if(waitpid_timeout(childPid, &status) < 0)
-        return "waitpid(childPid, &status) failed";
-
-    if (!WIFEXITED(status))
-        return "WIFEXITED(status) == false";
-
-    if(WEXITSTATUS(status) == 901)
-        return "WEXITSTATUS(status) == 901 ( execvp failed )";
-
-    if(!ffAppendFDBuffer(childPipeFd, buffer))
-        return "ffAppendFDBuffer(childPipeFd, buffer) failed";
-
-    return NULL;
-}
-
-const char* ffProcessAppendStdErr(FFstrbuf* buffer, char* const argv[])
-{
-    int pipes[2];
-
-    if(pipe(pipes) == -1)
-        return "pipe() failed";
-
-    pid_t childPid = fork();
-    if(childPid == -1)
-        return "fork() failed";
-
-    //Child
-    if(childPid == 0)
-    {
-        dup2(pipes[1], STDERR_FILENO);
-        close(pipes[0]);
-        close(pipes[1]);
-        close(STDOUT_FILENO);
+        close(useStdErr ? STDOUT_FILENO : STDERR_FILENO);
         execvp(argv[0], argv);
         exit(901);
     }
diff --git a/src/common/processing_windows.c b/src/common/processing_windows.c
index a7de09e8e..7070d31c7 100644
--- a/src/common/processing_windows.c
+++ b/src/common/processing_windows.c
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
 #include "fastfetch.h"
 #include "common/processing.h"
+#include "common/io/io.h"
 
 #include <Windows.h>
 
-const char* ffProcessAppendStdOut(FFstrbuf* buffer, char* const argv[])
+const char* ffProcessAppendOutput(FFstrbuf* buffer, char* const argv[], bool useStdErr)
 {
     SECURITY_ATTRIBUTES saAttr = {
         .nLength = sizeof(SECURITY_ATTRIBUTES),
@@ -11,7 +12,8 @@ const char* ffProcessAppendStdOut(FFstrbuf* buffer, char* const argv[])
         .bInheritHandle = TRUE,
     };
 
-    HANDLE hChildPipeRead, hChildPipeWrite;
+    FF_AUTO_CLOSE_FD HANDLE hChildPipeRead = NULL;
+    HANDLE hChildPipeWrite = NULL;
     if (!CreatePipe(&hChildPipeRead, &hChildPipeWrite, &saAttr, 0))
         return "CreatePipe() failed";
 
@@ -22,8 +24,11 @@ const char* ffProcessAppendStdOut(FFstrbuf* buffer, char* const argv[])
     STARTUPINFOA siStartInfo = {
         .cb = sizeof(siStartInfo),
         .dwFlags = STARTF_USESTDHANDLES,
-        .hStdOutput = hChildPipeWrite,
     };
+    if (useStdErr)
+        siStartInfo.hStdError = hChildPipeWrite;
+    else
+        siStartInfo.hStdOutput = hChildPipeWrite;
 
     BOOL success;
 
@@ -51,71 +56,16 @@ const char* ffProcessAppendStdOut(FFstrbuf* buffer, char* const argv[])
 
     CloseHandle(hChildPipeWrite);
     if(!success)
-    {
-        CloseHandle(hChildPipeRead);
         return "CreateProcessA() failed";
-    }
-
-    char str[1024];
-    DWORD nRead;
-    while(ReadFile(hChildPipeRead, str, sizeof(str), &nRead, NULL) && nRead > 0)
-        ffStrbufAppendNS(buffer, nRead, str);
-
-    CloseHandle(hChildPipeRead);
-    return NULL;
-}
-
-const char* ffProcessAppendStdErr(FFstrbuf* buffer, char* const argv[])
-{
-    SECURITY_ATTRIBUTES saAttr = {
-        .nLength = sizeof(SECURITY_ATTRIBUTES),
-        .lpSecurityDescriptor = NULL,
-        .bInheritHandle = TRUE,
-    };
-
-    HANDLE hChildPipeRead, hChildPipeWrite;
-    if (!CreatePipe(&hChildPipeRead, &hChildPipeWrite, &saAttr, 0))
-        return "CreatePipe() failed";
-
-    if (!SetHandleInformation(hChildPipeRead, HANDLE_FLAG_INHERIT, 0))
-        return "SetHandleInformation(hChildPipeRead) failed";
-
-    PROCESS_INFORMATION piProcInfo = {0};
-    STARTUPINFOA siStartInfo = {
-        .cb = sizeof(siStartInfo),
-        .dwFlags = STARTF_USESTDHANDLES,
-        .hStdError = hChildPipeWrite,
-    };
-
-    BOOL success;
 
+    if (FF_WAIT_TIMEOUT > 0)
     {
-        FF_STRBUF_AUTO_DESTROY cmdline = ffStrbufCreateF("\"%s\"", argv[0]);
-        for(char* const* parg = &argv[1]; *parg; ++parg)
+        DWORD ret = WaitForSingleObjectEx(piProcInfo.hProcess, FF_WAIT_TIMEOUT, TRUE);
+        if (ret == WAIT_TIMEOUT)
         {
-            ffStrbufAppendC(&cmdline, ' ');
-            ffStrbufAppendS(&cmdline, *parg);
+            TerminateProcess(piProcInfo.hProcess, 1);
+            return "Waiting process timeout";
         }
-
-        success = CreateProcessA(
-            NULL,          // application name
-            cmdline.chars, // command line
-            NULL,          // process security attributes
-            NULL,          // primary thread security attributes
-            TRUE,          // handles are inherited
-            0,             // creation flags
-            NULL,          // use parent's environment
-            NULL,          // use parent's current directory
-            &siStartInfo,  // STARTUPINFO pointer
-            &piProcInfo    // receives PROCESS_INFORMATION
-        );
-    }
-
-    CloseHandle(hChildPipeWrite);
-    if(!success)
-    {
-        CloseHandle(hChildPipeRead);
-        return "CreateProcessA() failed";
     }
 
     char str[1024];
@@ -123,6 +73,5 @@ const char* ffProcessAppendStdErr(FFstrbuf* buffer, char* const argv[])
     while(ReadFile(hChildPipeRead, str, sizeof(str), &nRead, NULL) && nRead > 0)
         ffStrbufAppendNS(buffer, nRead, str);
 
-    CloseHandle(hChildPipeRead);
     return NULL;
 }