diff --git a/jdk/src/windows/native/sun/windows/awt_new.cpp b/jdk/src/windows/native/sun/windows/awt_new.cpp
index e22aa3b6458..306f08d5963 100644
--- a/jdk/src/windows/native/sun/windows/awt_new.cpp
+++ b/jdk/src/windows/native/sun/windows/awt_new.cpp
@@ -163,18 +163,13 @@ jthrowable
 safe_ExceptionOccurred(JNIEnv *env) throw (std::bad_alloc) {
     jthrowable xcp = env->ExceptionOccurred();
     if (xcp != NULL) {
-        env->ExceptionClear(); // if we don't do this, FindClass will fail
-
-        jclass outofmem = env->FindClass("java/lang/OutOfMemoryError");
-        DASSERT(outofmem != NULL);
-        jboolean isOutofmem = env->IsInstanceOf(xcp, outofmem);
-
-        env->DeleteLocalRef(outofmem);
-
-        if (isOutofmem) {
+        env->ExceptionClear(); // if we don't do this, isInstanceOf will fail
+        jint isOutofmem = JNU_IsInstanceOfByName(env, xcp, "java/lang/OutOfMemoryError");
+        if (isOutofmem > 0) {
             env->DeleteLocalRef(xcp);
             throw std::bad_alloc();
         } else {
+            env->ExceptionClear();
             // rethrow exception
             env->Throw(xcp);
             return xcp;