diff --git a/src/channel.c b/src/channel.c
index f1c2ccd..ebbc315 100644
--- a/src/channel.c
+++ b/src/channel.c
@@ -5921,7 +5921,7 @@
     {
 	// Command is a string.
 	cmd = argvars[0].vval.v_string;
-	if (cmd == NULL || *cmd == NUL)
+	if (cmd == NULL || *skipwhite(cmd) == NUL)
 	{
 	    emsg(_(e_invarg));
 	    goto theend;
@@ -5945,13 +5945,12 @@
 	    goto theend;
 
 	// Empty command is invalid.
-#ifdef USE_ARGV
 	if (argc == 0 || *skipwhite((char_u *)argv[0]) == NUL)
 	{
 	    emsg(_(e_invarg));
 	    goto theend;
 	}
-#else
+#ifndef USE_ARGV
 	if (win32_build_cmd(l, &ga) == FAIL)
 	    goto theend;
 	cmd = ga.ga_data;
diff --git a/src/testdir/test_channel.vim b/src/testdir/test_channel.vim
index a7c4009..4dac7aa 100644
--- a/src/testdir/test_channel.vim
+++ b/src/testdir/test_channel.vim
@@ -1962,6 +1962,8 @@
   " This was crashing on MS-Windows.
   call assert_fails('let job = job_start([""])', 'E474:')
   call assert_fails('let job = job_start(["   "])', 'E474:')
+  call assert_fails('let job = job_start("")', 'E474:')
+  call assert_fails('let job = job_start("   ")', 'E474:')
 endfunc
 
 " Do this last, it stops any channel log.
diff --git a/src/version.c b/src/version.c
index 7e9f4a5..88ea924 100644
--- a/src/version.c
+++ b/src/version.c
@@ -743,6 +743,8 @@
 static int included_patches[] =
 {   /* Add new patch number below this line */
 /**/
+    32,
+/**/
     31,
 /**/
     30,