diff --git a/loginutils/cryptpw.c b/loginutils/cryptpw.c
index d4bcad3e0..54babdc80 100644
--- a/loginutils/cryptpw.c
+++ b/loginutils/cryptpw.c
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@
  * cryptpw.c
  * 
  * Cooked from passwd.c by Thomas Lundquist <thomasez@zelow.no>
- * 
  */
 
 #include "busybox.h"
@@ -11,27 +10,19 @@
 int cryptpw_main(int argc, char **argv);
 int cryptpw_main(int argc, char **argv)
 {
-	char *clear;
-	char salt[sizeof("$N$XXXXXXXX")]; /* "$N$XXXXXXXX" or "XX" */
-	const char *opt_a = "md5";
+	char salt[sizeof("$N$XXXXXXXX")];
 
-	getopt32(argc, argv, "a:", &opt_a);
-	/* move past the commandline options */
-	/*argc -= optind; - unused */
-	argv += optind;
-
-	crypt_make_salt(salt, 1); /* des */
-	if (strcasecmp(opt_a, "md5") == 0) {
+	if (!getopt32(argc, argv, "a:", NULL) || argv[optind - 1][0] != 'd') {
 		strcpy(salt, "$1$");
-		crypt_make_salt(salt + 3, 4);
-	} else if (strcasecmp(opt_a, "des") != 0) {
-		bb_show_usage();
+		/* Too ugly, and needs even more magic to handle endianness: */
+		//((uint32_t*)&salt)[0] = '$' + '1'*0x100 + '$'*0x10000;
+		/* Hope one day gcc will do it itself (inlining strcpy) */
+		crypt_make_salt(salt + 3, 4); /* md5 */
+	} else {
+		crypt_make_salt(salt, 1);     /* des */
 	}
 
-	clear = argv[0];
-	if (!clear)
-		clear = xmalloc_getline(stdin);
+	puts(pw_encrypt(argv[optind] ? argv[optind] : xmalloc_getline(stdin), salt));
 
-	puts(pw_encrypt(clear, salt));
 	return 0;
 }