--- setup.py
+++ setup.py
@@ -790,16 +790,11 @@
 
         # The standard Unix dbm module:
         if platform not in ['cygwin']:
-            if find_file("ndbm.h", inc_dirs, []) is not None:
-                # Some systems have -lndbm, others don't
-                if self.compiler.find_library_file(lib_dirs, 'ndbm'):
-                    ndbm_libs = ['ndbm']
-                else:
-                    ndbm_libs = []
-                exts.append( Extension('_dbm', ['_dbmmodule.c'],
-                                       define_macros=[('HAVE_NDBM_H',None)],
-                                       libraries = ndbm_libs ) )
-            elif self.compiler.find_library_file(lib_dirs, 'gdbm'):
+            # To prevent automagic dependencies check for relevant modules in
+            # disabled_module_list.
+            if (self.compiler.find_library_file(lib_dirs, 'gdbm')
+              and find_file("gdbm/ndbm.h", inc_dirs, []) is not None
+              and 'gdbm' not in disabled_module_list):
                 gdbm_libs = ['gdbm']
                 if self.compiler.find_library_file(lib_dirs, 'gdbm_compat'):
                     gdbm_libs.append('gdbm_compat')
@@ -813,6 +808,16 @@
                         '_dbm', ['_dbmmodule.c'],
                         define_macros=[('HAVE_GDBM_DASH_NDBM_H',None)],
                         libraries = gdbm_libs ) )
+            elif (self.compiler.find_library_file(lib_dirs, 'gdbm')
+              and 'gdbm' not in disabled_module_list):
+                # Some systems have -lndbm, others don't
+                if self.compiler.find_library_file(lib_dirs, 'ndbm'):
+                    ndbm_libs = ['ndbm']
+                else:
+                    ndbm_libs = []
+                exts.append( Extension('_dbm', ['_dbmmodule.c'],
+                                       define_macros=[('HAVE_NDBM_H',None)],
+                                       libraries = ndbm_libs ) )
             elif db_incs is not None:
                 exts.append( Extension('_dbm', ['_dbmmodule.c'],
                                        library_dirs=dblib_dir,
@@ -825,7 +830,8 @@
                 missing.append('_dbm')
 
         # Anthony Baxter's gdbm module.  GNU dbm(3) will require -lgdbm:
-        if (self.compiler.find_library_file(lib_dirs, 'gdbm')):
+        if (self.compiler.find_library_file(lib_dirs, 'gdbm')
+          and 'gdbm' not in disabled_module_list):
             exts.append( Extension('_gdbm', ['_gdbmmodule.c'],
                                    libraries = ['gdbm'] ) )
         else: