diff --git a/cmake/FindHipoDeps.cmake b/cmake/FindHipoDeps.cmake
index 1660c4b7577..cf7f8218e7b 100644
--- a/cmake/FindHipoDeps.cmake
+++ b/cmake/FindHipoDeps.cmake
@@ -31,6 +31,11 @@ endfunction()
 function(highs_configure_blas_metadata)
     set(HIGHS_BLAS_COMPILE_DEFINITION "" PARENT_SCOPE)
 
+    string(TOLOWER "${BLAS_LIBRARIES}" BLAS_LIBRARIES_LOWER)
+    if(BLAS_LIBRARIES_LOWER MATCHES "openblas")
+           set(BLA_VENDOR OpenBLAS)
+    endif()
+
     if(OpenBLAS_FOUND OR OPENBLAS_LIB OR BLA_VENDOR MATCHES "OpenBLAS")
         set(HIGHS_BLAS_VENDOR OpenBLAS PARENT_SCOPE)
         set(HIGHS_BLAS_VERSION "${OpenBLAS_VERSION}" PARENT_SCOPE)
diff --git a/extern/HighsExtrasApiBinding.h b/extern/HighsExtrasApiBinding.h
index 54a83cab013..d8be6f3df09 100644
--- a/extern/HighsExtrasApiBinding.h
+++ b/extern/HighsExtrasApiBinding.h
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@
 
 #include <tuple>
 
-
 // provide metadata info for each feature
 struct HighsExtrasFeatureInfo {
   HighsExtrasFeatureInfo(const char* provider_ = nullptr,
diff --git a/extern/HighsExtrasExternalDeps.h b/extern/HighsExtrasExternalDeps.h
index 80a9d8cc147..035b08eabb8 100644
--- a/extern/HighsExtrasExternalDeps.h
+++ b/extern/HighsExtrasExternalDeps.h
@@ -184,8 +184,8 @@ struct blas : extras_feature<1> {
                             lda, B, ldb);
   }
 
-  static void openblas_set_num_threads(int num_threads) {
-    impl::template fn<11>()(num_threads);
+  static int openblas_set_num_threads(int num_threads) {
+    return impl::template fn<11>()(num_threads);
   }
 };
 
diff --git a/extern/blas/myblas.cpp b/extern/blas/myblas.cpp
index 0b4b1e76716..556ccf58b01 100644
--- a/extern/blas/myblas.cpp
+++ b/extern/blas/myblas.cpp
@@ -1,7 +1,10 @@
 #include "mycblas.h"
 
-void highs_openblas_set_num_threads(int num_threads) {
+int highs_openblas_set_num_threads(int num_threads) {
 #if defined(HIPO_USES_OPENBLAS)
   openblas_set_num_threads(num_threads);
+  return openblas_get_num_threads();
+#else
+  return -1;
 #endif
 }
diff --git a/extern/blas/mycblas.h b/extern/blas/mycblas.h
index fe1c449367d..d61971d1307 100644
--- a/extern/blas/mycblas.h
+++ b/extern/blas/mycblas.h
@@ -107,9 +107,10 @@ extern "C" {
 
 #if defined(HIPO_USES_OPENBLAS)
 void openblas_set_num_threads(int num_threads);
+int openblas_get_num_threads(void);
 #endif
 
-void highs_openblas_set_num_threads(int num_threads);
+int highs_openblas_set_num_threads(int num_threads);
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }
 #endif
diff --git a/highs/ipm/IpxWrapper.cpp b/highs/ipm/IpxWrapper.cpp
index 4007285e3e4..461107c6018 100644
--- a/highs/ipm/IpxWrapper.cpp
+++ b/highs/ipm/IpxWrapper.cpp
@@ -420,6 +420,19 @@ HighsStatus solveQpHipo(HighsQpSolverObject& solver_object) {
                    solver_object.callback_);
 }
 
+static HighsInt prepareOpenBLAS(const HighsOptions& options) {
+  // force openblas to run in serial, for determinism and better performance
+  // no-op if openblas is not used
+  const int threads_used = HighsExtras::blas::openblas_set_num_threads(1);
+  if (is_substring_case(HighsExtras::blas::getInfo()->provider, "openblas") &&
+      threads_used != 1) {
+    highsLogUser(options.log_options, HighsLogType::kError,
+                 "OpenBLAS failed to set the number of threads to 1\n");
+    return 1;
+  }
+  return 0;
+}
+
 HighsStatus solveHipo(const HighsOptions& options, HighsTimer& timer,
                       const HighsLp& lp, const HighsHessian& Q,
                       HighsBasis& highs_basis, HighsSolution& highs_solution,
@@ -457,9 +470,10 @@ HighsStatus solveHipo(const HighsOptions& options, HighsTimer& timer,
   // Indicate that no imprecise solution has (yet) been found
   resetModelStatusAndHighsInfo(model_status, highs_info);
 
-  // force openblas to run in serial, for determinism and better performance
-  // no-op if openblas is not used
-  HighsExtras::blas::openblas_set_num_threads(1);
+  if (prepareOpenBLAS(options)) {
+    model_status = HighsModelStatus::kSolveError;
+    return HighsStatus::kError;
+  }
 
   // Create solver instance
   hipo::Solver hipo{};
diff --git a/highs/ipm/hipo/ipm/FactorHighsSolver.cpp b/highs/ipm/hipo/ipm/FactorHighsSolver.cpp
index 9eff5d80c33..86a9825c1fa 100644
--- a/highs/ipm/hipo/ipm/FactorHighsSolver.cpp
+++ b/highs/ipm/hipo/ipm/FactorHighsSolver.cpp
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 #include "FactorHighsSolver.h"
 
-#include <cstring>
 #include <limits>
 
 #include "HighsExternalApi.h"
@@ -592,15 +591,11 @@ void FactorHighsSolver::setParallelBeforeSymbolic() {
                           parallel_NE_values_default);
 }
 
-static bool usingAppleBlas() {
-  return strstr(HighsExtras::blas::getInfo()->provider, "Apple") != nullptr;
-}
-
 void FactorHighsSolver::setParallelAfterSymbolic() {
   bool parallel_tree = false;
   bool parallel_node = false;
 
-  if (usingAppleBlas()) {
+  if (is_substring_case(HighsExtras::blas::getInfo()->provider, "apple")) {
     // Blas on Apple do not work well with parallel_node, but parallel_tree
     // seems to always be beneficial.
     parallel_node = false;
diff --git a/highs/util/stringutil.h b/highs/util/stringutil.h
index 228a2be9b37..5aeaf90b658 100644
--- a/highs/util/stringutil.h
+++ b/highs/util/stringutil.h
@@ -146,4 +146,22 @@ bool is_end(std::string& str, size_t end,
 std::string first_word(std::string& str, size_t start);
 size_t first_word_end(std::string& str, size_t start);
 
+#if defined(_WIN32) || defined(_WIN64)
+#include <string.h>  // _strnicmp
+#else
+#include <strings.h>  // strcasestr
+#endif
+
+// check if rhs is a substring of lhs, case insensitive
+inline bool is_substring_case(const char* lhs, const char* rhs) {
+#if defined(_WIN32) || defined(_WIN64)
+  size_t len = strlen(rhs);
+  for (; *lhs != '\0'; ++lhs)
+    if (_strnicmp(lhs, rhs, len) == 0) return true;
+  return false;
+#else
+  return strcasestr(lhs, rhs) != nullptr;
+#endif
+}
+
 #endif