diff --git a/src/lib/fs.rs b/src/lib/fs.rs
index f9fcc67510e..ec389593f5b 100644
--- a/src/lib/fs.rs
+++ b/src/lib/fs.rs
@@ -144,6 +144,8 @@ fn normalize(p: path) -> path {
         ret t;
     }
 
+    #[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
+    #[cfg(target_os = "macos")]
     fn reabsolute(orig: path, new: path) -> path {
         if path_is_absolute(orig) {
             path_sep() + new
@@ -152,6 +154,15 @@ fn normalize(p: path) -> path {
         }
     }
 
+    #[cfg(target_os = "win32")]
+    fn reabsolute(orig: path, new: path) -> path {
+       if path_is_absolute(orig) && orig[0] == os_fs::path_sep as u8 {
+           str::from_char(os_fs::path_sep) + new
+       } else {
+           new
+       }
+    }
+
     fn reterminate(orig: path, new: path) -> path {
         let last = orig[str::byte_len(orig) - 1u];
         if last == os_fs::path_sep as u8
diff --git a/src/lib/win32_fs.rs b/src/lib/win32_fs.rs
index 06701249150..dcd8a905d2e 100644
--- a/src/lib/win32_fs.rs
+++ b/src/lib/win32_fs.rs
@@ -12,7 +12,9 @@ fn list_dir(path: str) -> [str] {
 
 fn path_is_absolute(p: str) -> bool {
     ret str::char_at(p, 0u) == '/' ||
-            str::char_at(p, 1u) == ':' && str::char_at(p, 2u) == '\\';
+            str::char_at(p, 1u) == ':'
+            && (str::char_at(p, 2u) == path_sep
+            || str::char_at(p, 2u) == alt_path_sep);
 }
 
 /* FIXME: win32 path handling actually accepts '/' or '\' and has subtly
diff --git a/src/test/stdtest/fs.rs b/src/test/stdtest/fs.rs
index 2a348cc7ccb..14467ea59a6 100644
--- a/src/test/stdtest/fs.rs
+++ b/src/test/stdtest/fs.rs
@@ -132,6 +132,7 @@ fn normalize9() {
 fn normalize10() {
     let actual = fs::normalize("/a/b/c/../d/./../../e/");
     let expected = "/a/e/";
+    log_err actual;
     assert actual == expected;
 }
 
@@ -140,4 +141,19 @@ fn normalize11() {
     let actual = fs::normalize("/a/..");
     let expected = "/";
     assert actual == expected;
+}
+
+#[test]
+#[cfg(target_os = "win32")]
+fn normalize12() {
+   let actual = fs::normalize("C:/whatever");
+   let expected = "C:/whatever";
+   log_err actual;
+   assert actual == expected;
+}
+
+#[test]
+#[cfg(target_os = "win32")]
+fn path_is_absolute_win32() {
+   assert fs::path_is_absolute("C:/whatever");
 }
\ No newline at end of file