Index: src/OFData.m
==================================================================
--- src/OFData.m
+++ src/OFData.m
@@ -242,11 +242,12 @@
 
 	scheme = [URL scheme];
 
 # ifdef OF_HAVE_FILES
 	if ([scheme isEqual: @"file"])
-		self = [self initWithContentsOfFile: [URL path]];
+		self = [self initWithContentsOfFile:
+		    [URL fileSystemRepresentation]];
 	else
 # endif
 		@throw [OFUnsupportedProtocolException exceptionWithURL: URL];
 
 	objc_autoreleasePoolPop(pool);

Index: src/OFFileManager.m
==================================================================
--- src/OFFileManager.m
+++ src/OFFileManager.m
@@ -299,10 +299,14 @@
 	path = [[[self currentDirectoryPath] pathComponents]
 	    componentsJoinedByString: @"/"];
 #else
 	path = [self currentDirectoryPath];
 #endif
+
+#ifndef OF_PATH_STARTS_WITH_SLASH
+	path = [path stringByPrependingString: @"/"];
+#endif
 
 	[URL setPath: [path stringByAppendingString: @"/"]];
 
 	[URL makeImmutable];
 

Index: src/OFString.m
==================================================================
--- src/OFString.m
+++ src/OFString.m
@@ -1039,12 +1039,13 @@
 # ifdef OF_HAVE_FILES
 	if ([scheme isEqual: @"file"]) {
 		if (encoding == OF_STRING_ENCODING_AUTODETECT)
 			encoding = OF_STRING_ENCODING_UTF_8;
 
-		self = [self initWithContentsOfFile: [URL path]
-					   encoding: encoding];
+		self = [self
+		    initWithContentsOfFile: [URL fileSystemRepresentation]
+				  encoding: encoding];
 	} else
 # endif
 		@throw [OFUnsupportedProtocolException exceptionWithURL: URL];
 
 	objc_autoreleasePoolPop(pool);
@@ -2205,24 +2206,12 @@
 			    of_range(last, i - last)]];
 
 			last = i + 1;
 		}
 	}
-
 	[ret addObject: [self substringWithRange: of_range(last, i - last)]];
 
-#ifdef OF_WINDOWS
-	if ([ret count] >= 2 && [[ret objectAtIndex: 0] hasSuffix: @":"]) {
-		OFString *first = [[ret objectAtIndex: 0]
-		    stringByAppendingPathComponent: [ret objectAtIndex: 1]];
-
-		[ret removeObjectAtIndex: 0];
-		[ret replaceObjectAtIndex: 0
-			       withObject: first];
-	}
-#endif
-
 	[ret makeImmutable];
 
 	objc_autoreleasePoolPop(pool);
 
 	return ret;

Index: src/OFString_UTF8.m
==================================================================
--- src/OFString_UTF8.m
+++ src/OFString_UTF8.m
@@ -1167,25 +1167,13 @@
 			    [OFString stringWithUTF8String: _s->cString + last
 						    length: i - last]];
 			last = i + 1;
 		}
 	}
-
 	[ret addObject: [OFString stringWithUTF8String: _s->cString + last
 						length: i - last]];
 
-#ifdef OF_WINDOWS
-	if ([ret count] >= 2 && [[ret objectAtIndex: 0] hasSuffix: @":"]) {
-		OFString *first = [[ret objectAtIndex: 0]
-		    stringByAppendingPathComponent: [ret objectAtIndex: 1]];
-
-		[ret removeObjectAtIndex: 0];
-		[ret replaceObjectAtIndex: 0
-			       withObject: first];
-	}
-#endif
-
 	[ret makeImmutable];
 
 	objc_autoreleasePoolPop(pool);
 
 	return ret;

Index: src/OFURL.h
==================================================================
--- src/OFURL.h
+++ src/OFURL.h
@@ -135,10 +135,20 @@
  * @brief Returns the URL as a string.
  *
  * @return The URL as a string
  */
 - (OFString *)string;
+
+/*!
+ * @brief Returns the local file system representation for a file URL.
+ *
+ * This only exists for URLs with the file scheme and throws an exception
+ * otherwise.
+ *
+ * @return The local file system representation for a file URL
+ */
+- (nullable OFString *)fileSystemRepresentation;
 @end
 
 OF_ASSUME_NONNULL_END
 
 #import "OFMutableURL.h"

Index: src/OFURL.m
==================================================================
--- src/OFURL.m
+++ src/OFURL.m
@@ -480,10 +480,43 @@
 
 	[ret makeImmutable];
 
 	return ret;
 }
+
+- (OFString *)fileSystemRepresentation
+{
+	void *pool = objc_autoreleasePoolPush();
+	OFString *path;
+
+	if (![_scheme isEqual: @"file"])
+		@throw [OFInvalidArgumentException exception];
+
+	if (![_path hasPrefix: @"/"])
+		@throw [OFInvalidFormatException exception];
+
+	path = [[_path copy] autorelease];
+
+	if ([path hasSuffix: @"/"])
+		path = [path substringWithRange:
+		    of_range(0, [path length] - 1)];
+
+#ifndef OF_PATH_STARTS_WITH_SLASH
+	path = [path substringWithRange: of_range(1, [path length] - 1)];
+#endif
+
+#if OF_PATH_DELIMITER != '/'
+	path = [OFString pathWithComponents:
+	    [path componentsSeparatedByString: @"/"]];
+#endif
+
+	[path retain];
+
+	objc_autoreleasePoolPop(pool);
+
+	return [path autorelease];
+}
 
 - (OFString *)description
 {
 	return [OFString stringWithFormat: @"<%@: %@>",
 					   [self class], [self string]];

Index: src/macros.h
==================================================================
--- src/macros.h
+++ src/macros.h
@@ -326,10 +326,11 @@
 
 #if !defined(OF_WINDOWS) && !defined(OF_MSDOS)
 # define OF_PATH_DELIMITER '/'
 # define OF_PATH_DELIMITER_STRING @"/"
 # define OF_IS_PATH_DELIMITER(c) (c == '/')
+# define OF_PATH_STARTS_WITH_SLASH
 #else
 # define OF_PATH_DELIMITER '\\'
 # define OF_PATH_DELIMITER_STRING @"\\"
 # define OF_IS_PATH_DELIMITER(c) (c == '\\' || c == '/')
 #endif