diff --git a/rtengine/dcraw.patch b/rtengine/dcraw.patch
index 4ee58edb1..3be7fafab 100644
--- a/rtengine/dcraw.patch
+++ b/rtengine/dcraw.patch
@@ -427,7 +427,7 @@
 +
 +  THREAD_LOCK
 +
-+  ifname = safe_locale_from_utf8(fname).c_str();
++  ifname = fname.c_str();
 +  image = NULL;
 +  exif_base = -1;
 +  ciff_base = -1;
@@ -641,7 +641,7 @@
 +    THREAD_LOCK
 +
 +	image = NULL;
-+	ifname = safe_locale_from_utf8(fname).c_str();
++	ifname = fname.c_str();
 +	exif_base = -1;
 +	ciff_base = -1;
 +	ciff_len = -1;
@@ -705,7 +705,7 @@
 +t0.set ();
 +
 +    image = NULL;
-+    ifname = safe_locale_from_utf8(fname).c_str();
++    ifname = fname.c_str();
 +    exif_base = -1;
 +    ciff_base = -1;
 +    ciff_len = -1;
diff --git a/rtengine/rawimage.cc b/rtengine/rawimage.cc
index 6f98f1b4f..0a74f3dc6 100644
--- a/rtengine/rawimage.cc
+++ b/rtengine/rawimage.cc
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ skip_block: ;
 
 int RawImage::loadRaw (bool loadData, bool closeFile)
 {
-  ifname = safe_locale_from_utf8(filename).c_str();
+  ifname = filename.c_str();
   image = NULL;
   verbose = settings->verbose;
   oprof = NULL;
diff --git a/rtengine/safegtk.cc b/rtengine/safegtk.cc
index 5cf396ddf..a08ff346a 100644
--- a/rtengine/safegtk.cc
+++ b/rtengine/safegtk.cc
@@ -162,27 +162,6 @@ std::string safe_locale_from_utf8 (const Glib::ustring& utf8_str)
 	return str;
 }
 
-std::string safe_filename_from_utf8 (const Glib::ustring& utf8_str)
-{
-		std::string str;
-#ifdef GLIBMM_EXCEPTIONS_ENABLED
-		try {
-            str = Glib::filename_from_utf8 (utf8_str);
-        }
-        catch (const Glib::ConvertError& e) {
-            //str = Glib::convert_with_fallback(utf8_str, "LATIN1", "UTF8", "?");
-        }
-#else
-        {
-            std::auto_ptr<Glib::Error> error;
-            str = Glib::filename_from_utf8 (utf8_str, error);
-            /*if (error.get())
-                {str = Glib::convert_with_fallback(utf8_str, "LATIN1", "UTF8", "?", error);}*/
-        }
-#endif //GLIBMM_EXCEPTIONS_ENABLED
-	return str;
-}
-
 bool safe_spawn_command_line_async (const Glib::ustring& cmd_utf8)
 {
 		std::string cmd;
@@ -191,7 +170,7 @@ bool safe_spawn_command_line_async (const Glib::ustring& cmd_utf8)
 		try {
 				cmd = Glib::filename_from_utf8(cmd_utf8);
 				printf ("command line: |%s|\n", cmd.c_str());
-				Glib::spawn_command_line_async (cmd);
+				Glib::spawn_command_line_async (cmd.c_str());
 				success = true;
 		} catch (Glib::Exception& ex) {
 				printf ("%s\n", ex.what().c_str());
@@ -221,11 +200,11 @@ bool safe_spawn_command_line_sync (const Glib::ustring& cmd_utf8)
 
 		int exitStatus=-1;
         try {
-		    cmd = Glib::filename_from_utf8(cmd_utf8);
-		    printf ("command line: |%s|\n", cmd.c_str());
+		    //cmd = Glib::filename_from_utf8(cmd_utf8);
+		    printf ("command line: |%s|\n", cmd_utf8.c_str());
 
             // if it crashes here on windows, make sure you have the GTK runtime files gspawn-win32-helper*.exe files in RT directory 
-		    Glib::spawn_command_line_sync (cmd,NULL,NULL, &exitStatus);
+		    Glib::spawn_command_line_sync (cmd_utf8, NULL, NULL, &exitStatus);
         } catch (Glib::Exception& ex) {
 				printf ("%s\n", ex.what().c_str());
 		}
@@ -234,25 +213,25 @@ bool safe_spawn_command_line_sync (const Glib::ustring& cmd_utf8)
 
 FILE * safe_g_fopen(const Glib::ustring& src,const gchar *mode)
 { 
-    return g_fopen(safe_filename_from_utf8(src).c_str(),mode); 
+    return g_fopen(src.c_str(),mode); 
 }
 
 bool safe_file_test (const Glib::ustring& filename, Glib::FileTest test)
 {
-    return Glib::file_test (safe_filename_from_utf8(filename), test);
+    return Glib::file_test (filename, test);
 }
 
 int safe_g_remove(const Glib::ustring& filename)
 {
-   return ::g_remove(safe_filename_from_utf8(filename).c_str());
+   return ::g_remove(filename.c_str());
 }
 
 int safe_g_rename(const Glib::ustring& oldFilename, const Glib::ustring& newFilename)
 {
-   return ::g_rename(safe_filename_from_utf8(oldFilename).c_str(), safe_filename_from_utf8(newFilename).c_str());
+   return ::g_rename(oldFilename.c_str(), newFilename.c_str());
 }
 
 int safe_g_mkdir_with_parents(const Glib::ustring& dirName, int mode)
 {
-    return ::g_mkdir_with_parents(safe_filename_from_utf8(dirName).c_str(), mode);
+    return ::g_mkdir_with_parents(dirName.c_str(), mode);
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/rtgui/editorpanel.cc b/rtgui/editorpanel.cc
index b2ebd1acf..4bf8ad15a 100644
--- a/rtgui/editorpanel.cc
+++ b/rtgui/editorpanel.cc
@@ -346,14 +346,17 @@ void EditorPanel::open (Thumbnail* tmb, rtengine::InitialImage* isrc) {
 
     const CacheImageData* cfs=openThm->getCacheImageData();
     if (!options.customProfileBuilder.empty() && !openThm->hasProcParams() && cfs && cfs->exifValid) {
+        // For the filename etc. do NOT use streams, since they are not UTF8 safe
+        Glib::ustring cmdLine=Glib::ustring("\"") + options.customProfileBuilder + Glib::ustring("\" \"") + openThm->getFileName() + Glib::ustring("\" \"")
+        + options.rtdir + Glib::ustring("/") + options.profilePath + Glib::ustring("/") + defProf + Glib::ustring(".pp3") + Glib::ustring("\" ");
+
+        // ustring doesn't know int etc formatting, so take these via (unsafe) stream
         std::ostringstream strm;
-        strm << Glib::ustring("\"") << options.customProfileBuilder << Glib::ustring("\" \"") << openThm->getFileName() << Glib::ustring("\" \"");
-        strm << options.rtdir << Glib::ustring("/") << options.profilePath << Glib::ustring("/") << defProf << Glib::ustring(".pp3");
-        strm << Glib::ustring("\" ") << cfs->fnumber << Glib::ustring(" ") << cfs->shutter << Glib::ustring(" ");
+        strm << cfs->fnumber << Glib::ustring(" ") << cfs->shutter << Glib::ustring(" ");
         strm << cfs->focalLen << Glib::ustring(" ") << cfs->iso << Glib::ustring(" \"");
         strm << cfs->lens << Glib::ustring("\" \"") << cfs->camera << Glib::ustring("\"");
  
-        bool success = safe_spawn_command_line_sync (strm.str());
+        bool success = safe_spawn_command_line_sync (cmdLine + strm.str());
 
         // Now they SHOULD be there, so try to load them
         if (success) openThm->loadProcParams();
diff --git a/rtgui/soundman.cc b/rtgui/soundman.cc
index f98be7977..c47121108 100644
--- a/rtgui/soundman.cc
+++ b/rtgui/soundman.cc
@@ -42,7 +42,9 @@ void SoundManager::playSoundAsync(const Glib::ustring &sound)
         sndParam|=SND_ALIAS;
     }
 
-    PlaySound(safe_filename_from_utf8(sound).c_str(), NULL, sndParam);
+    wchar_t *wfilename = (wchar_t*)g_utf8_to_utf16 (sound.c_str(), -1, NULL, NULL, NULL);
+    PlaySoundW(wfilename, NULL, sndParam);
+    g_free( wfilename );
 #else
     // TODO: Add code for other OSes here
     printf("Sound not supported on your OS (yet)\n");
diff --git a/rtgui/thumbnail.cc b/rtgui/thumbnail.cc
index adf79d23d..700a7d806 100644
--- a/rtgui/thumbnail.cc
+++ b/rtgui/thumbnail.cc
@@ -522,7 +522,9 @@ bool Thumbnail::openDefaultViewer(int destination) {
     if (destination==1) {
             openFName = Glib::ustring::compose ("%1.%2", BatchQueue::calcAutoFileNameBase(fname), options.saveFormat.format);
             if (safe_file_test (openFName, Glib::FILE_TEST_EXISTS)) {
-              ShellExecute(NULL, "open", openFName.c_str(), NULL, NULL, SW_SHOWMAXIMIZED );
+              wchar_t *wfilename = (wchar_t*)g_utf8_to_utf16 (openFName.c_str(), -1, NULL, NULL, NULL);
+              ShellExecuteW(NULL, L"open", wfilename, NULL, NULL, SW_SHOWMAXIMIZED );
+              g_free(wfilename);
             } else {
                 printf("File not found\n");
                 return false;
@@ -535,23 +537,26 @@ bool Thumbnail::openDefaultViewer(int destination) {
 
         if (safe_file_test (openFName, Glib::FILE_TEST_EXISTS)) {
             // Output file exists, so open explorer and select output file
-            const char* org=Glib::ustring::compose("/select,\"%1\"", openFName).c_str();
-            char* par=new char[strlen(org)+1];
-            strcpy(par, org);
+            wchar_t* org=(wchar_t*)g_utf8_to_utf16 (Glib::ustring::compose("/select,\"%1\"", openFName).c_str(), -1, NULL, NULL, NULL);
+            wchar_t* par=new wchar_t[wcslen(org)+1];
+            wcscpy(par, org);
 
             // In this case the / disturbs
-            char* p = par+1;  // skip the first backslash
+            wchar_t* p = par+1;  // skip the first backslash
             while (*p!=0) {
-                if (*p=='/') *p='\\';
+                if (*p==L'/') *p=L'\\';
                 p++;
             }
 
-            ShellExecute(NULL, "open", "explorer.exe", par, NULL, SW_SHOWNORMAL );
+            ShellExecuteW(NULL, L"open", L"explorer.exe", par, NULL, SW_SHOWNORMAL );
 
             delete[] par;
+            g_free(org);
         } else if (safe_file_test (Glib::path_get_dirname(openFName), Glib::FILE_TEST_EXISTS)) {
             // Out file does not exist, but directory
-            ShellExecute(NULL, "explore", Glib::path_get_dirname(openFName).c_str(), NULL, NULL, SW_SHOWNORMAL );
+            wchar_t *wfilename = (wchar_t*)g_utf8_to_utf16 (Glib::path_get_dirname(openFName).c_str(), -1, NULL, NULL, NULL);
+            ShellExecuteW(NULL, L"explore", wfilename, NULL, NULL, SW_SHOWNORMAL );
+            g_free(wfilename);
         } else {
             printf("File and dir not found\n");
             return false;