Index: slimserver.pl
===================================================================
--- slimserver.pl	(revision 28800)
+++ slimserver.pl	(working copy)
@@ -831,11 +831,15 @@
 	if (defined($prefs->get('audiodir')) && $prefs->get('audiodir') ne '') {
 
 		$audiodir = $prefs->get('audiodir');
 		$audiodir = Slim::Utils::Misc::fixPath($audiodir);
 		$audiodir = Slim::Utils::Misc::pathFromFileURL($audiodir);
 		$audiodir =~ s|[/\\]$||;
 
-		$prefs->set('audiodir',$audiodir);
+#		$prefs->set('audiodir',$audiodir);
 	}
 	
 	if (defined($prefs->get('cachedir')) && $prefs->get('cachedir') ne '') {
Index: Slim/Utils/Prefs.pm
===================================================================
--- Slim/Utils/Prefs.pm	(revision 28800)
+++ Slim/Utils/Prefs.pm	(working copy)
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@
 my $prefs = preferences('server');
 
 # make sure these server prefs has the utf8flag turned off before they get used
-$prefs->setUtf8Off(qw(audiodir playlistdir cachedir librarycachedir coverArt));
+#$prefs->setUtf8Off(qw(audiodir playlistdir cachedir librarycachedir coverArt));
 
 
 =head2 preferences( $namespace )
Index: Slim/Utils/Scanner.pm
===================================================================
--- Slim/Utils/Scanner.pm	(revision 28800)
+++ Slim/Utils/Scanner.pm	(working copy)
@@ -126,6 +126,10 @@
 		return Slim::Utils::Misc::fileFilter($File::Next::dir, $_, $types);
 	};
 
+	if ( utf8::is_utf8($topDir) ) {
+		utf8::encode($topDir);
+	}
+
 	my $iter  = File::Next::files({
 		'file_filter'     => $file_filter,
 		'descend_filter'  => $descend_filter,