diff --git a/lib/driver/.gitignore b/lib/driver/.gitignore
index 0a420e8d..cc9ec468 100644
--- a/lib/driver/.gitignore
+++ b/lib/driver/.gitignore
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 /.libs
 /Makefile
 /Makefile.in
+/abs_path
 /follow_symlink
 /libcdio.la
 /libcdio.la.ver
diff --git a/lib/driver/Makefile.am b/lib/driver/Makefile.am
index b4ee24d1..beee0a6c 100644
--- a/lib/driver/Makefile.am
+++ b/lib/driver/Makefile.am
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ libcdio_sources = \
 	_cdio_stdio.h \
 	_cdio_stream.c \
 	_cdio_stream.h \
+	abs_path.c \
 	aix.c \
 	bsdi.c \
 	audio.c \
diff --git a/lib/driver/abs_path.c b/lib/driver/abs_path.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..71cec1cf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/driver/abs_path.c
@@ -0,0 +1,176 @@
+/*
+  To compile as a standalone program:
+  gcc -Wall -g -I../.. -DHAVE_CONFIG_H -DSTANDALONE -o abs_path abs_path.c
+*/
+#ifdef HAVE_CONFIG_H
+# include "config.h"
+# define __CDIO_CONFIG_H__ 1
+#endif
+
+#ifdef HAVE_STRING_H
+# include <string.h>
+#endif
+
+#ifdef HAVE_STDLIB_H
+# include <stdlib.h>
+#endif
+
+#ifdef HAVE_UNISTD_H
+# include <unistd.h>
+#endif 
+
+#include <stdio.h>
+
+#ifndef PATH_MAX
+#define PATH_MAX 4096
+#endif
+
+#ifndef NULL
+#  define NULL 0
+#endif
+
+#ifdef __CYGWIN__
+#undef DOSISH
+#endif
+#if defined __CYGWIN__ || defined DOSISH
+#define DOSISH_UNC
+#define DOSISH_DRIVE_LETTER
+#define FILE_ALT_SEPARATOR '\\'
+#endif
+
+#ifndef CDIO_FILE_SEPARATOR
+# define CDIO_FILE_SEPARATOR '/'
+#endif
+
+#if defined __CYGWIN__ || defined DOSISH
+#  define FILE_ALT_SEPARATOR '\\'
+#endif
+
+#ifdef CDIO_FILE_ALT_SEPARATOR
+#  define isdirsep(x) ((x) == CDIO_FILE_SEPARATOR || (x) == CDIO_FILE_ALT_SEPARATOR)
+#else
+#  define isdirsep(x) ((x) == CDIO_FILE_SEPARATOR)
+#endif
+
+#define skipprefix(path) (path)
+
+#ifndef CharNext		/* defined as CharNext[AW] on Windows. */
+# define CharNext(p) ((p) + 1)
+#endif
+
+static char *
+chompdirsep(const char *path)
+{
+    while (*path) {
+	if (isdirsep(*path)) {
+	    const char *last = path++;
+	    while (isdirsep(*path)) path++;
+	    if (!*path) return (char *)last;
+	}
+	else {
+	    path = CharNext(path);
+	}
+    }
+    return (char *)path;
+}
+
+static char *
+strrdirsep(const char *path)
+{
+    char *last = NULL;
+    while (*path) {
+	if (isdirsep(*path)) {
+	    const char *tmp = path++;
+	    while (isdirsep(*path)) path++;
+	    if (!*path) break;
+	    last = (char *)tmp;
+	}
+	else {
+	    path = CharNext(path);
+	}
+    }
+    return last;
+}
+
+const char *
+cdio_basename(const char *name)
+{
+    const char *p;
+#if defined DOSISH_DRIVE_LETTER || defined DOSISH_UNC
+    const char *root;
+#endif
+    long f, n = -1;
+
+    name = skipprefix(name);
+#if defined DOSISH_DRIVE_LETTER || defined DOSISH_UNC
+    root = name;
+#endif
+    while (isdirsep(*name))
+	name++;
+    if (!*name) {
+	p = name - 1;
+	f = 1;
+#if defined DOSISH_DRIVE_LETTER || defined DOSISH_UNC
+	if (name != root) {
+	    /* has slashes */
+	}
+#ifdef DOSISH_DRIVE_LETTER
+	else if (*p == ':') {
+	    p++;
+	    f = 0;
+	}
+#endif
+#ifdef DOSISH_UNC
+	else {
+	    p = CDIO_FILE_SEPARARATOR;
+	}
+#endif
+#endif
+    }
+    else {
+	if (!(p = strrdirsep(name))) {
+	    p = name;
+	}
+	else {
+	    while (isdirsep(*p)) p++; /* skip last / */
+	}
+	n = chompdirsep(p) - p;
+    }
+
+    return p;
+}
+
+/* If fname isn't absolute, add cwd to it. */
+char *
+cdio_abspath(const char *cwd, char *fname)
+{
+    if (isdirsep(*fname)) return fname;
+    {
+	size_t len   = strlen(cwd) + strlen(fname) + 2;
+	char* result = calloc(sizeof(char), len);
+	snprintf(result, len, "%s%c%s", 
+		 cwd, CDIO_FILE_SEPARATOR, fname);
+	return result;
+    }
+}
+
+#define STANDALONE 1
+#ifdef STANDALONE
+int main(int argc, char **argv)
+{
+  char *dest;
+  char cwd[PATH_MAX];
+
+  getcwd(cwd, sizeof(cwd));
+
+  if (argc != 2) {
+    fprintf(stderr, "Usage: %s PATH\n", argv[0]);
+    fprintf(stderr,
+     "       Make PATH absolute\n");
+    exit(1);
+  }
+  dest = cdio_abspath (cwd, argv[1]);
+  printf("%s -> %s\n", argv[1], dest);
+  exit(0);
+}
+#endif
diff --git a/lib/driver/libcdio.sym b/lib/driver/libcdio.sym
index c2e0fdcd..374f79b7 100644
--- a/lib/driver/libcdio.sym
+++ b/lib/driver/libcdio.sym
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ _cdio_list_prepend
 _cdio_malloc
 _cdio_strfreev
 _cdio_strsplit
+cdio_abspath
 cdio_audio_get_msf_seconds
 cdio_audio_get_volume
 cdio_audio_pause