diff --git a/emacsd-defs.mk b/emacsd-defs.mk
index 5d084ad..37a7c74 100644
--- a/emacsd-defs.mk
+++ b/emacsd-defs.mk
@@ -17,16 +17,18 @@ ifeq (cygwin,$(HOSTENV))
     EMACS_CYGWIN := emacs
     fixpath-emacs = $(subst $(sp),?,$(shell cygpath -ma $(call fixpath-cyg,$(1))))
   endif
-else
-  fixpath-emacs = $(subst /,\\\\,$(shell cd $(1)&&pwd -W))
 endif
 
-fixpath-emacs ?= $(1)
-
-emacspath = $(foreach f,$(1),$(call fixpath-emacs,$(f)))
+ifdef fixpath-emacs
+  emacspath = $(foreach f,$(1),$(call fixpath-emacs,$(f)))
+else
+  fixpath-emacs = $(1)
+  emacspath = $(1)
+endif
 
 #SHELL := sh.exe -x
 #$(error E:$(EMACS))
+#$(error '$(value fixpath-emacs)' '$(value emacspath)')
 
 DOT_DIR   := $(HOME)/.emacs.d
 ELISP_DIR := $(DOT_DIR)/elisp-vcs
diff --git a/emacsd-rules.mk b/emacsd-rules.mk
index 0968b5b..0f72bd3 100644
--- a/emacsd-rules.mk
+++ b/emacsd-rules.mk
@@ -5,7 +5,11 @@
 	"$(MAKE)" -C $* $(@F)
 
 %.elc : %.el
-	"$(EMACS)" -batch -q -no-site-file\
-           $(addprefix -L ,$(LOAD_PATH))\
-           $(EMACSFLAGS)\
-           -f batch-byte-compile $(call emacspath,$?)
+	"$(EMACS)"\
+    --eval '(setq vc-handled-backends nil)' -batch -q -no-site-file\
+    $(addprefix -L ,$(LOAD_PATH)) $(EMACSFLAGS)\
+    -f batch-byte-compile $(call emacspath,$?)
+
+# Local Variables:
+# tab-width: 2
+# End:
diff --git a/util.mk b/util.mk
index 0ae6d65..d242d37 100644
--- a/util.mk
+++ b/util.mk
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ HAS_UTIL_MK := T
 MK_DIR := $(patsubst %/,%,$(dir $(lastword $(MAKEFILE_LIST))))
 
 # define the $(\n) macro which has the value '\n'
-# Note: This really requires two empty lines!
+# Nonoerrte: This really requires two empty lines!
 ifndef \n
 define \n
 
@@ -83,11 +83,13 @@ ifneq (,$(or $(ComSpec),$(COMSPEC),$(comspec)))
       $(subst $(sp),?,$(shell cygpath $(call fixpath-cyg,$(1)))))
   else
     HOSTENV := w32
+    DIRSEP  := $(strip \)
     NULL := nul
     fixpath-make = $(subst \,/,$(subst $(sp),?,$(1)))
   endif
 endif
 
+HOSTENV       ?= unix
 DIRSEP        ?= /
 SHQ           ?= $(if T,\)
 fixpath-make  ?= $(1)
@@ -95,6 +97,7 @@ fixpath-shell ?= $(1)
 
 TEST := test
 RD   ?= rm -rf
+RM   ?= rm -f
 
 NULL ?= $(or $(wildcard /dev/null),nul)
 
diff --git a/vcs.mk b/vcs.mk
index 98fb7bc..0fe4dbe 100644
--- a/vcs.mk
+++ b/vcs.mk
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ eval-vcs-template =\
 
 define HG_TMPL
 DIR-$(notdir $1) := $1
-ifeq (,$(filter-out $(URL_FILTERS),$2))
+ifeq (,$(filter-out $(or $(URL_FILTERS),%),$2))
   .PHONY: pull-$1
   updaterepos: pull-$1
   subrepos: $1/.hg
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ endef
 
 define SVN_TMPL
 DIR-$(notdir $1) := $1
-ifeq (,$(filter-out $(URL_FILTERS),$2)) 
+ifeq (,$(filter-out $(or $(URL_FILTERS),%),$2))
   .PHONY: up-$1
   updaterepos: up-$1
   ifneq (,$(filter http:% https:%,$2))
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ endef
 
 define CVS_TMPL
 DIR-$(notdir $1) := $1
-ifeq (,$(filter-out $(URL_FILTERS),$2))
+ifeq (,$(filter-out $(or $(URL_FILTERS),%),$2))
   .PHONY: up-$1
   updaterepos: up-$1
   .PHONY: $1/CVS
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ endef
 
 define GIT_TMPL
 DIR-$(notdir $1) := $1
-ifeq (,$(filter-out $(URL_FILTERS),$2))
+ifeq (,$(filter-out $(or $(URL_FILTERS),%),$2))
   .PHONY: pull-$1
   updaterepos: pull-$1
   ifneq (,$(filter http:% https:%,$2))
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ endef
 
 define BZR_TMPL
 DIR-$(notdir $1) := $1
-ifeq (,$(filter-out $(URL_FILTERS),$2))
+ifeq (,$(filter-out $(or $(URL_FILTERS),%),$2))
   .PHONY: pull-$1
   updaterepos: pull-$1
   ifneq (,$(filter http:% https:%,$2))