diff --git a/ui (gen4)/lib/widget/browse-walk.js b/ui (gen4)/lib/widget/browse-walk.js
index cafe7a4d..b3b0fb9a 100755
--- a/ui (gen4)/lib/widget/browse-walk.js	
+++ b/ui (gen4)/lib/widget/browse-walk.js	
@@ -197,8 +197,11 @@ var listDir = module.listDir = listDirfs
 
 // XXX for some reason pop does not focus the container dir correctly...
 // 		...this is potentially due to the list not being ready yet...
+// XXX this should be smarter and support other URL schemes...
 var WalkPrototype = Object.create(browse.Browser.prototype)
 WalkPrototype.options = {
+	// XXX this should be smarter and support other URL schemes...
+	pathPrefix: os.type() == 'Windows_NT' ? '' : '/',
 
 	fullPathEdit: true,
 	traversable: true,
@@ -221,7 +224,6 @@ object.makeConstructor('Walk',
 
 var makeWalk = 
 module.makeWalk = function(elem, path, showNonTraversable, showDisabled){
-	//return Walk(elem, { path: path })
 	var w = Walk(elem, { 
 		path: path,
 		showNonTraversable: showNonTraversable == null ?
diff --git a/ui (gen4)/lib/widget/browse.js b/ui (gen4)/lib/widget/browse.js
index b58d849c..3f1edb75 100755
--- a/ui (gen4)/lib/widget/browse.js	
+++ b/ui (gen4)/lib/widget/browse.js	
@@ -161,6 +161,10 @@ var BrowserPrototype = {
 		//path: null,
 
 		//show_path: true,
+		
+		// XXX at this time this is used only for generating paths, need
+		// 		to also use this for parsing...
+		pathPrefix: '/',
 
 		// Enable/disable user selection filtering...
 		// NOTE: this only affects starting the filter...
@@ -423,7 +427,7 @@ var BrowserPrototype = {
 	//
 	// XXX need to append '/' only if traversable...
 	get strPath(){
-		return '/' + this.path.join('/') + '/'
+		return this.options.pathPrefix + this.path.join('/') + '/'
 	},
 	set strPath(value){
 		this.path = value
@@ -1650,7 +1654,8 @@ var BrowserPrototype = {
 		res = res || this
 
 		// XXX do we strigify the path???
-		path = '/' + path.join('/')
+		// XXX should we use .strPath here???
+		path = this.options.pathPrefix + path.join('/')
 
 		// trigger the 'open' events...
 		if(elem.length > 0){
@@ -2019,7 +2024,7 @@ PathListPrototype.options = {
 
 		// use the custom lister (defined by trailing '*')...
 		if(data !== keys && lister){
-			return data[lister].call(this, '/' + path.join('/'), make)
+			return data[lister].call(this, this.options.pathPrefix + path.join('/'), make)
 
 		// list via provided paths...
 		} else {
diff --git a/ui (gen4)/ui.js b/ui (gen4)/ui.js
index 8503b2fd..c39c4c0b 100755
--- a/ui (gen4)/ui.js	
+++ b/ui (gen4)/ui.js	
@@ -236,7 +236,7 @@ module.GLOBAL_KEYBOARD = {
 			alt: 'browseActions: "/Bookmark/"',
 		},
 		C: 'browseActions: "/Crop/"',
-		O: 'pathBrowse',
+		O: 'browsePath',
 
 		// XXX for debug...
 		G: function(){ $('.viewer').toggleClass('visible-gid') },
diff --git a/ui (gen4)/viewer.js b/ui (gen4)/viewer.js
index 262ed1a2..59f03929 100755
--- a/ui (gen4)/viewer.js	
+++ b/ui (gen4)/viewer.js	
@@ -2718,46 +2718,6 @@ var ActionTreeActions = actions.Actions({
 							&& parent.focus()
 					})
 		}],
-	// XXX make this nw only...
-	// XXX BUG: for some reason this when run from .browseActions(..) loads
-	// 		incorrectly while when called directly is OK...
-	pathBrowse: ['Interface|Test/Path lister test (floating)...',
-		function(base, callback){
-			var that = this
-			var parent = this.preventClosing ? this.preventClosing() : null
-			base = base || '/'
-
-			var o = overlay.Overlay(this.ribbons.viewer, 
-				require('./lib/widget/browse-walk').makeWalk(null, base, false, false)
-					.open(function(evt, path){ 
-
-						o.close() 
-
-						// close the parent ui...
-						parent 
-							&& parent.close 
-							&& parent.close()
-
-
-						// XXX need to strip the leading '/' in a more cross-platform way...
-						path = path.strip(1)
-
-						// XXX use logger...
-						console.log('PATH:', path)
-
-						if(callback){
-							callback(path)
-
-						} else {
-							that.loadPath && that.loadPath(path)
-						}
-					}))
-					.close(function(){
-						parent 
-							&& parent.focus 
-							&& parent.focus()
-					})
-		}],
 	// XXX use this.ribbons.viewer as base...
 	drawerTest: ['Interface|Test/Drawer widget test',
 		function(){
@@ -3323,6 +3283,48 @@ var FileSystemLoaderActions = actions.Actions({
 					that.load(index)
 				})
 		}],
+
+	// XXX move this to the UI version of this feature...
+	// 		...and make the UI version of .loadPath(..) run this if no 
+	// 		path was given...
+	// XXX STUB: this dances around an issue in the browser -- removing
+	// 		the leading '/' on windows...
+	// 		...fix in Browse(..) / Walk(..)
+	// XXX BUG: for some reason this when run from .browseActions(..) loads
+	// 		incorrectly while when called directly is OK...
+	browsePath: ['File/Browse file system...',
+		function(base, callback){
+			var that = this
+			var parent = this.preventClosing ? this.preventClosing() : null
+			base = base || '/'
+
+			var o = overlay.Overlay(this.ribbons.viewer, 
+				require('./lib/widget/browse-walk').makeWalk(null, base, false, false)
+					// path selected...
+					.open(function(evt, path){ 
+						// close self and parent...
+						o.close() 
+						parent 
+							&& parent.close 
+							&& parent.close()
+
+						console.log('PATH:', path)
+
+						// pass the selected path on...
+						if(callback){
+							callback(path)
+
+						} else {
+							that.loadPath(path)
+						}
+					}))
+					// we closed the browser...
+					.close(function(){
+						parent 
+							&& parent.focus 
+							&& parent.focus()
+					})
+		}],
 })