diff --git a/db/database.h b/db/database.h
index 68b45cd4942..0b802eb05c7 100644
--- a/db/database.h
+++ b/db/database.h
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ namespace mongo {
 
     class Database {
     public:
-        Database(const char *nm, bool& newDb, const char *_path = dbpath) :
+        Database(const char *nm, bool& newDb, const string& _path = dbpath) :
         name(nm),
         path(_path),
         namespaceIndex( path, name )
diff --git a/db/db.cpp b/db/db.cpp
index 42bdce184f0..074cb1b3d7a 100644
--- a/db/db.cpp
+++ b/db/db.cpp
@@ -588,7 +588,7 @@ int main(int argc, char* argv[], char *envp[] )
             show_help_text(visible_options);
             return 0;
         }
-        dbpath = params["dbpath"].as<string>().c_str();
+        dbpath = params["dbpath"].as<string>();
         if (params.count("quiet")) {
             quiet = true;
         }
@@ -748,7 +748,7 @@ int main(int argc, char* argv[], char *envp[] )
             return 0;
         }
 
-        #if defined(_WIN32)
+#if defined(_WIN32)
         if ( installService ) {
             if ( !ServiceController::installService( L"MongoDB", L"Mongo DB", L"Mongo DB Server", argc, argv ) )
                 dbexit( EXIT_NTSERVICE_ERROR );
@@ -764,8 +764,9 @@ int main(int argc, char* argv[], char *envp[] )
                 dbexit( EXIT_NTSERVICE_ERROR );
             dbexit( EXIT_CLEAN );
         }
-        #endif
-    } else {
+#endif
+    } 
+    else {
         cout << dbExecCommand << " --help for help and startup options" << endl;
         cout << endl;
     }
diff --git a/db/db.h b/db/db.h
index c43376476c8..7961b853587 100644
--- a/db/db.h
+++ b/db/db.h
@@ -120,14 +120,14 @@ namespace mongo {
     extern const char *curNs;
     extern bool master;
 
-    inline string getKey( const char *ns, const char *path ) {
+    inline string getKey( const char *ns, const string& path ) {
         char cl[256];
         nsToClient(ns, cl);
         return string( cl ) + ":" + path;
     }
 
     /* returns true if the database ("database") did not exist, and it was created on this call */
-    inline bool setClient(const char *ns, const char *path=dbpath) {
+    inline bool setClient(const char *ns, const string& path=dbpath) {
         /* we must be in critical section at this point as these are global
            variables.
         */
@@ -167,10 +167,10 @@ namespace mongo {
 
 // shared functionality for removing references to a database from this program instance
 // does not delete the files on disk
-    void closeClient( const char *cl, const char *path = dbpath );
+    void closeClient( const char *cl, const string& path = dbpath );
 
     /* remove database from the databases map */
-    inline void eraseDatabase( const char *ns, const char *path=dbpath ) {
+    inline void eraseDatabase( const char *ns, const string& path=dbpath ) {
         string key = getKey( ns, path );
         databases.erase( key );
     }
diff --git a/db/instance.cpp b/db/instance.cpp
index 744f52411f3..74b0712cb87 100644
--- a/db/instance.cpp
+++ b/db/instance.cpp
@@ -290,7 +290,7 @@ namespace mongo {
     /* cl - database name
        path - db directory
     */
-    void closeClient( const char *cl, const char *path ) {
+    void closeClient( const char *cl, const string& path ) {
         assert( database );
         assert( database->name == cl );
         if ( string("local") != cl ) {
diff --git a/db/namespace.h b/db/namespace.h
index 2e986d323d0..bcc56cb7ef2 100644
--- a/db/namespace.h
+++ b/db/namespace.h
@@ -550,7 +550,7 @@ namespace mongo {
         string database_;
     };
 
-    extern const char *dbpath;
+    extern string dbpath;
 
     // Rename a namespace within current 'client' db.
     // (Arguments should include db name)
diff --git a/db/pdfile.cpp b/db/pdfile.cpp
index a28d658fea1..8d69926d402 100644
--- a/db/pdfile.cpp
+++ b/db/pdfile.cpp
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ namespace mongo {
     extern bool quota;
     extern int port;
 
-    const char *dbpath = "/data/db/";
+    string dbpath = "/data/db/";
 
     DataFileMgr theDataFileMgr;
     map<string,Database*> databases;
@@ -1404,7 +1404,7 @@ assert( !eloc.isNull() );
         return r;
     }
 
-    void DataFileMgr::init(const char *dir) {
+    void DataFileMgr::init(const string& path ) {
         /*	boost::filesystem::path path( dir );
         	path /= "temp.dat";
         	string pathString = path.string();
@@ -1519,7 +1519,7 @@ namespace mongo {
     boost::intmax_t freeSpace() {
 #if !defined(_WIN32)
         struct statvfs info;
-        assert( !statvfs( dbpath, &info ) );
+        assert( !statvfs( dbpath.c_str() , &info ) );
         return boost::intmax_t( info.f_bavail ) * info.f_frsize;
 #else
         return -1;
@@ -1583,7 +1583,7 @@ namespace mongo {
         return true;
     }
 
-    void _applyOpToDataFiles( const char *database, FileOp &fo, bool afterAllocator, const char *path ) {
+    void _applyOpToDataFiles( const char *database, FileOp &fo, bool afterAllocator, const string& path ) {
         if ( afterAllocator )
             theFileAllocator().waitUntilFinished();
         string c = database;
diff --git a/db/pdfile.h b/db/pdfile.h
index bcf74490736..2672c008c22 100644
--- a/db/pdfile.h
+++ b/db/pdfile.h
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ namespace mongo {
     class DataFileMgr {
         friend class BasicCursor;
     public:
-        void init(const char *);
+        void init(const string& path );
 
         void update(
             const char *ns,
@@ -377,7 +377,7 @@ namespace mongo {
         virtual const char * op() const = 0;
     };
 
-    void _applyOpToDataFiles( const char *database, FileOp &fo, bool afterAllocator = false, const char *path = dbpath );
+    void _applyOpToDataFiles( const char *database, FileOp &fo, bool afterAllocator = false, const string& path = dbpath );
 
     inline void _deleteDataFiles(const char *database) {
         class : public FileOp {
diff --git a/dbtests/dbtests.cpp b/dbtests/dbtests.cpp
index b861686574b..5ef7113a4b2 100644
--- a/dbtests/dbtests.cpp
+++ b/dbtests/dbtests.cpp
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@
 using namespace std;
 
 namespace mongo {
-    extern const char* dbpath;
+    extern string dbpath;
 } // namespace mongo
 string dbpathSpec = "/tmp/unittest/";
 
diff --git a/dbtests/perf/perftest.cpp b/dbtests/perf/perftest.cpp
index aa3d047a831..373296ac2aa 100644
--- a/dbtests/perf/perftest.cpp
+++ b/dbtests/perf/perftest.cpp
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@
 #include <boost/date_time/posix_time/posix_time.hpp>
 
 namespace mongo {
-    extern const char* dbpath;
+    extern string dbpath;
 } // namespace mongo
 
 // Very useful function, hacky way of getting at at.