diff --git a/aQute.libg/src/aQute/lib/io/Windows.java b/aQute.libg/src/aQute/lib/io/Windows.java
index 3b913aead7..30bc7a900d 100644
--- a/aQute.libg/src/aQute/lib/io/Windows.java
+++ b/aQute.libg/src/aQute/lib/io/Windows.java
@@ -19,23 +19,28 @@ public File getBasedFile(File base, String subPath) throws IOException {
 		Matcher matcher = WINDOWS_BAD_FILE_NAME_P.matcher(subPath);
 		if (matcher.find()) {
 
-			Path normalizedPath = Path.of(subPath)
-				.normalize();
+			try {
+				Path normalizedPath = Path.of(subPath)
+					.normalize();
 
-			if (normalizedPath.startsWith(IO.DOTDOT)) {
-				throw new IOException("io.sub.up invalid path, will escape the designated directory. path='" + subPath
-					+ "', base='" + base + "', normalized='" + normalizedPath + "'");
-			}
-			for (int i = 0; i < normalizedPath.getNameCount(); i++) {
-				String segment = normalizedPath.getName(i)
-					.toString();
-				if (matcher.reset(segment)
-					.matches()) {
-					throw new IOException("io.win.sub.invalid pathcontains reserved names on windows. path='" + subPath
-						+ "', base='" + base + "', pattern='" + WINDOWS_BAD_FILE_NAME_P + "'");
+				if (normalizedPath.startsWith(IO.DOTDOT)) {
+					throw new IOException("io.sub.up invalid path, will escape the designated directory. path='"
+						+ subPath + "', base='" + base + "', normalized='" + normalizedPath + "'");
+				}
+				for (int i = 0; i < normalizedPath.getNameCount(); i++) {
+					String segment = normalizedPath.getName(i)
+						.toString();
+					if (matcher.reset(segment)
+						.matches()) {
+						throw new IOException("io.win.sub.invalid pathcontains reserved names on windows. path='"
+							+ subPath + "', base='" + base + "', pattern='" + WINDOWS_BAD_FILE_NAME_P + "'");
+					}
 				}
+				use = normalizedPath.toString();
+			} catch (java.nio.file.InvalidPathException e) {
+				throw new IOException("io.win.sub.invalid pathcontains reserved names on windows. path='" + subPath
+					+ "', base='" + base + "': '" + e.getMessage() + "'");
 			}
-			use = normalizedPath.toString();
 		} else
 			use = subPath;
 		return new File(base, use);
diff --git a/aQute.libg/test/aQute/lib/io/IOTest.java b/aQute.libg/test/aQute/lib/io/IOTest.java
index bd97d98278..785196f475 100644
--- a/aQute.libg/test/aQute/lib/io/IOTest.java
+++ b/aQute.libg/test/aQute/lib/io/IOTest.java
@@ -558,11 +558,12 @@ public void testGetBasedFile() throws IOException {
 		assertThat("foo/💩../bar".contains("..")).isTrue();
 		assertThat("foo/.💩./bar".contains("..")).isFalse();
 		File base = new File("base").getAbsoluteFile();
+		assertThat(new File(base, "").getParentFile()).isEqualTo(base);
+		assertThat(new File(base, "./").getParentFile()).isEqualTo(base);
 		assertThat(new File(base, "/bar").getParentFile()).isEqualTo(base);
 		assertThat(IO.getBasedFile(base, "")).isEqualTo(base);
 		assertThat(IO.getBasedFile(base, "foo/../bar")).isEqualTo(new File(base, "bar"));
 		assertThat(IO.getBasedFile(base, ".💩.")).isEqualTo(new File(base, ".💩."));
-		assertThat(IO.getBasedFile(base, ".x\u0008.")).isEqualTo(new File(base, ".x\u0008."));
 		assertThat(except(() -> IO.getBasedFile(base, ".."))).contains("io.sub.up");
 		assertThat(except(() -> IO.getBasedFile(base, "bar/../../.."))).contains("io.sub.up");
 	}