diff --git a/src/class_sqlThread.py b/src/class_sqlThread.py
index 84188408..2188a9cc 100644
--- a/src/class_sqlThread.py
+++ b/src/class_sqlThread.py
@@ -29,7 +29,8 @@ class sqlThread(threading.Thread):
     def run(self):  # pylint: disable=too-many-locals, too-many-branches, too-many-statements
         """Process SQL queries from `.helper_sql.sqlSubmitQueue`"""
         helper_sql.sql_available = True
-        self.conn = sqlite3.connect(state.appdata + 'messages.dat')
+        self.conn = sqlite3.connect(
+            os.path.join(state.appdata, 'messages.dat'))
         self.conn.text_factory = str
         self.cur = self.conn.cursor()
 
diff --git a/src/paths.py b/src/paths.py
index e2f8c97e..49e312a1 100644
--- a/src/paths.py
+++ b/src/paths.py
@@ -23,7 +23,8 @@ def lookupExeFolder():
             # targetdir/Bitmessage.app/Contents/MacOS/Bitmessage
             os.path.dirname(sys.executable).split(os.path.sep)[0] + os.path.sep
             if frozen == "macosx_app" else
-            os.path.dirname(sys.executable) + os.path.sep)
+            os.path.dirname(sys.executable).decode(
+                sys.getfilesystemencoding(), 'ignore') + os.path.sep)
     elif __file__:
         exeFolder = os.path.dirname(__file__) + os.path.sep
     else:
@@ -49,11 +50,10 @@ def lookupAppdataFolder():
             sys.exit(
                 'Could not find home folder, please report this message'
                 ' and your OS X version to the BitMessage Github.')
-    elif 'win32' in sys.platform or 'win64' in sys.platform:
+    elif sys.platform.startswith('win'):
         dataFolder = os.path.join(
-            os.environ['APPDATA'].decode(
-                sys.getfilesystemencoding(), 'ignore'), APPNAME
-        ) + os.path.sep
+            os.environ['APPDATA'], APPNAME
+        ).decode(sys.getfilesystemencoding(), 'ignore') + os.path.sep
     else:
         try:
             dataFolder = os.path.join(os.environ['XDG_CONFIG_HOME'], APPNAME)