diff -r d9c98730e2e8 -r 3d38f4640817 Lib/ntpath.py
--- a/Lib/ntpath.py	Sat Jul 07 13:34:50 2012 +1000
+++ b/Lib/ntpath.py	Sat Jul 07 18:30:05 2012 +0200
@@ -71,11 +71,35 @@
     else:
         return ':'
 
-def _get_special(path):
+def _get_device_prefix(path):
     if isinstance(path, bytes):
-        return (b'\\\\.\\', b'\\\\?\\')
+        return b'\\\\.\\'
     else:
-        return ('\\\\.\\', '\\\\?\\')
+        return '\\\\.\\'
+
+
+def _get_literal_prefix(path):
+    if isinstance(path, bytes):
+        return b'\\\\?\\'
+    else:
+        return '\\\\?\\'
+
+
+def _get_question_mark(path):
+    if isinstance(path, bytes):
+        return b'?'
+    else:
+        return '?'
+
+
+def _get_letters(path):
+    import string
+
+    if isinstance(path, bytes):
+        return string.ascii_letters.encode('utf-8')
+    else:
+        return string.ascii_letters
+
 
 # Normalize the case of a pathname and map slashes to backslashes.
 # Other normalizations (such as optimizing '../' away) are not done
@@ -530,13 +554,27 @@
     """Normalize path, eliminating double slashes, etc."""
     sep = _get_sep(path)
     dotdot = _get_dot(path) * 2
-    special_prefixes = _get_special(path)
-    if path.startswith(special_prefixes):
+    device_prefix = _get_device_prefix(path)
+    question_mark = _get_question_mark(path)
+    colon = _get_colon(path)
+    letters = _get_letters(path)
+    is_literal = False
+
+    if len(path) >= 6 and path[2:3] == question_mark:
+        # we may have a unc for a network path of a local drive, check if we
+        # have path[4] to be : from the and a drive letter in path[3] because
+        # somehting like \\?\C:\
+        if path[5:6] == colon and path[4:5] in letters:
+            path = path[4:]
+            is_literal = True
+        else:
+            return path
+    elif path.startswith(device_prefix):
         # in the case of paths with these prefixes:
         # \\.\ -> device names
-        # \\?\ -> literal paths
         # do not do any normalization, but return the path unchanged
         return path
+
     path = path.replace(_get_altsep(path), sep)
     prefix, path = splitdrive(path)
 
@@ -563,6 +601,8 @@
     # If the path is now empty, substitute '.'
     if not prefix and not comps:
         comps.append(_get_dot(path))
+    if is_literal:
+        prefix = _get_literal_prefix(path) + prefix
     return prefix + sep.join(comps)
 
 
diff -r d9c98730e2e8 -r 3d38f4640817 Lib/test/test_ntpath.py
--- a/Lib/test/test_ntpath.py	Sat Jul 07 13:34:50 2012 +1000
+++ b/Lib/test/test_ntpath.py	Sat Jul 07 18:30:05 2012 +0200
@@ -160,27 +160,38 @@
         tester("ntpath.normpath('A/./B')", r'A\B')
         tester("ntpath.normpath('A/foo/../B')", r'A\B')
         tester("ntpath.normpath('C:A//B')", r'C:A\B')
+        tester("ntpath.normpath('\\\\?\\C:A//B')", r'\\?\C:A\B')
         tester("ntpath.normpath('D:A/./B')", r'D:A\B')
+        tester("ntpath.normpath('\\\\?\\D:A/./B')", r'\\?\D:A\B')
         tester("ntpath.normpath('e:A/foo/../B')", r'e:A\B')
+        tester("ntpath.normpath('\\\\?\\e:A/foo/../B')", r'\\?\e:A\B')
 
         tester("ntpath.normpath('C:///A//B')", r'C:\A\B')
+        tester("ntpath.normpath('\\\\?\\C:///A//B')", r'\\?\C:\A\B')
         tester("ntpath.normpath('D:///A/./B')", r'D:\A\B')
+        tester("ntpath.normpath('\\\\?\\D:///A/./B')", r'\\?\D:\A\B')
         tester("ntpath.normpath('e:///A/foo/../B')", r'e:\A\B')
+        tester("ntpath.normpath('\\\\?\\e:///A/foo/../B')", r'\\?\e:\A\B')
 
         tester("ntpath.normpath('..')", r'..')
         tester("ntpath.normpath('.')", r'.')
         tester("ntpath.normpath('')", r'.')
         tester("ntpath.normpath('/')", '\\')
         tester("ntpath.normpath('c:/')", 'c:\\')
+        tester("ntpath.normpath('\\\\?\\c:/')", '\\\\?\\c:\\')
         tester("ntpath.normpath('/../.././..')", '\\')
         tester("ntpath.normpath('c:/../../..')", 'c:\\')
+        tester("ntpath.normpath('\\\\?\\c:/../../..')", '\\\\?\\c:\\')
         tester("ntpath.normpath('../.././..')", r'..\..\..')
         tester("ntpath.normpath('K:../.././..')", r'K:..\..\..')
+        tester("ntpath.normpath('\\\\?\\K:../.././..')", r'\\?\K:..\..\..')
         tester("ntpath.normpath('C:////a/b')", r'C:\a\b')
+        tester("ntpath.normpath('\\\\?\\C:////a/b')", r'\\?\C:\a\b')
         tester("ntpath.normpath('//machine/share//a/b')", r'\\machine\share\a\b')
 
         tester("ntpath.normpath('\\\\.\\NUL')", r'\\.\NUL')
-        tester("ntpath.normpath('\\\\?\\D:/XY\\Z')", r'\\?\D:/XY\Z')
+        tester("ntpath.normpath('\\\\?\\MachineName/XY\\Z')",
+                r'\\?\MachineName/XY\Z')
 
     def test_expandvars(self):
         with support.EnvironmentVarGuard() as env: