diff --git a/phpBB/common.php b/phpBB/common.php
index c69ee4395e..f5e81ad1a6 100644
--- a/phpBB/common.php
+++ b/phpBB/common.php
@@ -99,7 +99,15 @@ else
 if (defined('IN_CRON'))
 {
 	chdir($phpbb_root_path);
-	$phpbb_root_path = getcwd() . '/';
+	if (@function_exists('getcwd'))
+	{
+		$phpbb_root_path = getcwd() . '/';
+	}
+	else
+	{
+		// This is a best guess
+		$phpbb_root_path = pathinfo($_SERVER['SCRIPT_FILENAME'], PATHINFO_DIRNAME) . '/';
+	}
 }
 
 if (!file_exists($phpbb_root_path . 'config.' . $phpEx))
diff --git a/phpBB/includes/functions.php b/phpBB/includes/functions.php
index ebe94adac7..3e89769234 100644
--- a/phpBB/includes/functions.php
+++ b/phpBB/includes/functions.php
@@ -378,56 +378,183 @@ if (!function_exists('stripos'))
 
 if (!function_exists('realpath'))
 {
-	/**
-	* Replacement for realpath if it is disabled
-	* This function is from the php manual by nospam at savvior dot com
-	*/
-	function phpbb_realpath($path)
+	if (substr(PHP_OS, 0, 3) != 'WIN' && !(bool) ini_get('safe_mode') && function_exists('shell_exec') && trim(`realpath .`))
 	{
-		$translated_path = getenv('PATH_TRANSLATED');
-
-		$translated_path = str_replace('\\', '/', $translated_path);
-		$translated_path = str_replace(basename(getenv('PATH_INFO')), '', $translated_path);
-
-		$translated_path .= '/';
-
-		if ($path == '.' || $path == './')
+		/**
+		* @author Chris Smith <chris@project-minerva.org>
+		* @copyright 2006 Project Minerva Team
+		* @param string $path The path which we should attempt to resolve.
+		* @return mixed
+		*/
+		function phpbb_realpath($path)
 		{
-			return $translated_path;
+			$arg = escapeshellarg($path);
+			return trim(`realpath '$arg'`);
+		}
+	}
+	else
+	{
+		/**
+		* Checks if a path ($path) is absolute or relative
+		*
+		* @param string $path Path to check absoluteness of
+		* @return boolean
+		*/
+		function is_absolute($path)
+		{
+		    return ($path[0] == '/' || (substr(PHP_OS, 0, 3) == 'WIN' && preg_match('#^[a-z]:/#i', $path))) ? true : false;
 		}
 
-		// now check for back directory
-		$translated_path .= $path;
-
-		$dirs = explode('/', $translated_path);
-
-		foreach ($dirs as $key => $value)
+		/**
+		* @author Chris Smith <chris@project-minerva.org>
+		* @copyright 2006 Project Minerva Team
+		* @param string $path The path which we should attempt to resolve.
+		* @return mixed
+		*/
+		function phpbb_realpath($path)
 		{
-			if ($value == '..')
+			// Now to perform funky shizzle
+
+			// Switch to use UNIX slashes
+			$path = str_replace(DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR, '/', $path);
+			$path_prefix = '';
+
+			// Determine what sort of path we have
+			if (is_absolute($path))
 			{
-				$dirs[$key] = '';
-				$dirs[$key - 2] = '';
+				$absolute = true;
+
+				if ($path[0] == '/')
+				{
+					// Absolute path, *NIX style
+					$path_prefix = '';
+				}
+				else
+				{
+					// Absolute path, Windows style
+					// Remove the drive letter and colon
+					$path_prefix = $path[0] . ':';
+					$path = substr($path, 2);
+				}
 			}
-		}
-
-		$translated_path = '';
-
-		foreach ($dirs as $key => $value)
-		{
-			if (strlen($value) > 0)
+			else
 			{
-				$translated_path .= $value . '/';
+				// Relative Path
+				// Prepend the current working directory
+				if (function_exists('getcwd'))
+				{
+					// This is the best method, hopefully it is enabled!
+					$path = str_replace(DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR, '/', getcwd()) . '/' . $path;
+					$absolute = true;
+					if (preg_match('#^[a-z]:#i', $path))
+					{
+						$path_prefix = $path[0] . ':';
+						$path = substr($path, 2);
+					}
+					else
+					{
+						$path_prefix = '';
+					}
+				}
+				else if (isset($_SERVER['SCRIPT_FILENAME']) && !empty($_SERVER['SCRIPT_FILENAME']))
+				{
+					// Warning: If chdir() has been used this will lie!
+					// @todo This has some problems sometime (CLI can create them easily)
+					$path = str_replace(DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR, '/', dirname($_SERVER['SCRIPT_FILENAME'])) . '/' . $path;
+					$absolute = true;
+					$path_prefix = '';
+				}
+				else
+				{
+					// We have no way of getting the absolute path, just run on using relative ones.
+					$absolute = false;
+					$path_prefix = '.';
+				}
 			}
+
+			// Remove any repeated slashes
+			$path = preg_replace('#/{2,}#', '/', $path);
+
+			// Remove the slashes from the start and end of the path
+			$path = trim($path, '/');
+
+			// Break the string into little bits for us to nibble on
+			$bits = explode('/', $path);
+
+			// Remove any . in the path
+			$bits = array_diff($bits, array('.'));
+
+			// Lets get looping, run over and resolve any .. (up directory)
+			for ($i = 0, $max = sizeof($bits); $i < $max; $i++)
+			{
+				// @todo Optimise
+				if ($bits[$i] == '..' )
+				{
+					if (isset($bits[$i - 1]))
+					{
+						if ($bits[$i - 1] != '..')
+						{
+							// We found a .. and we are able to traverse upwards, lets do it!
+							unset($bits[$i]);
+							unset($bits[$i - 1]);
+							$i -= 2;
+							$max -= 2;
+							$bits = array_values($bits);
+						}
+					}
+					else if ($absolute) // ie. !isset($bits[$i - 1]) && $absolute
+					{
+						// We have an absolute path trying to descend above the root of the filesystem
+						// ... Error!
+						return false;
+					}
+				}
+			}
+
+			// Prepend the path prefix
+			array_unshift($bits, $path_prefix); 
+
+			$resolved = '';
+
+			$max = sizeof($bits) - 1;
+
+			// Check if we are able to resolve symlinks, Windows cannot.
+			$symlink_resolve = (function_exists('readlink')) ? true : false;
+
+			foreach ($bits as $i => $bit)
+			{
+				if (@is_dir("$resolved/$bit") || ($i == $max && @is_file("$resolved/$bit")))
+				{
+					// Path Exists
+					if ($symlink_resolve && is_link("$resolved/$bit") && ($link = readlink("$resolved/$bit")))
+					{
+						// Resolved a symlink.
+						$resolved = $link . (($i == $max) ? '' : '/');
+						continue;
+					}
+				}
+				else
+				{
+					// Something doesn't exist here!
+					// This is correct realpath() behaviour but sadly open_basedir and safe_mode make this problematic
+					// return false;
+				}
+				$resolved .= $bit . (($i == $max) ? '' : '/');
+			}
+
+			// @todo If the file exists fine and open_basedir only has one path we should be able to prepend it
+			// because we must be inside that basedir, the question is where...
+			// @interal The slash in is_dir() gets around an open_basedir restriction
+			if (!@file_exists($resolved) || (!is_dir($resolved . '/') && !is_file($resolved)))
+			{
+				return false;
+			}
+
+			// Put the slashes back to the native operating systems slashes
+			$resolved = str_replace('/', DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR, $resolved);
+
+			return $resolved; // We got here, in the end!
 		}
-
-		$translated_path = substr($translated_path, 0, strlen($translated_path) - 1);
-
-		if (is_dir($translated_path) || is_file($translated_path))
-		{
-			return $translated_path;
-		}
-
-		return false;
 	}
 }
 else
@@ -1919,7 +2046,7 @@ function decode_message(&$message, $bbcode_uid = '')
 */
 function generate_text_for_display($text, $uid, $bitfield, $flags)
 {
-	global $__bbcode;
+	static $bbcode;
 
 	if (!$text)
 	{
@@ -1937,14 +2064,14 @@ function generate_text_for_display($text, $uid, $bitfield, $flags)
 
 		if (empty($__bbcode))
 		{
-			$__bbcode = new bbcode($bitfield);
+			$bbcode = new bbcode($bitfield);
 		}
 		else
 		{
-			$__bbcode->bbcode($bitfield);
+			$bbcode->bbcode($bitfield);
 		}
 		
-		$__bbcode->bbcode_second_pass($text, $uid);
+		$bbcode->bbcode_second_pass($text, $uid);
 	}
 
 	$text = smiley_text($text, !($flags & 2));