diff --git a/bin/ikarus b/bin/ikarus
index c02f4e0..ca1bf67 100755
Binary files a/bin/ikarus and b/bin/ikarus differ
diff --git a/bin/ikarus-collect.c b/bin/ikarus-collect.c
index f772178..6951e77 100644
--- a/bin/ikarus-collect.c
+++ b/bin/ikarus-collect.c
@@ -1109,12 +1109,12 @@ add_object_proc(gc_t* gc, ikp x)
   else if(tag == string_tag){
     if(is_fixnum(fst)){
       int strlen = unfix(fst);
-      int memreq = align(strlen + disp_string_data + 1);
+      int memreq = align(strlen*string_char_size + disp_string_data + 1);
       ikp new_str = gc_alloc_new_data(memreq, gen, gc) + string_tag;
       ref(new_str, off_string_length) = fst;
       memcpy(new_str+off_string_data,
              x + off_string_data,
-             strlen + 1);
+             strlen*string_char_size + 1);
       ref(x, -string_tag) = forward_ptr;
       ref(x, wordsize-string_tag) = new_str;
 #if accounting
diff --git a/bin/ikarus-data.h b/bin/ikarus-data.h
index 2435bef..5508783 100644
--- a/bin/ikarus-data.h
+++ b/bin/ikarus-data.h
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@
 #define off_string_length (disp_string_length - string_tag)
 #define off_string_data (disp_string_data - string_tag)
 
-#define string_data(x)  ((char*)((x) + off_string_data))
+//#define string_data(x)  ((char*)((x) + off_string_data))
 #define string_set(x,i,c) \
   ((((unsigned char*)(x)) + off_string_data + (int)(i))[0] = \
    (((int)(c)) >> IK_CHAR_SHIFT))
diff --git a/bin/ikarus-main.c b/bin/ikarus-main.c
index 716a2fe..3143ddf 100644
--- a/bin/ikarus-main.c
+++ b/bin/ikarus-main.c
@@ -137,11 +137,17 @@ int main(int argc, char** argv){
     while(i > 0){
       char* s = argv[i];
       int n = strlen(s);
-      ikp str = ik_alloc(pcb, align(n+disp_string_data+1));
-      ref(str, disp_string_length) = fix(n);
-      strcpy((char*)str+disp_string_data, s);
+      ikp str = ik_alloc(pcb, align(n*string_char_size+disp_string_data+1))
+                + string_tag;
+      ref(str, off_string_length) = fix(n);
+      {
+        int i;
+        for(i=0; i<n; i++){
+          string_set(str, i, integer_to_char(s[i]));
+        }
+      }
       ikp p = ik_alloc(pcb, pair_size);
-      ref(p, disp_car) = str + string_tag;
+      ref(p, disp_car) = str;
       ref(p, disp_cdr) = arg_list;
       arg_list = p+pair_tag;
       i--;
diff --git a/bin/ikarus-print.c b/bin/ikarus-print.c
index f2ab288..3468816 100644
--- a/bin/ikarus-print.c
+++ b/bin/ikarus-print.c
@@ -106,7 +106,9 @@ print(FILE* fh, ikp x){
   else if(tagof(x) == string_tag){
     ikp fxlen = ref(x, off_string_length);
     int len = unfix(fxlen);
-    char* data = string_data(x);
+    fprintf(stderr, "bug: printer busted!\n");
+    exit(-1);
+    char* data = 0; //string_data(x);
     fprintf(fh, "\"");
     int i;
     for(i=0; i<len; i++){
diff --git a/bin/ikarus-runtime.c b/bin/ikarus-runtime.c
index 7eca7ae..ebd0187 100644
--- a/bin/ikarus-runtime.c
+++ b/bin/ikarus-runtime.c
@@ -479,7 +479,7 @@ ikp ik_uuid(ikp str){
   return str;
 }
 
-
+#if 0
 ikp ik_write(ikp fdptr, ikp idx, ikp str){
   fprintf(stderr, "IK_WRITE\n");
   int fd = unfix(fdptr);
@@ -492,6 +492,7 @@ ikp ik_write(ikp fdptr, ikp idx, ikp str){
   }
   return true_object;
 }
+#endif
 
 
 /* 
@@ -505,6 +506,7 @@ ikp ik_write(ikp fdptr, ikp idx, ikp str){
  * int unlink(const char *pathname);  
  */
 
+#if 0
 ikp ik_open_file(ikp str, ikp flagptr){
   int flags;
   int f = unfix(flagptr);
@@ -537,6 +539,7 @@ ikp ik_open_file(ikp str, ikp flagptr){
   }
   return fix(fd);
 }
+#endif
  
 
 /*
@@ -829,12 +832,19 @@ ikrt_open_output_file(ikp fname, ikp flagptr, ikpcb* pcb){
   /* [(replace)  1] */
   /* [(truncate) 2] */
   /* [(append)   3] */
+  char* name;
+  if(tagof(fname) == bytevector_tag){
+    name = (char*) fname + off_bytevector_data;
+  } else {
+    fprintf(stderr, "bug in ikrt_open_output_file\n");
+    exit(-1);
+  }
   int flags;
   int f = unfix(flagptr);
   if(f == 0){
     flags = O_WRONLY | O_CREAT;
   } else if(f == 1){
-    unlink(string_data(fname));
+    unlink(name);
     flags = O_WRONLY | O_CREAT;
   } else if(f == 2){
     flags = O_WRONLY | O_TRUNC | O_CREAT;
@@ -845,13 +855,6 @@ ikrt_open_output_file(ikp fname, ikp flagptr, ikpcb* pcb){
                   (int)flagptr);
     exit(-10);
   }
-  char* name;
-  if(tagof(fname) == bytevector_tag){
-    name = (char*) fname + off_bytevector_data;
-  } else {
-    fprintf(stderr, "bug in ikrt_open_output_file\n");
-    exit(-1);
-  }
   int fd = open(name, flags, S_IRUSR | S_IWUSR | S_IRGRP | S_IROTH);
   if(fd == -1){
     fprintf(stderr, "openfile failed: %s\n", strerror(errno));
@@ -868,7 +871,8 @@ ikrt_write_file(ikp fd, ikp buff, ikp idx, ikpcb* pcb){
   if(tagof(buff) == bytevector_tag){
     bytes = write(unfix(fd), buff+off_bytevector_data, unfix(idx));
   } else {
-    bytes = write(unfix(fd), string_data(buff), unfix(idx));
+    fprintf(stderr, "bug in ikrt_write_file\n");
+    exit(-1);
   }
   return fix(bytes);
 }
@@ -953,7 +957,7 @@ ikp
 ikrt_getenv(ikp str, ikpcb* pcb){
   fprintf(stderr, "getenv busted!\n");
   exit(-1);
-  char* v = getenv(string_data(str));
+  char* v = getenv((char*)str + off_bytevector_data);
   if(v){
     int n = strlen(v);
     ikp s = ik_alloc(pcb, align(n+disp_string_data+1)) + string_tag;
@@ -973,7 +977,8 @@ ikp
 ikrt_setenv(ikp key, ikp val, ikp overwrite){
   fprintf(stderr, "setenv busted!\n");
   exit(-1);
-  int err = setenv(string_data(key), string_data(val), 
+  int err = setenv((char*)key+off_bytevector_data, 
+                   (char*)val+off_bytevector_data,
                    overwrite!=false_object);
   if(err){
     return false_object;
diff --git a/bin/ikarus-symbol-table.c b/bin/ikarus-symbol-table.c
index b6c5e4b..09fdc2c 100644
--- a/bin/ikarus-symbol-table.c
+++ b/bin/ikarus-symbol-table.c
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ compute_hash(ikp str){
   int len = unfix(ref(str, off_string_length));
   char* data = (char*) str + off_string_data;
   int h = len;
-  char* last = data + len;
+  char* last = data + len * string_char_size;
   while(data < last){
     char c = *data;
     h = h + c;
@@ -37,7 +37,10 @@ static int strings_eqp(ikp str1, ikp str2){
   ikp len = ref(str1, off_string_length);
   if(len == ref(str2, off_string_length)){
     return
-      (memcmp(str1+off_string_data, str2+off_string_data, unfix(len)) == 0);
+      (memcmp(str1+off_string_data, 
+              str2+off_string_data, 
+              unfix(len) * string_char_size)
+       == 0);
   }
   return 0;
 }
@@ -175,7 +178,7 @@ ikrt_strings_to_gensym(ikp str, ikp ustr, ikpcb* pcb){
 }
 
 
-
+#if 0
 ikp
 ik_cstring_to_symbol(char* str, ikpcb* pcb){
   int n = strlen(str);
@@ -186,3 +189,4 @@ ik_cstring_to_symbol(char* str, ikpcb* pcb){
   ikp sym = ikrt_string_to_symbol(s, pcb);
   return sym;
 }
+#endif
diff --git a/src/ikarus.boot b/src/ikarus.boot
index 54c54da..439904f 100644
Binary files a/src/ikarus.boot and b/src/ikarus.boot differ