diff --git a/stepmania/src/RageUtil.cpp b/stepmania/src/RageUtil.cpp
index 5c929ca457..636cab69d7 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/RageUtil.cpp
+++ b/stepmania/src/RageUtil.cpp
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ unsigned long randseed = time(NULL);
 #include <math.h>
 #include <sys/stat.h>
 #include <sys/types.h>
+#include <fstream>
 
 int power_of_two(int input)
 {
@@ -746,3 +747,24 @@ void TrimRight(CString &str, const char *s)
 	 * if n == 0, the whole string is erased. */
 	str.erase(str.begin()+n, str.end());
 }
+
+/* path is a .redir pathname.  Read it and return the real one. */
+CString DerefRedir(const CString &path)
+{
+	CString sDir, sFName, sExt;
+	splitrelpath( path, sDir, sFName, sExt );
+
+	if(sExt != "redir") return path;
+
+	CString sNewFileName;
+	{
+		ifstream file(path);
+		getline(file, sNewFileName);
+	}
+
+	/* Empty is invalid. */
+	if(sNewFileName == "")
+		return "";
+
+	return sDir+sNewFileName;
+}
diff --git a/stepmania/src/RageUtil.h b/stepmania/src/RageUtil.h
index 70470be307..93e9c58b7d 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/RageUtil.h
+++ b/stepmania/src/RageUtil.h
@@ -189,6 +189,8 @@ float calc_stddev(const float *start, const float *end);
 void TrimLeft(CString &str, const char *s = "\r\n\t ");
 void TrimRight(CString &str, const char *s = "\r\n\t ");
 
+CString DerefRedir(const CString &path);
+
 #ifndef WIN32
 #include <unistd.h> /* correct place with correct definitions */
 #endif
diff --git a/stepmania/src/ThemeManager.cpp b/stepmania/src/ThemeManager.cpp
index 0ca3696384..1e214e3e8f 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/ThemeManager.cpp
+++ b/stepmania/src/ThemeManager.cpp
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@
 #include "IniFile.h"
 #include "RageTimer.h"
 
-#include <fstream>
 using namespace std;
 
 ThemeManager*	THEME = NULL;	// global object accessable from anywhere in the program
@@ -131,14 +130,14 @@ try_element_again:
 
 	// look for a redirect
 	GetDirListing( sCurrentThemeDir + sAssetCategory+"\\"+sFileName + "*.redir", asPossibleElementFilePaths, false, true );
-	if( !asPossibleElementFilePaths.empty() )
+/*	if( !asPossibleElementFilePaths.empty() )
 	{
 		ifstream file(asPossibleElementFilePaths[0]);
 		CString sLine;
 		getline(file, sLine);
 	}
 
-
+*/
 	///////////////////////////////////////
 	// Search both the current theme and the default theme dirs for this element
 	///////////////////////////////////////
@@ -197,27 +196,20 @@ try_element_again:
 	asPossibleElementFilePaths[0].MakeLower();
 	if( asPossibleElementFilePaths[0].GetLength() > 5  &&  asPossibleElementFilePaths[0].Right(5) == "redir" )	// this is a redirect file
 	{
-		CString sRedirFilePath = asPossibleElementFilePaths[0];
+		CString sNewFilePath = DerefRedir(asPossibleElementFilePaths[0]);
 		
-		CString sDir, sFName, sExt;
-		splitrelpath( sRedirFilePath, sDir, sFName, sExt );
-
-		CString sNewFileName;
+		if( sNewFilePath == ""  ||  !DoesFileExist(sNewFilePath) )
 		{
-			ifstream file(sRedirFilePath);
-			getline(file, sNewFileName );
-//			CString sNewFilePath = sDir+"\\"+sNewFileName; // This is what it used to be, FONT redirs were getting extra slashes
-		// at the start of their file names, so I took out this extra slash - Andy.
-		}
+			CString message = ssprintf(
+						"The redirect '%s' points to the file '%s', which does not exist."
+						"Verify that this redirect is correct.",
+						asPossibleElementFilePaths[0].GetString(), sNewFilePath.GetString());
 
-		CString sNewFilePath = sDir+sNewFileName;
-		if( sNewFileName == ""  ||  !DoesFileExist(sNewFilePath) )
-		{
 #ifdef _DEBUG
-			if( IDRETRY == MessageBox(NULL,"ThemeManager",ssprintf("The redirect '%s' points to the file '%s', which does not exist.  Verify that this redirect is correct.", sRedirFilePath.GetString(), sNewFilePath.GetString()), MB_RETRYCANCEL ) )
+			if( MessageBox(NULL, "ThemeManager", message.GetString(), MB_RETRYCANCEL ) == IDRETRY)
 				goto try_element_again;
 #endif
-			RageException::Throw( "The redirect '%s' points to the file '%s', which does not exist.  Verify that this redirect is correct.", sRedirFilePath.GetString(), sNewFilePath.GetString() ); 
+			RageException::Throw( "%s", message.GetString() ); 
 		}
 		else
 			return sNewFilePath;