diff --git a/apps/openmw/main.cpp b/apps/openmw/main.cpp
index 9be1e8a7f..645316f9c 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/main.cpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/main.cpp
@@ -69,8 +69,7 @@ bool parseOptions (int argc, char** argv, OMW::Engine& engine, Files::Configurat
 {
     // Create a local alias for brevity
     namespace bpo = boost::program_options;
-	typedef Files::EscapeHashString string;
-    typedef std::vector<string> StringsVector;
+	typedef std::vector<Files::EscapeHashString> StringsVector;
 
     bpo::options_description desc("Syntax: openmw <options>\nAllowed options");
 
@@ -80,16 +79,16 @@ bool parseOptions (int argc, char** argv, OMW::Engine& engine, Files::Configurat
         ("data", bpo::value<Files::PathContainer>()->default_value(Files::PathContainer(), "data")
             ->multitoken()->composing(), "set data directories (later directories have higher priority)")
 
-        ("data-local", bpo::value<string>()->default_value(""),
+			("data-local", bpo::value<Files::EscapeHashString>()->default_value(""),
             "set local data directory (highest priority)")
 
         ("fallback-archive", bpo::value<StringsVector>()->default_value(StringsVector(), "fallback-archive")
             ->multitoken(), "set fallback BSA archives (later archives have higher priority)")
 
-        ("resources", bpo::value<string>()->default_value("resources"),
+			("resources", bpo::value<Files::EscapeHashString>()->default_value("resources"),
             "set resources directory")
 
-        ("start", bpo::value<std::string>()->default_value(""),
+			("start", bpo::value<Files::EscapeHashString>()->default_value(""),
             "set initial cell")
 
         ("content", bpo::value<StringsVector>()->default_value(StringsVector(), "")
@@ -110,7 +109,7 @@ bool parseOptions (int argc, char** argv, OMW::Engine& engine, Files::Configurat
         ("script-console", bpo::value<bool>()->implicit_value(true)
             ->default_value(false), "enable console-only script functionality")
 
-        ("script-run", bpo::value<string>()->default_value(""),
+			("script-run", bpo::value<Files::EscapeHashString>()->default_value(""),
             "select a file containing a list of console commands that is executed on startup")
 
         ("script-warn", bpo::value<int>()->implicit_value (1)
@@ -126,7 +125,7 @@ bool parseOptions (int argc, char** argv, OMW::Engine& engine, Files::Configurat
         ("script-blacklist-use", bpo::value<bool>()->implicit_value(true)
             ->default_value(true), "enable script blacklisting")
 
-        ("load-savegame", bpo::value<string>()->default_value(""),
+			("load-savegame", bpo::value<Files::EscapeHashString>()->default_value(""),
             "load a save game file on game startup (specify an absolute filename or a filename relative to the current working directory)")
 
         ("skip-menu", bpo::value<bool>()->implicit_value(true)
@@ -138,7 +137,7 @@ bool parseOptions (int argc, char** argv, OMW::Engine& engine, Files::Configurat
         ("fs-strict", bpo::value<bool>()->implicit_value(true)
             ->default_value(false), "strict file system handling (no case folding)")
 
-        ( "encoding", bpo::value<string>()->
+			("encoding", bpo::value<Files::EscapeHashString>()->
             default_value("win1252"),
             "Character encoding used in OpenMW game messages:\n"
             "\n\twin1250 - Central and Eastern European such as Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Slovene, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian (Latin script), Romanian and Albanian languages\n"
@@ -242,7 +241,7 @@ bool parseOptions (int argc, char** argv, OMW::Engine& engine, Files::Configurat
     engine.setScriptConsoleMode (variables["script-console"].as<bool>());
     engine.setStartupScript (variables["script-run"].as<std::string>());
     engine.setWarningsMode (variables["script-warn"].as<int>());
-    engine.setScriptBlacklist (string::toStdStringVector(variables["script-blacklist"].as<StringsVector>()));
+    engine.setScriptBlacklist (Files::EscapeHashString::toStdStringVector(variables["script-blacklist"].as<StringsVector>()));
     engine.setScriptBlacklistUse (variables["script-blacklist-use"].as<bool>());
     engine.setSaveGameFile (variables["load-savegame"].as<std::string>());
 
diff --git a/components/fallback/validate.hpp b/components/fallback/validate.hpp
index 4df7da6e7..4c4897c27 100644
--- a/components/fallback/validate.hpp
+++ b/components/fallback/validate.hpp
@@ -12,11 +12,11 @@
 namespace Fallback
 {
 
-    struct FallbackMap {
-        std::map<std::string, std::string> mMap;
-    };
+	struct FallbackMap {
+		std::map<std::string, std::string> mMap;
+	};
 
-	struct EscapeFallbackMap : FallbackMap 
+	struct EscapeFallbackMap : FallbackMap
 	{
 		std::map<Files::EscapeHashString, Files::EscapeHashString> mMap;
 
@@ -29,34 +29,34 @@ namespace Fallback
 		}
 	};
 
-    void validate(boost::any &v, std::vector<std::string> const &tokens, FallbackMap*, int)
-    {
-        if(v.empty())
-        {
-            v = boost::any(FallbackMap());
-        }
+	void validate(boost::any &v, std::vector<std::string> const &tokens, FallbackMap*, int)
+	{
+		if (v.empty())
+		{
+			v = boost::any(FallbackMap());
+		}
 
-        FallbackMap *map = boost::any_cast<FallbackMap>(&v);
+		FallbackMap *map = boost::any_cast<FallbackMap>(&v);
 
-        for(std::vector<std::string>::const_iterator it=tokens.begin(); it != tokens.end(); ++it)
-        {
-            int sep = it->find(",");
-            if(sep < 1 || sep == (int)it->length()-1)
-    #if (BOOST_VERSION < 104200)
-                throw boost::program_options::validation_error("invalid value");
-    #else
-                throw boost::program_options::validation_error(boost::program_options::validation_error::invalid_option_value);
-    #endif
+		for (std::vector<std::string>::const_iterator it = tokens.begin(); it != tokens.end(); ++it)
+		{
+			int sep = it->find(",");
+			if (sep < 1 || sep == (int)it->length() - 1)
+#if (BOOST_VERSION < 104200)
+				throw boost::program_options::validation_error("invalid value");
+#else
+				throw boost::program_options::validation_error(boost::program_options::validation_error::invalid_option_value);
+#endif
 
-            std::string key(it->substr(0,sep));
-            std::string value(it->substr(sep+1));
+			std::string key(it->substr(0, sep));
+			std::string value(it->substr(sep + 1));
 
-            if(map->mMap.find(key) == map->mMap.end())
-            {
-                map->mMap.insert(std::make_pair (key,value));
-            }
-        }
-    }
+			if (map->mMap.find(key) == map->mMap.end())
+			{
+				map->mMap.insert(std::make_pair(key, value));
+			}
+		}
+	}
 
 	void validate(boost::any &v, std::vector<std::string> const &tokens, EscapeFallbackMap* eFM, int a)
 	{
@@ -64,4 +64,13 @@ namespace Fallback
 	}
 }
 
+namespace Files {
+	void validate(boost::any &v, const std::vector<std::string> &tokens, Files::EscapeHashString * eHS, int a)
+	{
+		std::string * temp = eHS->toStdStringPtr();
+		boost::program_options::validate(v, tokens, temp, a);
+		delete temp;
+	}
+}
+
 #endif
diff --git a/components/files/configurationmanager.cpp b/components/files/configurationmanager.cpp
index c7ac976d6..78e49e23d 100644
--- a/components/files/configurationmanager.cpp
+++ b/components/files/configurationmanager.cpp
@@ -285,6 +285,12 @@ std::string EscapeHashString::toStdString() const
 	return std::string(* this);
 }
 
+std::string * EscapeHashString::toStdStringPtr() const
+{
+	std::string * ret = new std::string(*this);
+	return ret;
+}
+
 const boost::filesystem::path& ConfigurationManager::getGlobalPath() const
 {
     return mFixedPath.getGlobalConfigPath();
diff --git a/components/files/configurationmanager.hpp b/components/files/configurationmanager.hpp
index 47ecc9eb2..0d3517d48 100644
--- a/components/files/configurationmanager.hpp
+++ b/components/files/configurationmanager.hpp
@@ -107,6 +107,7 @@ class EscapeHashString : public std::string
 		EscapeHashString(InputIterator first, InputIterator last);
 
 		std::string toStdString() const;
+		std::string * toStdStringPtr() const;
 };
 
 } /* namespace Cfg */