diff --git a/include/ntfs-3g/unistr.h b/include/ntfs-3g/unistr.h
index b45101e9..6de4bacc 100644
--- a/include/ntfs-3g/unistr.h
+++ b/include/ntfs-3g/unistr.h
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ extern int ntfs_file_values_compare(const FILE_NAME_ATTR *file_name_attr1,
 
 extern int ntfs_ucstombs(const ntfschar *ins, const int ins_len, char **outs,
 		int outs_len);
-extern int ntfs_mbstoucs(const char *ins, ntfschar **outs, int outs_len);
+extern int ntfs_mbstoucs(const char *ins, ntfschar **outs);
 
 extern void ntfs_upcase_table_build(ntfschar *uc, u32 uc_len);
 
diff --git a/libntfs-3g/dir.c b/libntfs-3g/dir.c
index b4acc1f2..d1829bbf 100644
--- a/libntfs-3g/dir.c
+++ b/libntfs-3g/dir.c
@@ -465,7 +465,7 @@ ntfs_inode *ntfs_pathname_to_inode(ntfs_volume *vol, ntfs_inode *parent,
 			q++;
 		}
 
-		len = ntfs_mbstoucs(p, &unicode, 0);
+		len = ntfs_mbstoucs(p, &unicode);
 		if (len < 0) {
 			ntfs_log_debug("Couldn't convert name to Unicode: %s.\n", p);
 			err = errno;
diff --git a/libntfs-3g/unistr.c b/libntfs-3g/unistr.c
index 4eb9dee9..5a16633c 100644
--- a/libntfs-3g/unistr.c
+++ b/libntfs-3g/unistr.c
@@ -491,17 +491,16 @@ err_out:
  * ntfs_mbstoucs - convert a multibyte string to a little endian Unicode string
  * @ins:	input multibyte string buffer
  * @outs:	on return contains the (allocated) output Unicode string
- * @outs_len:	length of output buffer in Unicode characters
  *
  * Convert the input multibyte string @ins, from the current locale into the
  * corresponding little endian, 2-byte Unicode string.
  *
- * If *@outs is NULL, the function allocates the string and the caller is
- * responsible for calling free(*@outs); when finished with it.
+ * The function allocates the string and the caller is responsible for calling 
+ * free(*@outs); when finished with it.
  *
  * On success the function returns the number of Unicode characters written to
  * the output string *@outs (>= 0), not counting the terminating Unicode NULL
- * character. If the output string buffer was allocated, *@outs is set to it.
+ * character.
  *
  * On error, -1 is returned, and errno is set to the error code. The following
  * error codes can be expected:
@@ -511,7 +510,7 @@ err_out:
  *	ENAMETOOLONG	Destination buffer is too small for input string.
  *	ENOMEM		Not enough memory to allocate destination buffer.
  */
-int ntfs_mbstoucs(const char *ins, ntfschar **outs, int outs_len)
+int ntfs_mbstoucs(const char *ins, ntfschar **outs)
 {
 	ntfschar *ucs;
 	const char *s;
@@ -525,12 +524,7 @@ int ntfs_mbstoucs(const char *ins, ntfschar **outs, int outs_len)
 		errno = EINVAL;
 		return -1;
 	}
-	ucs = *outs;
-	ucs_len = outs_len;
-	if (ucs && !ucs_len) {
-		errno = ENAMETOOLONG;
-		return -1;
-	}
+	
 	/* Determine the size of the multi-byte string in bytes. */
 	ins_size = strlen(ins);
 	/* Determine the length of the multi-byte string. */
@@ -562,31 +556,21 @@ int ntfs_mbstoucs(const char *ins, ntfschar **outs, int outs_len)
 	}
 	/* Add the NULL terminator. */
 	ins_len++;
-	if (!ucs) {
-		ucs_len = ins_len;
-		ucs = ntfs_malloc(ucs_len * sizeof(ntfschar));
-		if (!ucs)
-			return -1;
-	}
+	ucs_len = ins_len;
+	ucs = ntfs_malloc(ucs_len * sizeof(ntfschar));
+	if (!ucs)
+		return -1;
 #ifdef HAVE_MBSINIT
 	memset(&mbstate, 0, sizeof(mbstate));
 #else
 	mbtowc(NULL, NULL, 0);
 #endif
 	for (i = o = cnt = 0; i < ins_size; i += cnt, o++) {
-		/* Reallocate memory if necessary or abort. */
+		/* Reallocate memory if necessary. */
 		if (o >= ucs_len) {
 			ntfschar *tc;
-			if (ucs == *outs) {
-				errno = ENAMETOOLONG;
-				return -1;
-			}
-			/*
-			 * We will never get here but hey, it's only a bit of
-			 * extra code...
-			 */
 			ucs_len = (ucs_len * sizeof(ntfschar) + 64) & ~63;
-			tc = (ntfschar*)realloc(ucs, ucs_len);
+			tc = realloc(ucs, ucs_len);
 			if (!tc)
 				goto err_out;
 			ucs = tc;
@@ -626,15 +610,10 @@ int ntfs_mbstoucs(const char *ins, ntfschar **outs, int outs_len)
 #endif
 	/* Now write the NULL character. */
 	ucs[o] = cpu_to_le16(L'\0');
-	if (*outs != ucs)
-		*outs = ucs;
+	*outs = ucs;
 	return o;
 err_out:
-	if (ucs != *outs) {
-		int eo = errno;
-		free(ucs);
-		errno = eo;
-	}
+	free(ucs);
 	return -1;
 }
 
@@ -725,7 +704,7 @@ ntfschar *ntfs_str2ucs(const char *s, int *len)
 {
 	ntfschar *ucs = NULL;
 
-	if (s && ((*len = ntfs_mbstoucs(s, &ucs, 0)) == -1)) {
+	if (s && ((*len = ntfs_mbstoucs(s, &ucs)) == -1)) {
 		ntfs_log_perror("Couldn't convert '%s' to Unicode", s);
 		return NULL;
 	}
diff --git a/libntfs-3g/volume.c b/libntfs-3g/volume.c
index e82d2480..43f085a3 100644
--- a/libntfs-3g/volume.c
+++ b/libntfs-3g/volume.c
@@ -632,7 +632,7 @@ static ntfs_inode *ntfs_hiberfile_open(ntfs_volume *vol)
 		return NULL;
 	}
 
-	unicode_len = ntfs_mbstoucs(hiberfile, &unicode, 0);
+	unicode_len = ntfs_mbstoucs(hiberfile, &unicode);
 	if (unicode_len < 0) {
 		ntfs_log_perror("Couldn't convert 'hiberfil.sys' to Unicode");
 		goto out;
diff --git a/src/ntfs-3g.c b/src/ntfs-3g.c
index 683e61f3..5a807ffd 100644
--- a/src/ntfs-3g.c
+++ b/src/ntfs-3g.c
@@ -321,7 +321,7 @@ static int ntfs_fuse_parse_path(const char *org_path, char **path,
 		*path = strsep(&stream_name_mbs, ":");
 		if (stream_name_mbs) {
 			*stream_name = NULL;
-			res = ntfs_mbstoucs(stream_name_mbs, stream_name, 0);
+			res = ntfs_mbstoucs(stream_name_mbs, stream_name);
 			if (res < 0)
 				return -errno;
 			return res;
@@ -827,7 +827,7 @@ static int ntfs_fuse_create(const char *org_path, dev_t type, dev_t dev,
 	/* Generate unicode filename. */
 	name = strrchr(path, '/');
 	name++;
-	uname_len = ntfs_mbstoucs(name, &uname, 0);
+	uname_len = ntfs_mbstoucs(name, &uname);
 	if (uname_len < 0) {
 		res = -errno;
 		goto exit;
@@ -847,7 +847,7 @@ static int ntfs_fuse_create(const char *org_path, dev_t type, dev_t dev,
 					dev);
 			break;
 		case S_IFLNK:
-			utarget_len = ntfs_mbstoucs(target, &utarget, 0);
+			utarget_len = ntfs_mbstoucs(target, &utarget);
 			if (utarget_len < 0) {
 				res = -errno;
 				goto exit;
@@ -985,7 +985,7 @@ static int ntfs_fuse_link(const char *old_path, const char *new_path)
 	/* Generate unicode filename. */
 	name = strrchr(path, '/');
 	name++;
-	uname_len = ntfs_mbstoucs(name, &uname, 0);
+	uname_len = ntfs_mbstoucs(name, &uname);
 	if (uname_len < 0) {
 		res = -errno;
 		goto exit;
@@ -1039,7 +1039,7 @@ static int ntfs_fuse_rm(const char *org_path)
 	/* Generate unicode filename. */
 	name = strrchr(path, '/');
 	name++;
-	uname_len = ntfs_mbstoucs(name, &uname, 0);
+	uname_len = ntfs_mbstoucs(name, &uname);
 	if (uname_len < 0) {
 		res = -errno;
 		goto exit;
@@ -1456,7 +1456,7 @@ static int ntfs_fuse_getxattr(const char *path, const char *name,
 	ni = ntfs_pathname_to_inode(vol, NULL, path);
 	if (!ni)
 		return -errno;
-	lename_len = ntfs_mbstoucs(name + nf_ns_xattr_preffix_len, &lename, 0);
+	lename_len = ntfs_mbstoucs(name + nf_ns_xattr_preffix_len, &lename);
 	if (lename_len == -1) {
 		res = -errno;
 		goto exit;
@@ -1504,7 +1504,7 @@ static int ntfs_fuse_setxattr(const char *path, const char *name,
 	ni = ntfs_pathname_to_inode(vol, NULL, path);
 	if (!ni)
 		return -errno;
-	lename_len = ntfs_mbstoucs(name + nf_ns_xattr_preffix_len, &lename, 0);
+	lename_len = ntfs_mbstoucs(name + nf_ns_xattr_preffix_len, &lename);
 	if (lename_len == -1) {
 		res = -errno;
 		goto exit;
@@ -1562,7 +1562,7 @@ static int ntfs_fuse_removexattr(const char *path, const char *name)
 	ni = ntfs_pathname_to_inode(vol, NULL, path);
 	if (!ni)
 		return -errno;
-	lename_len = ntfs_mbstoucs(name + nf_ns_xattr_preffix_len, &lename, 0);
+	lename_len = ntfs_mbstoucs(name + nf_ns_xattr_preffix_len, &lename);
 	if (lename_len == -1) {
 		res = -errno;
 		goto exit;