diff --git a/volatility3/cli/__init__.py b/volatility3/cli/__init__.py
index cc3338519..4965959b2 100644
--- a/volatility3/cli/__init__.py
+++ b/volatility3/cli/__init__.py
@@ -272,11 +272,11 @@ class CommandLine:
             # We want to work in URLs, but we need to accept absolute and relative files (including on windows)
             single_location = urllib.parse.urlparse(args.file, 'file')
             if single_location.scheme == 'file' or len(single_location.scheme) == 1:
-                # Otherwise construct a URL parameter
-                file_path = request.pathname2url(os.path.abspath(args.file))
-                single_location = urllib.parse.urlparse(urllib.parse.urljoin('file:', file_path))
-                if not os.path.exists(single_location.path):
-                    parser.error("File does not exist: {}".format(single_location.path))
+                if len(single_location.scheme) == 1:
+                    # Mis-parsed a windows drive as a scheme, it doesn't need abspath because it features a drive letter
+                    single_location = urllib.parse.urlparse(urllib.parse.urljoin('file:', urllib.request.pathname2url(args.file)))
+                if not os.path.exists(urllib.request.url2pathname(single_location.path)):
+                    parser.error("File does not exist: {}".format(os.path.exists(urllib.request.url2pathname(single_location.path))))
             ctx.config['automagic.LayerStacker.single_location'] = urllib.parse.urlunparse(single_location)
 
         # UI fills in the config, here we load it from the config file and do it before we process the CL parameters
diff --git a/volatility3/cli/volshell/__init__.py b/volatility3/cli/volshell/__init__.py
index b67cc8a6c..8de128bb9 100644
--- a/volatility3/cli/volshell/__init__.py
+++ b/volatility3/cli/volshell/__init__.py
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import json
 import logging
 import os
 import sys
+import urllib
 from urllib import request
 
 import volatility3.plugins
@@ -199,12 +200,17 @@ class VolShell(cli.CommandLine):
         # NOTE: This will *BREAK* if LayerStacker, or the automagic configuration system, changes at all
         ###
         if args.file:
-            file_name = os.path.abspath(args.file)
-            if not os.path.exists(file_name):
-                vollog.log(logging.INFO, "File does not exist: {}".format(file_name))
-            else:
-                single_location = "file:" + request.pathname2url(file_name)
-                ctx.config['automagic.LayerStacker.single_location'] = single_location
+            # We want to work in URLs, but we need to accept absolute and relative files (including on windows)
+            single_location = urllib.parse.urlparse(args.file, 'file')
+            if single_location.scheme == 'file' or len(single_location.scheme) == 1:
+                if len(single_location.scheme) == 1:
+                    # Mis-parsed a windows drive as a scheme, it doesn't need abspath because it features a drive letter
+                    single_location = urllib.parse.urlparse(
+                        urllib.parse.urljoin('file:', urllib.request.pathname2url(args.file)))
+                if not os.path.exists(urllib.request.url2pathname(single_location.path)):
+                    parser.error("File does not exist: {}".format(
+                        os.path.exists(urllib.request.url2pathname(single_location.path))))
+            ctx.config['automagic.LayerStacker.single_location'] = urllib.parse.urlunparse(single_location)
 
         # UI fills in the config, here we load it from the config file and do it before we process the CL parameters
         if args.config: