diff --git a/cake/libs/controller/controller.php b/cake/libs/controller/controller.php
index bfe4c7fc1..5e37c8dfb 100644
--- a/cake/libs/controller/controller.php
+++ b/cake/libs/controller/controller.php
@@ -448,7 +448,7 @@ class Controller extends Object {
 
 			foreach ($merge as $var) {
 				if (!empty($appVars[$var]) && is_array($this->{$var})) {
-					if ($var === 'components') {
+					if ($var !== 'uses') {
 						$normal = Set::normalize($this->{$var});
 						$app = Set::normalize($appVars[$var]);
 						if ($app !== $normal) {
@@ -456,7 +456,7 @@ class Controller extends Object {
 						}
 					} else {
 						$this->{$var} = Set::merge(
-							$this->{$var}, array_diff($appVars[$var], $this->{$var})
+							array_diff($appVars[$var], $this->{$var}), $this->{$var}
 						);
 					}
 				}
@@ -474,7 +474,7 @@ class Controller extends Object {
 
 			foreach ($merge as $var) {
 				if (isset($appVars[$var]) && !empty($appVars[$var]) && is_array($this->{$var})) {
-					if ($var === 'components') {
+					if ($var !== 'uses') {
 						$normal = Set::normalize($this->{$var});
 						$app = Set::normalize($appVars[$var]);
 						if ($app !== $normal) {
@@ -482,7 +482,7 @@ class Controller extends Object {
 						}
 					} else {
 						$this->{$var} = Set::merge(
-							$this->{$var}, array_diff($appVars[$var], $this->{$var})
+							array_diff($appVars[$var], $this->{$var}), $this->{$var}
 						);
 					}
 				}
diff --git a/cake/libs/folder.php b/cake/libs/folder.php
index 8a470cbd5..36cba374b 100644
--- a/cake/libs/folder.php
+++ b/cake/libs/folder.php
@@ -244,7 +244,7 @@ class Folder {
  * @static
  */
 	function isWindowsPath($path) {
-		return (bool)preg_match('/^[A-Z]:\\\\/i', $path);
+		return (preg_match('/^[A-Z]:\\\\/i', $path) || substr($path, 0, 2) == '\\\\');
 	}
 
 /**
@@ -256,7 +256,7 @@ class Folder {
  * @static
  */
 	function isAbsolute($path) {
-		return !empty($path) && ($path[0] === '/' || preg_match('/^[A-Z]:\\\\/i', $path));
+		return !empty($path) && ($path[0] === '/' || preg_match('/^[A-Z]:\\\\/i', $path) || substr($path, 0, 2) == '\\\\');
 	}
 
 /**
diff --git a/cake/tests/cases/libs/controller/controller.test.php b/cake/tests/cases/libs/controller/controller.test.php
index 4a8860a2f..02260dcb5 100644
--- a/cake/tests/cases/libs/controller/controller.test.php
+++ b/cake/tests/cases/libs/controller/controller.test.php
@@ -1241,7 +1241,7 @@ class ControllerTest extends CakeTestCase {
 					? array_merge($appVars['uses'], $testVars['uses'])
 					: $testVars['uses'];
 
-		$this->assertEqual(count(array_diff($TestController->helpers, $helpers)), 0);
+		$this->assertEqual(count(array_diff_assoc(Set::normalize($TestController->helpers), Set::normalize($helpers))), 0);
 		$this->assertEqual(count(array_diff($TestController->uses, $uses)), 0);
 		$this->assertEqual(count(array_diff_assoc(Set::normalize($TestController->components), Set::normalize($components))), 0);
 
diff --git a/cake/tests/cases/libs/controller/controller_merge_vars.test.php b/cake/tests/cases/libs/controller/controller_merge_vars.test.php
index c09392908..3f16bd7cd 100644
--- a/cake/tests/cases/libs/controller/controller_merge_vars.test.php
+++ b/cake/tests/cases/libs/controller/controller_merge_vars.test.php
@@ -183,6 +183,25 @@ class ControllerMergeVarsTest extends CakeTestCase {
 		$this->assertEqual($Controller->helpers, $expected, 'Duplication of settings occured. %s');
 	}
 
+/**
+ * Test that helpers declared in appcontroller come before those in the subclass
+ * orderwise
+ *
+ * @return void
+ */
+	function testHelperOrderPrecedence() {
+		$Controller =& new MergeVariablesController();
+		$Controller->helpers = array('Custom', 'Foo' => array('something'));
+		$Controller->constructClasses();
+
+		$expected = array(
+			'MergeVar' => array('format' => 'html', 'terse'),
+			'Custom' => null,
+			'Foo' => array('something')
+		);
+		$this->assertIdentical($Controller->helpers, $expected, 'Order is incorrect. %s');
+	}
+
 /**
  * test merging of vars with plugin
  *
@@ -204,8 +223,8 @@ class ControllerMergeVarsTest extends CakeTestCase {
 		$this->assertEqual($Controller->components, $expected, 'Components are unexpected %s');
 
 		$expected = array(
-			'Javascript',
-			'MergeVar' => array('format' => 'html', 'terse')
+			'MergeVar' => array('format' => 'html', 'terse'),
+			'Javascript' => null
 		);
 		$this->assertEqual($Controller->helpers, $expected, 'Helpers are unexpected %s');
 
diff --git a/cake/tests/cases/libs/folder.test.php b/cake/tests/cases/libs/folder.test.php
index 68d2c706c..428520610 100644
--- a/cake/tests/cases/libs/folder.test.php
+++ b/cake/tests/cases/libs/folder.test.php
@@ -367,6 +367,7 @@ class FolderTest extends CakeTestCase {
 		$this->assertFalse(Folder::isWindowsPath('0:\\cake\\is\\awesome'));
 		$this->assertTrue(Folder::isWindowsPath('C:\\cake\\is\\awesome'));
 		$this->assertTrue(Folder::isWindowsPath('d:\\cake\\is\\awesome'));
+		$this->assertTrue(Folder::isWindowsPath('\\\\vmware-host\\Shared Folders\\file'));
 	}
 
 /**
@@ -388,6 +389,7 @@ class FolderTest extends CakeTestCase {
 		$this->assertTrue(Folder::isAbsolute('C:\\cake'));
 		$this->assertTrue(Folder::isAbsolute('C:\\path\\to\\file'));
 		$this->assertTrue(Folder::isAbsolute('d:\\path\\to\\file'));
+		$this->assertTrue(Folder::isAbsolute('\\\\vmware-host\\Shared Folders\\file'));
 	}
 
 /**
diff --git a/cake/tests/cases/libs/set.test.php b/cake/tests/cases/libs/set.test.php
index 9d0d1b08b..9fbc4086b 100644
--- a/cake/tests/cases/libs/set.test.php
+++ b/cake/tests/cases/libs/set.test.php
@@ -2990,4 +2990,50 @@ class SetTest extends CakeTestCase {
 		);
 		$this->assertEqual($result, $expected);
 	}
+
+/**
+ * test normalization
+ *
+ * @return void
+ */
+	function testNormalizeStrings() {
+		$result = Set::normalize('one,two,three');
+		$expected = array('one' => null, 'two' => null, 'three' => null);
+		$this->assertEqual($expected, $result);
+
+		$result = Set::normalize('one two three', true, ' ');
+		$expected = array('one' => null, 'two' => null, 'three' => null);
+		$this->assertEqual($expected, $result);
+
+		$result = Set::normalize('one  ,  two   ,  three   ', true, ',', true);
+		$expected = array('one' => null, 'two' => null, 'three' => null);
+		$this->assertEqual($expected, $result);
+	}
+
+/**
+ * test normalizing arrays
+ *
+ * @return void
+ */
+	function testNormalizeArrays() {
+		$result = Set::normalize(array('one', 'two', 'three'));
+		$expected = array('one' => null, 'two' => null, 'three' => null);
+		$this->assertEqual($expected, $result);
+
+		$result = Set::normalize(array('one', 'two', 'three'), false);
+		$expected = array('one', 'two', 'three');
+		$this->assertEqual($expected, $result);
+
+		$result = Set::normalize(array('one' => 1, 'two' => 2, 'three' => 3, 'four'), false);
+		$expected = array('one' => 1, 'two' => 2, 'three' => 3, 'four' => null);
+		$this->assertEqual($expected, $result);
+
+		$result = Set::normalize(array('one' => 1, 'two' => 2, 'three' => 3, 'four'));
+		$expected = array('one' => 1, 'two' => 2, 'three' => 3, 'four' => null);
+		$this->assertEqual($expected, $result);
+
+		$result = Set::normalize(array('one' => array('a', 'b', 'c' => 'cee'), 'two' => 2, 'three'));
+		$expected = array('one' => array('a', 'b', 'c' => 'cee'), 'two' => 2, 'three' => null);
+		$this->assertEqual($expected, $result);
+	}
 }