diff -urN a/Lib/distutils/command/install.py b/Lib/distutils/command/install.py
--- a/Lib/distutils/command/install.py	2013-06-26 22:19:35.487603398 +0100
+++ b/Lib/distutils/command/install.py	2013-06-26 22:24:15.000000000 +0100
@@ -348,7 +348,8 @@
 
         # Convert directories from Unix /-separated syntax to the local
         # convention.
-        self.convert_paths('lib', 'purelib', 'platlib',
+        self.convert_paths('base', 'platbase',
+                           'lib', 'purelib', 'platlib',
                            'scripts', 'data', 'headers',
                            'userbase', 'usersite')
 
diff -urN a/Lib/distutils/util.py b/Lib/distutils/util.py
--- a/Lib/distutils/util.py	2013-06-26 22:19:35.484270065 +0100
+++ b/Lib/distutils/util.py	2013-06-26 22:25:38.000000000 +0100
@@ -130,6 +130,13 @@
         paths.remove('.')
     if not paths:
         return os.curdir
+    # On Windows, if paths is ['C:','folder','subfolder'] then
+    # os.path.join(*paths) will return 'C:folder\subfolder' which
+    # is thus relative to the CWD on that drive. So we work around
+    # this by adding a \ to path[0]
+    if (len(paths) > 0 and paths[0].endswith(':') and
+        sys.platform == "win32" and sys.version.find("GCC") >= 0):
+        paths[0] += '\\'
     return os.path.join(*paths)
 
 # convert_path ()
@@ -140,6 +147,10 @@
     relative, this is equivalent to "os.path.join(new_root,pathname)".
     Otherwise, it requires making 'pathname' relative and then joining the
     two, which is tricky on DOS/Windows and Mac OS.
+
+    If on Windows or OS/2 and both new_root and pathname are on different
+    drives, raises DistutilsChangeRootError as this is nonsensical,
+    otherwise use drive which can be in either of new_root or pathname.
     """
     if os.name == 'posix':
         if not os.path.isabs(pathname):
@@ -147,17 +158,20 @@
         else:
             return os.path.join(new_root, pathname[1:])
 
-    elif os.name == 'nt':
-        (drive, path) = os.path.splitdrive(pathname)
-        if path[0] == '\\':
-            path = path[1:]
-        return os.path.join(new_root, path)
-
-    elif os.name == 'os2':
+    elif os.name == 'nt' or os.name == 'os2':
         (drive, path) = os.path.splitdrive(pathname)
-        if path[0] == os.sep:
-            path = path[1:]
-        return os.path.join(new_root, path)
+        if path[0] == os.sep:
+            path = path[1:]
+        (drive_r, path_r) = os.path.splitdrive(new_root)
+        drive_used = ''
+        if len(drive) == 2 and len(drive_r) == 2 and drive != drive_r:
+            raise DistutilsChangeRootError, \
+                  "root and pathname not on same drive (%s, %s)" % (drive,drive_r)
+        elif len(drive_r) == 2:
+            drive_used = drive_r+os.sep
+        else:
+            drive_used = drive+os.sep
+        return os.path.join(drive_used+path_r, path)
 
     else:
         raise DistutilsPlatformError, \
diff -urN a/Makefile.pre.in b/Makefile.pre.in
--- a/Makefile.pre.in	2013-06-26 22:19:35.517603398 +0100
+++ b/Makefile.pre.in	2013-06-26 22:20:01.047603789 +0100
@@ -1147,7 +1147,7 @@
 	   	--prefix=$(prefix) \
 		--install-scripts=$(BINDIR) \
 		--install-platlib=$(DESTSHARED) \
-		--root=$(DESTDIR)/
+		--root=$(DESTDIR)
 	-rm $(DESTDIR)$(DESTSHARED)/_sysconfigdata.py*
 
 # Here are a couple of targets for MacOSX again, to install a full