diff --git a/src/xrCore/LocatorAPI.cpp b/src/xrCore/LocatorAPI.cpp
index dd43721dcf1..2589a856017 100644
--- a/src/xrCore/LocatorAPI.cpp
+++ b/src/xrCore/LocatorAPI.cpp
@@ -860,8 +860,7 @@ void CLocatorAPI::_initialize(u32 flags, pcstr target_folder, pcstr fs_name)
             _GetItem(temp, 5, capt, _delimiter);
             xr_strlwr(id);
 
-            xr_strlwr(root);
-            lp_add = cnt >= 4 ? xr_strlwr(add) : 0;
+            lp_add = cnt >= 4 ? add : 0;
             lp_def = cnt >= 5 ? def : 0;
             lp_capt = cnt >= 6 ? capt : 0;
 
@@ -1465,7 +1464,6 @@ IWriter* CLocatorAPI::w_open(pcstr path, pcstr _fname)
 {
     string_path fname;
     xr_strcpy(fname, _fname);
-    xr_strlwr(fname); //,".$");
     if (path && path[0])
         update_path(fname, path, fname);
     CFileWriter* W = new CFileWriter(fname, false);
@@ -1480,7 +1478,6 @@ IWriter* CLocatorAPI::w_open_ex(pcstr path, pcstr _fname)
 {
     string_path fname;
     xr_strcpy(fname, _fname);
-    xr_strlwr(fname); //,".$");
     if (path && path[0])
         update_path(fname, path, fname);
     CFileWriter* W = new CFileWriter(fname, true);
@@ -1642,7 +1639,7 @@ void CLocatorAPI::file_rename(pcstr src, pcstr dest, bool overwrite)
         xr_free(str);
         m_files.erase(S);
         // insert updated item
-        new_desc.name = xr_strlwr(xr_strdup(dest));
+        new_desc.name = xr_strdup(dest);
         m_files.insert(new_desc);
 
         // physically rename file
diff --git a/src/xrCore/LocatorAPI_defs.cpp b/src/xrCore/LocatorAPI_defs.cpp
index 174fae21e5b..dc51e19c898 100644
--- a/src/xrCore/LocatorAPI_defs.cpp
+++ b/src/xrCore/LocatorAPI_defs.cpp
@@ -32,7 +32,6 @@ FS_File::FS_File(const xr_string& nm, const _FINDDATA_T& f) {}
 void FS_File::set(const xr_string& nm, long sz, time_t modif, unsigned attr)
 {
     name = nm;
-    xr_strlwr(name);
     size = sz;
     time_write = modif;
     attrib = attr;
@@ -58,9 +57,9 @@ FS_Path::FS_Path(LPCSTR _Root, LPCSTR _Add, LPCSTR _DefExt, LPCSTR _FilterCaptio
     if (temp[0] && temp[xr_strlen(temp) - 1] != _DELIMITER)
         xr_strcat(temp, DELIMITER);
     m_Path = xr_strdup(temp);
-    m_DefExt = _DefExt ? xr_strlwr(xr_strdup(_DefExt)) : 0;
+    m_DefExt = _DefExt ? xr_strdup(_DefExt) : 0;
     m_FilterCaption = _FilterCaption ? xr_strlwr(xr_strdup(_FilterCaption)) : 0;
-    m_Add = _Add ? xr_strlwr(xr_strdup(_Add)) : 0;
+    m_Add = _Add ? xr_strdup(_Add) : 0;
     m_Root = _Root ? xr_strdup(_Root) : 0;
     m_Flags.assign(flags);
 #ifdef _EDITOR
@@ -83,7 +82,7 @@ void FS_Path::_set(LPCSTR add)
     // m_Add
     R_ASSERT(add);
     xr_free(m_Add);
-    m_Add = xr_strlwr(xr_strdup(add));
+    m_Add = xr_strdup(add);
 
     // m_Path
     string_path temp;
diff --git a/src/xrCore/xr_ini.cpp b/src/xrCore/xr_ini.cpp
index 30c91424e0f..c69c95c7574 100644
--- a/src/xrCore/xr_ini.cpp
+++ b/src/xrCore/xr_ini.cpp
@@ -457,6 +457,8 @@ void CInifile::Load(IReader* F, pcstr path, allow_include_func_t allow_include_f
                     tmp_ptr = strchr(tmp_ptr, '\\');
                 }
 #endif
+                xr_strlwr(inc_name); // compensate removed xr_strlwr on path
+
                 string_path fn;
                 strconcat(sizeof fn, fn, path, inc_name);
                 const xr_string inc_path = EFS_Utils::ExtractFilePath(fn);
@@ -690,7 +692,9 @@ CInifile::Sect& CInifile::r_section(pcstr S) const
     xr_strcpy(section, sizeof section, S);
     xr_strlwr(section);
     auto I = std::lower_bound(DATA.cbegin(), DATA.cend(), section, sect_pred);
-    if (!(I != DATA.cend() && xr_strcmp(*(*I)->Name, section) == 0))
+    if (I == DATA.cend())
+        xrDebug::Fatal(DEBUG_INFO, "Can't find section '%s'.", S);
+    else if (xr_strcmp(*(*I)->Name, section))
     {
         // g_pStringContainer->verify();
 
@@ -703,8 +707,7 @@ CInifile::Sect& CInifile::r_section(pcstr S) const
         // F->w_string ("shared strings:");
         // g_pStringContainer->dump(F);
         // FS.w_close (F);
-
-        xrDebug::Fatal(DEBUG_INFO, "Can't open section '%s'. Please attach [*.ini_log] file to your bug report", S);
+        xrDebug::Fatal(DEBUG_INFO, "Can't open section '%s' (only '%s' avail). Please attach [*.ini_log] file to your bug report", section, *(*I)->Name);
     }
     return **I;
 }