diff --git a/collects/racket/file.rkt b/collects/racket/file.rkt
index 6a768e6704..d7b808c922 100644
--- a/collects/racket/file.rkt
+++ b/collects/racket/file.rkt
@@ -546,7 +546,8 @@
   (define (do-paths paths acc)
     (cond [(null? paths) acc]
           [else (do-paths (cdr paths) (do-path (car paths) acc))]))
-  (if path (do-path path init) (do-paths (sorted-dirlist) init)))
+  (define (to-path s) (if (path? s) s (string->path s)))
+  (if path (do-path (to-path path) init) (do-paths (sorted-dirlist) init)))
 
 (define (find-files f [path #f])
   (reverse
diff --git a/collects/tests/racket/filelib.rktl b/collects/tests/racket/filelib.rktl
index c3eeb32f6e..3212c5e6f0 100644
--- a/collects/tests/racket/filelib.rktl
+++ b/collects/tests/racket/filelib.rktl
@@ -68,6 +68,12 @@
     (test (list (build-path (current-directory) "filelib.rktl"))
 	  find-files (lambda (f) (regexp-match "filelib[.]rktl$" (path->string f)))
 	  (current-directory))
+    ;; check that path as string gives paths (not strings) to checker and result:
+    (test (list (current-directory)
+                (build-path (current-directory) "filelib.rktl"))
+	  find-files (lambda (f) (or (equal? f (current-directory))
+                                     (regexp-match "filelib[.]rktl$" (path->string f))))
+	  (path->string (current-directory)))
 
     (let ([rel2 (fold-files (lambda (name kind accum)
 			      (test kind name (if (file-exists? name)