diff --git a/src/calibre/ebooks/lrf/any/convert_from.py b/src/calibre/ebooks/lrf/any/convert_from.py
index 4142c71c55..ab66fc1b89 100644
--- a/src/calibre/ebooks/lrf/any/convert_from.py
+++ b/src/calibre/ebooks/lrf/any/convert_from.py
@@ -158,7 +158,10 @@ def main(args=sys.argv, logger=None, gui_mode=False):
         print _('No file to convert specified.')
         return 1
     
-    return process_file(args[1], options, logger)
+    src = args[1]
+    if not isinstance(src, unicode):
+        src = src.decode(sys.getfilesystemencoding())
+    return process_file(src, options, logger)
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
     sys.exit(main())
diff --git a/src/calibre/ebooks/lrf/html/convert_from.py b/src/calibre/ebooks/lrf/html/convert_from.py
index 6dc268e9eb..aca8cf96b3 100644
--- a/src/calibre/ebooks/lrf/html/convert_from.py
+++ b/src/calibre/ebooks/lrf/html/convert_from.py
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ from calibre.ebooks.lrf import option_parser as lrf_option_parser
 from calibre.ebooks import ConversionError
 from calibre.ebooks.lrf.html.table import Table 
 from calibre import filename_to_utf8,  setup_cli_handlers, __appname__, \
-                    fit_image, LoggingInterface
+                    fit_image, LoggingInterface, preferred_encoding
 from calibre.ptempfile import PersistentTemporaryFile
 from calibre.ebooks.metadata.opf import OPFReader
 from calibre.devices.interface import Device
@@ -1853,6 +1853,8 @@ def process_file(path, options, logger=None):
     options.force_page_break = fpb
     options.link_exclude = le
     options.page_break = pb
+    if not isinstance(options.chapter_regex, unicode):
+        options.chapter_regex = options.chapter_regex.decode(preferred_encoding)
     options.chapter_regex = re.compile(options.chapter_regex, re.IGNORECASE)
     fpba = options.force_page_break_attr.split(',')
     if len(fpba) != 3:
@@ -1969,7 +1971,8 @@ def main(args=sys.argv):
     except Exception, err:
         print >> sys.stderr, err
         return 1
-    
+    if not isinstance(src, unicode):
+        src = src.decode(sys.getfilesystemencoding())
     process_file(src, options)
     return 0
 
diff --git a/src/calibre/parallel.py b/src/calibre/parallel.py
index a9490f4922..307c894cfe 100644
--- a/src/calibre/parallel.py
+++ b/src/calibre/parallel.py
@@ -11,7 +11,10 @@ from calibre.ebooks.lrf.any.convert_from import main as any2lrf
 from calibre.ebooks.lrf.web.convert_from import main as web2lrf
 from calibre.ebooks.lrf.feeds.convert_from import main as feeds2lrf
 from calibre.gui2.lrf_renderer.main import main as lrfviewer
-from calibre.ebooks.lrf.html.table_as_image import do_render as render_table
+try:
+    from calibre.ebooks.lrf.html.table_as_image import do_render as render_table
+except: # Dont fail is PyQt4.4 not present
+    render_table = None
 from calibre import iswindows, __appname__, islinux
 try:
     from calibre.utils.single_qt_application import SingleApplication