diff --git a/Python/sysmodule.c b/Python/sysmodule.c
index 4e428f0..97809d2 100644
--- a/Python/sysmodule.c
+++ b/Python/sysmodule.c
@@ -1685,106 +1685,122 @@
 #define _HAVE_SCRIPT_ARGUMENT(argc, argv) \
   (argc > 0 && argv0 != NULL && \
    wcscmp(argv0, L"-c") != 0 && wcscmp(argv0, L"-m") != 0)
-  
-void
-PySys_SetArgvEx(int argc, wchar_t **argv, int updatepath)
+
+static void
+sys_update_path(int argc, wchar_t **argv)
 {
+    wchar_t *argv0;
+    wchar_t *p = NULL;
+    Py_ssize_t n = 0;
+    PyObject *a;
+    PyObject *path;
+#ifdef HAVE_READLINK
+    extern int _Py_wreadlink(const wchar_t *, wchar_t *, size_t);
+    wchar_t link[MAXPATHLEN+1];
+    wchar_t argv0copy[2*MAXPATHLEN+1];
+    int nr = 0;
+#endif
 #if defined(HAVE_REALPATH)
     wchar_t fullpath[MAXPATHLEN];
 #elif defined(MS_WINDOWS) && !defined(MS_WINCE)
     wchar_t fullpath[MAX_PATH];
 #endif
+
+    path = PySys_GetObject("path");
+    if (path == NULL)
+        return;
+
+    if (argc == 0)
+        return;
+    argv0 = argv[0];
+
+#ifdef HAVE_READLINK
+    if (_HAVE_SCRIPT_ARGUMENT(argc, argv))
+        nr = _Py_wreadlink(argv0, link, MAXPATHLEN);
+    if (nr > 0) {
+        /* It's a symlink */
+        link[nr] = '\0';
+        if (link[0] == SEP)
+            argv0 = link; /* Link to absolute path */
+        else if (wcschr(link, SEP) == NULL)
+            ; /* Link without path */
+        else {
+            /* Must join(dirname(argv0), link) */
+            wchar_t *q = wcsrchr(argv0, SEP);
+            if (q == NULL)
+                argv0 = link; /* argv0 without path */
+            else {
+                /* Must make a copy */
+                wcscpy(argv0copy, argv0);
+                q = wcsrchr(argv0copy, SEP);
+                wcscpy(q+1, link);
+                argv0 = argv0copy;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+#endif /* HAVE_READLINK */
+#if SEP == '\\' /* Special case for MS filename syntax */
+    if (_HAVE_SCRIPT_ARGUMENT(argc, argv)) {
+        wchar_t *q;
+#if defined(MS_WINDOWS) && !defined(MS_WINCE)
+        /* This code here replaces the first element in argv with the full
+        path that it represents. Under CE, there are no relative paths so
+        the argument must be the full path anyway. */
+        wchar_t *ptemp;
+        if (GetFullPathNameW(argv0,
+                           sizeof(fullpath)/sizeof(fullpath[0]),
+                           fullpath,
+                           &ptemp)) {
+            argv0 = fullpath;
+        }
+#endif
+        p = wcsrchr(argv0, SEP);
+        /* Test for alternate separator */
+        q = wcsrchr(p ? p : argv0, '/');
+        if (q != NULL)
+            p = q;
+        if (p != NULL) {
+            n = p + 1 - argv0;
+            if (n > 1 && p[-1] != ':')
+                n--; /* Drop trailing separator */
+        }
+    }
+#else /* All other filename syntaxes */
+    if (_HAVE_SCRIPT_ARGUMENT(argc, argv)) {
+#if defined(HAVE_REALPATH)
+        if (_wrealpath(argv0, fullpath)) {
+            argv0 = fullpath;
+        }
+#endif
+        p = wcsrchr(argv0, SEP);
+    }
+    if (p != NULL) {
+        n = p + 1 - argv0;
+#if SEP == '/' /* Special case for Unix filename syntax */
+        if (n > 1)
+            n--; /* Drop trailing separator */
+#endif /* Unix */
+    }
+#endif /* All others */
+    a = PyUnicode_FromWideChar(argv0, n);
+    if (a == NULL)
+        Py_FatalError("no mem for sys.path insertion");
+    if (PyList_Insert(path, 0, a) < 0)
+        Py_FatalError("sys.path.insert(0) failed");
+    Py_DECREF(a);
+}
+
+void
+PySys_SetArgvEx(int argc, wchar_t **argv, int updatepath)
+{
     PyObject *av = makeargvobject(argc, argv);
-    PyObject *path = PySys_GetObject("path");
     if (av == NULL)
         Py_FatalError("no mem for sys.argv");
     if (PySys_SetObject("argv", av) != 0)
         Py_FatalError("can't assign sys.argv");
-    if (updatepath && path != NULL) {
-        wchar_t *argv0 = argv[0];
-        wchar_t *p = NULL;
-        Py_ssize_t n = 0;
-        PyObject *a;
-        extern int _Py_wreadlink(const wchar_t *, wchar_t *, size_t);
-#ifdef HAVE_READLINK
-        wchar_t link[MAXPATHLEN+1];
-        wchar_t argv0copy[2*MAXPATHLEN+1];
-        int nr = 0;
-        if (_HAVE_SCRIPT_ARGUMENT(argc, argv))
-            nr = _Py_wreadlink(argv0, link, MAXPATHLEN);
-        if (nr > 0) {
-            /* It's a symlink */
-            link[nr] = '\0';
-            if (link[0] == SEP)
-                argv0 = link; /* Link to absolute path */
-            else if (wcschr(link, SEP) == NULL)
-                ; /* Link without path */
-            else {
-                /* Must join(dirname(argv0), link) */
-                wchar_t *q = wcsrchr(argv0, SEP);
-                if (q == NULL)
-                    argv0 = link; /* argv0 without path */
-                else {
-                    /* Must make a copy */
-                    wcscpy(argv0copy, argv0);
-                    q = wcsrchr(argv0copy, SEP);
-                    wcscpy(q+1, link);
-                    argv0 = argv0copy;
-                }
-            }
-        }
-#endif /* HAVE_READLINK */
-#if SEP == '\\' /* Special case for MS filename syntax */
-        if (_HAVE_SCRIPT_ARGUMENT(argc, argv)) {
-            wchar_t *q;
-#if defined(MS_WINDOWS) && !defined(MS_WINCE)
-            /* This code here replaces the first element in argv with the full
-            path that it represents. Under CE, there are no relative paths so
-            the argument must be the full path anyway. */
-            wchar_t *ptemp;
-            if (GetFullPathNameW(argv0,
-                               sizeof(fullpath)/sizeof(fullpath[0]),
-                               fullpath,
-                               &ptemp)) {
-                argv0 = fullpath;
-            }
-#endif
-            p = wcsrchr(argv0, SEP);
-            /* Test for alternate separator */
-            q = wcsrchr(p ? p : argv0, '/');
-            if (q != NULL)
-                p = q;
-            if (p != NULL) {
-                n = p + 1 - argv0;
-                if (n > 1 && p[-1] != ':')
-                    n--; /* Drop trailing separator */
-            }
-        }
-#else /* All other filename syntaxes */
-        if (_HAVE_SCRIPT_ARGUMENT(argc, argv)) {
-#if defined(HAVE_REALPATH)
-            if (_wrealpath(argv0, fullpath)) {
-                argv0 = fullpath;
-            }
-#endif
-            p = wcsrchr(argv0, SEP);
-        }
-        if (p != NULL) {
-            n = p + 1 - argv0;
-#if SEP == '/' /* Special case for Unix filename syntax */
-            if (n > 1)
-                n--; /* Drop trailing separator */
-#endif /* Unix */
-        }
-#endif /* All others */
-        a = PyUnicode_FromWideChar(argv0, n);
-        if (a == NULL)
-            Py_FatalError("no mem for sys.path insertion");
-        if (PyList_Insert(path, 0, a) < 0)
-            Py_FatalError("sys.path.insert(0) failed");
-        Py_DECREF(a);
-    }
     Py_DECREF(av);
+    if (updatepath)
+        sys_update_path(argc, argv);
 }
 
 void