diff --git a/hoodie-common/src/main/java/com/uber/hoodie/exception/DatasetNotFoundException.java b/hoodie-common/src/main/java/com/uber/hoodie/exception/DatasetNotFoundException.java
index 701f0162f..476ebddde 100644
--- a/hoodie-common/src/main/java/com/uber/hoodie/exception/DatasetNotFoundException.java
+++ b/hoodie-common/src/main/java/com/uber/hoodie/exception/DatasetNotFoundException.java
@@ -46,7 +46,11 @@ public class DatasetNotFoundException extends HoodieException {
             if (!fs.exists(metaPathDir) || !fs.isDirectory(metaPathDir)) {
                 throw new DatasetNotFoundException(metaPathDir.toString());
             }
-        } catch (IOException e) {
+        } catch (IllegalArgumentException e) {
+            // if the base path is file:///, then we have a IllegalArgumentException
+            throw new DatasetNotFoundException(metaPathDir.toString());
+        }
+        catch (IOException e) {
             throw new HoodieIOException(
                 "Could not check if dataset " + basePathDir + " is valid dataset", e);
         }
diff --git a/hoodie-hadoop-mr/src/test/java/com/uber/hoodie/hadoop/TestHoodieROTablePathFilter.java b/hoodie-hadoop-mr/src/test/java/com/uber/hoodie/hadoop/TestHoodieROTablePathFilter.java
index 52fff93c5..7470e6bbb 100644
--- a/hoodie-hadoop-mr/src/test/java/com/uber/hoodie/hadoop/TestHoodieROTablePathFilter.java
+++ b/hoodie-hadoop-mr/src/test/java/com/uber/hoodie/hadoop/TestHoodieROTablePathFilter.java
@@ -52,11 +52,11 @@ public class TestHoodieROTablePathFilter {
         Path partitionPath = new Path("file://" + basePath + File.separator + "2017/01/01");
         assertTrue("Directories should be accepted", pathFilter.accept(partitionPath));
 
-        assertTrue(pathFilter.accept(new Path("file://" + HoodieTestUtils.getDataFilePath(basePath, "2017/01/01", "001", "f1"))));
-        assertFalse(pathFilter.accept(new Path("file://" + HoodieTestUtils.getDataFilePath(basePath, "2017/01/01", "001", "f2"))));
-        assertTrue(pathFilter.accept(new Path("file://" + HoodieTestUtils.getDataFilePath(basePath, "2017/01/01", "001", "f3"))));
-        assertTrue(pathFilter.accept(new Path("file://" + HoodieTestUtils.getDataFilePath(basePath, "2017/01/01", "002", "f2"))));
-        assertFalse(pathFilter.accept(new Path("file://" + HoodieTestUtils.getDataFilePath(basePath, "2017/01/01", "003", "f3"))));
+        assertTrue(pathFilter.accept(new Path("file:///" + HoodieTestUtils.getDataFilePath(basePath, "2017/01/01", "001", "f1"))));
+        assertFalse(pathFilter.accept(new Path("file:///" + HoodieTestUtils.getDataFilePath(basePath, "2017/01/01", "001", "f2"))));
+        assertTrue(pathFilter.accept(new Path("file:///" + HoodieTestUtils.getDataFilePath(basePath, "2017/01/01", "001", "f3"))));
+        assertTrue(pathFilter.accept(new Path("file:///" + HoodieTestUtils.getDataFilePath(basePath, "2017/01/01", "002", "f2"))));
+        assertFalse(pathFilter.accept(new Path("file:///" + HoodieTestUtils.getDataFilePath(basePath, "2017/01/01", "003", "f3"))));
     }
 
     @Test
@@ -68,10 +68,10 @@ public class TestHoodieROTablePathFilter {
 
         String path = basePath + File.separator + "nonhoodiefolder";
         new File(path).mkdirs();
-        assertTrue(pathFilter.accept(new Path("file://" + path)));
+        assertTrue(pathFilter.accept(new Path("file:///" + path)));
 
         path = basePath + File.separator + "nonhoodiefolder/somefile";
         new File(path).createNewFile();
-        assertTrue(pathFilter.accept(new Path("file://" + path)));
+        assertTrue(pathFilter.accept(new Path("file:///" + path)));
     }
 }