Try using the UNC names. \\servername\Drive$\foldername\filename.bak

This article may help a little:

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=dSQLSRVD&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&scoring=d&selm=bugtraq/20011217164250.B77030-100000%40adequacy.org&rnum=6

Other than that I just know of the dSQLSRVD - dOMNAR's SQL Server SysComments Decryptor (search for dSQLSRVD)

The easiest way to remove a bad replication install is to simply run through the replication wizard again to publish and create the publication again whith the same name. But...