diff --git a/git/objects/submodule/base.py b/git/objects/submodule/base.py
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@
from unittest.case import SkipTest
from git.util import HIDE_WINDOWS_KNOWN_ERRORS
from git.objects.base import IndexObject, Object

__all__ = ["Submodule", "UpdateProgress"]

@@ -394,6 +395,9 @@ def add(cls, repo, name, path, url=None, branch=None, no_checkout=False):
            mrepo = cls._clone_repo(repo, url, path, name, **kwargs)
        # END verify url

        # It's important to add the URL to the parent config, to let `git submodule` know.
        # otherwise there is a '-' character in front of the submodule listing
        #  a38efa84daef914e4de58d1905a500d8d14aaf45 mymodule (v0.9.0-1-ga38efa8)

diff --git a/git/remote.py b/git/remote.py
@@ -27,9 +27,8 @@
)
from git.util import (
    join_path,
-    finalize_process
)
-from git.cmd import handle_process_output
from gitdb.util import join
from git.compat import (defenc, force_text, is_win)
import logging
@@ -570,7 +569,7 @@ def create(cls, repo, name, url, **kwargs):
        :raise GitCommandError: in case an origin with that name already exists"""
        scmd = 'add'
        kwargs['insert_kwargs_after'] = scmd
-        repo.git.remote(scmd, name, url, **kwargs)
        return cls(repo, name)

    # add is an alias
@@ -630,25 +629,19 @@ def _get_fetch_info_from_stderr(self, proc, progress):
        cmds = set(PushInfo._flag_map.keys()) & set(FetchInfo._flag_map.keys())

        progress_handler = progress.new_message_handler()

-        stderr_text = None

-        for line in proc.stderr:
            line = force_text(line)
-            for pline in progress_handler(line):
-                # END handle special messages
-                for cmd in cmds:
-                    if len(line) > 1 and line[0] == ' ' and line[1] == cmd:
-                        fetch_info_lines.append(line)
-                        continue
-                    # end find command code
-                # end for each comand code we know
-            # end for each line progress didn't handle
-        # end
-        if progress.error_lines():
-            stderr_text = '\n'.join(progress.error_lines())
-
-        finalize_process(proc, stderr=stderr_text)

        # read head information
        with open(join(self.repo.git_dir, 'FETCH_HEAD'), 'rb') as fp:
@@ -687,16 +680,19 @@ def stdout_handler(line):
            try:
                output.append(PushInfo._from_line(self, line))
            except ValueError:
-                # if an error happens, additional info is given which we cannot parse
                pass
-            # END exception handling
-        # END for each line

        try:
-            handle_process_output(proc, stdout_handler, progress_handler, finalize_process, decode_streams=False)
        except Exception:
-            if len(output) == 0:
                raise
        return output

    def _assert_refspec(self):

diff --git a/git/repo/base.py b/git/repo/base.py
@@ -62,8 +62,11 @@
import os
import sys
import re
from collections import namedtuple

DefaultDBType = GitCmdObjectDB
if sys.version_info[:2] < (2, 5):     # python 2.4 compatiblity
    DefaultDBType = GitCmdObjectDB
@@ -871,46 +874,15 @@ def _clone(cls, git, url, path, odb_default_type, progress, **kwargs):
        if progress is not None:
            progress = to_progress_instance(progress)

-        # special handling for windows for path at which the clone should be
-        # created.
-        # tilde '~' will be expanded to the HOME no matter where the ~ occours. Hence
-        # we at least give a proper error instead of letting git fail
-        prev_cwd = None
-        prev_path = None
        odbt = kwargs.pop('odbt', odb_default_type)
-        if is_win:
-            if '~' in path:
-                raise OSError("Git cannot handle the ~ character in path %r correctly" % path)
-
-            # on windows, git will think paths like c: are relative and prepend the
-            # current working dir ( before it fails ). We temporarily adjust the working
-            # dir to make this actually work
-            match = re.match("(\w:[/\\\])(.*)", path)
-            if match:
-                prev_cwd = os.getcwd()
-                prev_path = path
-                drive, rest_of_path = match.groups()
-                os.chdir(drive)
-                path = rest_of_path
-                kwargs['with_keep_cwd'] = True
-            # END cwd preparation
-        # END windows handling
-
-        try:
-            proc = git.clone(url, path, with_extended_output=True, as_process=True,
-                             v=True, **add_progress(kwargs, git, progress))
-            if progress:
-                handle_process_output(proc, None, progress.new_message_handler(), finalize_process)
-            else:
-                (stdout, stderr) = proc.communicate()  # FIXME: Will block of outputs are big!
-                finalize_process(proc, stderr=stderr)
-            # end handle progress
-        finally:
-            if prev_cwd is not None:
-                os.chdir(prev_cwd)
-                path = prev_path
-            # END reset previous working dir
-        # END bad windows handling

        # our git command could have a different working dir than our actual
        # environment, hence we prepend its working dir if required
@@ -922,10 +894,10 @@ def _clone(cls, git, url, path, odb_default_type, progress, **kwargs):
        # that contains the remote from which we were clones, git stops liking it
        # as it will escape the backslashes. Hence we undo the escaping just to be
        # sure
-        repo = cls(os.path.abspath(path), odbt=odbt)
        if repo.remotes:
            with repo.remotes[0].config_writer as writer:
-                writer.set_value('url', repo.remotes[0].url.replace("\\\\", "\\").replace("\\", "/"))
        # END handle remote repo
        return repo