diff --git a/winrm/__init__.py b/winrm/__init__.py
index c3ee260..7bb49c2 100644
--- a/winrm/__init__.py
+++ b/winrm/__init__.py
@@ -69,7 +69,8 @@ def _clean_error_msg(self, msg):
             try:
                 # remove the namespaces from the xml for easier processing
                 msg_xml = self._strip_namespace(msg_xml)
-                root = ET.fromstring(msg_xml)
+                string_xml = msg_xml.decode('437')
+                root = ET.fromstring(string_xml)
                 # the S node is the error message, find all S nodes
                 nodes = root.findall("./S")
                 new_msg = ""
@@ -78,7 +79,8 @@ def _clean_error_msg(self, msg):
                     # the hex chars represent CRLF so we replace with newline
                     new_msg += s.text.replace("_x000D__x000A_", "\n")
             except Exception as e:
-                # if any of the above fails, the msg was not true xml
+                # if any of the above fails, the msg was either not a true xml
+                # or the decoding failed.
                 # print a warning and return the original string
                 warnings.warn(
                     "There was a problem converting the Powershell error "
diff --git a/winrm/tests/test_session.py b/winrm/tests/test_session.py
index 875d493..b108585 100644
--- a/winrm/tests/test_session.py
+++ b/winrm/tests/test_session.py
@@ -81,6 +81,12 @@ def test_decode_clixml_no_errors():
     actual = s._clean_error_msg(msg)
     assert actual == expected
 
+def test_decode_clixml_non_ascii_valid_xml_no_error():
+    s = Session('windows-host.example.com', auth=('john.smith', 'secret'))
+    msg = b'#< CLIXML\r\n<Objs Version="1.1.0.1" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/powershell/2004/04"><Obj S="progress" RefId="0"><TN RefId="0"><T>System.Management.Automation.PSCustomObject</T><T>System.Object</T></TN><MS><I64 N="SourceId">1</I64><PR N="Record"><AV>Module werden f\x81r erstmalige Verwendung vorbereitet.</AV><AI>0</AI><Nil /><PI>-1</PI><PC>-1</PC><T>Completed</T><SR>-1</SR><SD> </SD></PR></MS></Obj></Objs>'
+    expected = b""
+    actual = s._clean_error_msg(msg)
+    assert actual == expected
 
 def test_decode_clixml_invalid_xml():
     s = Session('windows-host.example.com', auth=('john.smith', 'secret'))