diff --git a/appveyor.yml b/appveyor.yml
index 22176d39..6cfcdd52 100644
--- a/appveyor.yml
+++ b/appveyor.yml
@@ -33,7 +33,8 @@ install:
 build_script:
   - cmd: mkdir build
   - cmd: cd build
-  - cmd: cmake .. -G "Ninja" -DBUILD_TESTING=on -DBOOST_ROOT="C:/Libraries/boost_1_65_1" -DDOKAN_PATH="C:/Program Files/Dokan/DokanLibrary-1.1.0"
+  # note: The cmake+ninja workflow requires us to set build type in both cmake commands ('cmake' and 'cmake --build'), otherwise the cryfs.exe will depend on debug versions of the visual studio c++ runtime (i.e. msvcp140d.dll)
+  - cmd: cmake .. -G "Ninja" -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=%CONFIGURATION% -DBUILD_TESTING=on -DBOOST_ROOT="C:/Libraries/boost_1_65_1" -DDOKAN_PATH="C:/Program Files/Dokan/DokanLibrary-1.1.0"
   - cmd: cmake --build . --config %CONFIGURATION%
   - cmd: .\test\gitversion\gitversion-test.exe
   # cpp-utils-test disables ThreadDebuggingTest_ThreadName.*_thenIsCorrect because the appveyor image is too old to support the API needed for that
diff --git a/test/cpp-utils/assert/assert_debug_test.cpp b/test/cpp-utils/assert/assert_debug_test.cpp
index 97c60268..8a214992 100644
--- a/test/cpp-utils/assert/assert_debug_test.cpp
+++ b/test/cpp-utils/assert/assert_debug_test.cpp
@@ -1,6 +1,10 @@
 #include <gtest/gtest.h>
 #include <gmock/gmock.h>
 
+#ifdef NDEBUG
+#define _REAL_NDEBUG
+#endif
+
 //Include the ASSERT macro for a debug build
 #undef NDEBUG
 #include "cpp-utils/assert/assert.h"
@@ -29,9 +33,18 @@ constexpr const char* EXPECTED = R"(Assertion \[2==5\] failed in .*assert_debug_
     );
 }
 
+#if !(defined(_MSC_VER) && defined(_REAL_NDEBUG))
 TEST(AssertTest_DebugBuild, AssertMessageContainsBacktrace) {
     EXPECT_DEATH(
         ASSERT(2==5, "my message"),
         "cpputils::"
     );
 }
+#else
+TEST(AssertTest_DebugBuild, AssertMessageContainsBacktrace) {
+    EXPECT_DEATH(
+        ASSERT(2==5, "my message"),
+        "#1"
+    );
+}
+#endif
diff --git a/test/cpp-utils/assert/assert_release_test.cpp b/test/cpp-utils/assert/assert_release_test.cpp
index 3b814e68..17a43fb3 100644
--- a/test/cpp-utils/assert/assert_release_test.cpp
+++ b/test/cpp-utils/assert/assert_release_test.cpp
@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@
 #include <gmock/gmock.h>
 #include <regex>
 
+#ifdef NDEBUG
+#define _REAL_NDEBUG
+#endif
+
 //Include the ASSERT macro for a release build
 #ifndef NDEBUG
 #define NDEBUG
@@ -31,10 +35,11 @@ TEST(AssertTest_ReleaseBuild, AssertMessage) {
 	  /*EXPECT_THAT(e.what(), MatchesRegex(
 		  R"(Assertion \[2==5\] failed in .*assert_release_test.cpp:27: my message)"
 	  ));*/
-	  EXPECT_TRUE(std::regex_search(e.what(), std::regex(R"(Assertion \[2==5\] failed in .*assert_release_test.cpp:26: my message)")));
+	  EXPECT_TRUE(std::regex_search(e.what(), std::regex(R"(Assertion \[2==5\] failed in .*assert_release_test.cpp:30: my message)")));
   }
 }
 
+#if !(defined(_MSC_VER) && defined(_REAL_NDEBUG))
 TEST(AssertTest_ReleaseBuild, AssertMessageContainsBacktrace) {
   try {
     ASSERT(2==5, "my message");
@@ -45,3 +50,15 @@ TEST(AssertTest_ReleaseBuild, AssertMessageContainsBacktrace) {
     ));
   }
 }
+#else
+TEST(AssertTest_ReleaseBuild, AssertMessageContainsBacktrace) {
+  try {
+    ASSERT(2==5, "my message");
+    FAIL();
+  } catch (const cpputils::AssertFailed &e) {
+    EXPECT_THAT(e.what(), HasSubstr(
+      "#1"
+    ));
+  }
+}
+#endif
diff --git a/test/cpp-utils/assert/backtrace_test.cpp b/test/cpp-utils/assert/backtrace_test.cpp
index deb77c14..769ae8a2 100644
--- a/test/cpp-utils/assert/backtrace_test.cpp
+++ b/test/cpp-utils/assert/backtrace_test.cpp
@@ -19,6 +19,12 @@ namespace {
 	}
 }
 
+TEST(BacktraceTest, ContainsBacktrace) {
+	string backtrace = cpputils::backtrace();
+	EXPECT_THAT(backtrace, HasSubstr("#1"));
+}
+
+#if !(defined(_MSC_VER) && defined(NDEBUG))
 TEST(BacktraceTest, ContainsExecutableName) {
     string backtrace = cpputils::backtrace();
     EXPECT_THAT(backtrace, HasSubstr("cpp-utils-test"));
@@ -29,7 +35,7 @@ TEST(BacktraceTest, ContainsTopLevelLine) {
     EXPECT_THAT(backtrace, HasSubstr("BacktraceTest"));
     EXPECT_THAT(backtrace, HasSubstr("ContainsTopLevelLine"));
 }
-
+#endif
 
 namespace {
 	std::string call_process_exiting_with_nullptr_violation() {
@@ -77,6 +83,7 @@ TEST(BacktraceTest, DoesntCrashOnCaughtException) {
 	}
 }
 
+#if !(defined(_MSC_VER) && defined(NDEBUG))
 TEST(BacktraceTest, ShowBacktraceOnNullptrAccess) {
 	auto output = call_process_exiting_with_nullptr_violation();
 	EXPECT_THAT(output, HasSubstr("cpp-utils-test_exit_signal"));
@@ -96,6 +103,27 @@ TEST(BacktraceTest, ShowBacktraceOnSigIll) {
 	auto output = call_process_exiting_with_sigill();
 	EXPECT_THAT(output, HasSubstr("cpp-utils-test_exit_signal"));
 }
+#else
+TEST(BacktraceTest, ShowBacktraceOnNullptrAccess) {
+	auto output = call_process_exiting_with_nullptr_violation();
+	EXPECT_THAT(output, HasSubstr("#1"));
+}
+
+TEST(BacktraceTest, ShowBacktraceOnSigSegv) {
+	auto output = call_process_exiting_with_sigsegv();
+	EXPECT_THAT(output, HasSubstr("#1"));
+}
+
+TEST(BacktraceTest, ShowBacktraceOnUnhandledException) {
+	auto output = call_process_exiting_with_exception("my_exception_message");
+	EXPECT_THAT(output, HasSubstr("#1"));
+}
+
+TEST(BacktraceTest, ShowBacktraceOnSigIll) {
+	auto output = call_process_exiting_with_sigill();
+	EXPECT_THAT(output, HasSubstr("#1"));
+}
+#endif
 
 #if !defined(_MSC_VER)
 TEST(BacktraceTest, ShowBacktraceOnSigAbrt) {