diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 8834d4d6..0b86b2c1 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,4 +1,8 @@
 cmake_minimum_required (VERSION 2.8.11)
+
+# don't use the built-in default configs
+set (CMAKE_NOT_USING_CONFIG_FLAGS TRUE)
+
 project (Hyperscan C CXX)
 
 set (HS_MAJOR_VERSION 4)
@@ -6,6 +10,10 @@ set (HS_MINOR_VERSION 2)
 set (HS_PATCH_VERSION 0)
 set (HS_VERSION ${HS_MAJOR_VERSION}.${HS_MINOR_VERSION}.${HS_PATCH_VERSION})
 
+# since we are doing this manually, we only have three types
+set (CMAKE_CONFIGURATION_TYPES "Debug;Release;RelWithDebInfo"
+     CACHE STRING "" FORCE)
+
 string (TIMESTAMP BUILD_DATE "%Y-%m-%d")
 
 set(CMAKE_MODULE_PATH ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/cmake)
@@ -24,7 +32,7 @@ find_package(PkgConfig QUIET)
 
 if (NOT CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE)
     message(STATUS "Default build type 'Release with debug info'")
-    set(CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE "RELWITHDEBINFO")
+    set(CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE RELWITHDEBINFO CACHE STRING "" FORCE )
 else()
     string(TOUPPER ${CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE} CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE)
     message(STATUS "Build type ${CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE}")
@@ -121,13 +129,7 @@ endif()
 
 CMAKE_DEPENDENT_OPTION(DUMP_SUPPORT "Dump code support; normally on, except in release builds" ON "NOT RELEASE_BUILD" OFF)
 
-option(DISABLE_ASSERTS "Disable assert(); enabled in debug builds, disabled in release builds" FALSE)
-
-if (DISABLE_ASSERTS)
-    if (CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE STREQUAL "DEBUG")
-        add_definitions(-DNDEBUG)
-    endif()
-endif()
+CMAKE_DEPENDENT_OPTION(DISABLE_ASSERTS "Disable assert(); Asserts are enabled in debug builds, disabled in release builds" OFF "NOT RELEASE_BUILD" ON)
 
 option(WINDOWS_ICC "Use Intel C++ Compiler on Windows, default off, requires ICC to be set in project" OFF)
 
@@ -139,18 +141,26 @@ if(MSVC OR MSVC_IDE)
     if (MSVC_VERSION LESS 1700)
         message(FATAL_ERROR "The project requires C++11 features.")
     else()
+        # set base flags
+        set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS "/DWIN32 /D_WINDOWS /W3")
+        set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS_DEBUG "/D_DEBUG /MDd /Zi /Od")
+        set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS_RELEASE "/MD /O2 /Ob2 /Oi")
+        set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS_RELWITHDEBINFO "/Zi /MD /O2 /Ob2 /Oi")
+
+        set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "/DWIN32 /D_WINDOWS /W3 /GR /EHsc")
+        set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_DEBUG "/D_DEBUG /MDd /Zi /Od")
+        set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_RELEASE "/MD /O2 /Ob2 /Oi")
+        set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_RELWITHDEBINFO "/Zi /MD /O2 /Ob2 /Oi")
+
         if (WINDOWS_ICC)
-            set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS} /Qstd=c99 /Qrestrict /QxHost /O3 /wd4267 /Qdiag-disable:remark")
-            set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS} /Qstd=c++11 /Qrestrict /QxHost /O2 /wd4267 /wd4800 /Qdiag-disable:remark -DBOOST_DETAIL_NO_CONTAINER_FWD -D_SCL_SECURE_NO_WARNINGS")
+            set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS} /Qstd=c99 /Qrestrict /QxHost /wd4267 /Qdiag-disable:remark")
+            set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS} /Qstd=c++11 /Qrestrict /QxHost /wd4267 /wd4800 /Qdiag-disable:remark -DBOOST_DETAIL_NO_CONTAINER_FWD -D_SCL_SECURE_NO_WARNINGS")
         else()
             #TODO: don't hardcode arch
-            set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS} /arch:AVX /O2 /wd4267")
-            set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS} /arch:AVX /O2 /wd4244 /wd4267 /wd4800 /wd2586 /wd1170 -DBOOST_DETAIL_NO_CONTAINER_FWD -D_SCL_SECURE_NO_WARNINGS")
+            set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS} /arch:AVX /wd4267")
+            set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS} /arch:AVX /wd4244 /wd4267 /wd4800 /wd2586 /wd1170 -DBOOST_DETAIL_NO_CONTAINER_FWD -D_SCL_SECURE_NO_WARNINGS")
         endif()
-        string(REGEX REPLACE "/RTC1" ""
-            CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_DEBUG "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_DEBUG}" )
-        string(REGEX REPLACE "/RTC1" ""
-            CMAKE_C_FLAGS_DEBUG "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS_DEBUG}" )
+
 
     endif()
 
@@ -172,15 +182,33 @@ else()
         unset(_GXX_OUTPUT)
     endif()
 
+    if(OPTIMISE)
+        set(OPT_C_FLAG "-O3")
+        set(OPT_CXX_FLAG "-O2")
+    else()
+        set(OPT_C_FLAG "-O0")
+        set(OPT_CXX_FLAG "-O0")
+    endif(OPTIMISE)
+
+    # set up base flags for build types
+    set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS_DEBUG "-g ${OPT_C_FLAG} -Werror")
+    set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS_RELWITHDEBINFO "-g ${OPT_C_FLAG}")
+    set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS_RELEASE "${OPT_C_FLAG}")
+
+    set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_DEBUG "-g ${OPT_CXX_FLAG} -Werror")
+    set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_RELWITHDEBINFO "-g ${OPT_CXX_FLAG}")
+    set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_RELEASE "${OPT_CXX_FLAG}")
+
+    if (DISABLE_ASSERTS)
+        # usually true for release builds, false for debug
+        set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS} -DNDEBUG")
+        set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS} -DNDEBUG")
+    endif()
+
+
     # set compiler flags - more are tested and added later
     set(EXTRA_C_FLAGS "-std=c99 -Wall -Wextra -Wshadow -Wcast-qual -fno-strict-aliasing")
     set(EXTRA_CXX_FLAGS "-std=c++11 -Wall -Wextra -Wshadow -Wswitch -Wreturn-type -Wcast-qual -Wno-deprecated -Wnon-virtual-dtor -fno-strict-aliasing")
-    if (NOT RELEASE_BUILD)
-        # -Werror is most useful during development, don't potentially break
-        # release builds
-        set(EXTRA_C_FLAGS "${EXTRA_C_FLAGS} -Werror")
-        set(EXTRA_CXX_FLAGS "${EXTRA_CXX_FLAGS} -Werror")
-    endif()
 
     if (NOT CMAKE_C_FLAGS MATCHES .*march.*)
         message(STATUS "Building for current host CPU")
@@ -199,14 +227,6 @@ else()
         set(EXTRA_CXX_FLAGS "${EXTRA_CXX_FLAGS} -fabi-version=0 -Wno-unused-local-typedefs -Wno-maybe-uninitialized")
     endif()
 
-    if(OPTIMISE)
-        set(EXTRA_C_FLAGS "-O3 ${EXTRA_C_FLAGS}")
-        set(EXTRA_CXX_FLAGS "-O2 ${EXTRA_CXX_FLAGS}")
-    else()
-        set(EXTRA_C_FLAGS "-O0 ${EXTRA_C_FLAGS}")
-        set(EXTRA_CXX_FLAGS "-O0 ${EXTRA_CXX_FLAGS}")
-    endif(OPTIMISE)
-
     if (NOT(ARCH_IA32 AND RELEASE_BUILD))
         set(EXTRA_C_FLAGS "${EXTRA_C_FLAGS} -fno-omit-frame-pointer")
         set(EXTRA_CXX_FLAGS "${EXTRA_CXX_FLAGS} -fno-omit-frame-pointer")