diff --git a/appveyor.yml b/appveyor.yml
index 15ae81857..71d9112fa 100644
--- a/appveyor.yml
+++ b/appveyor.yml
@@ -13,39 +13,40 @@ environment:
       vcvarsall_platform: x64
       PlatformToolset: v120
       cygwin_build: yes
+      MYQTDIR: C:\Qt\5.6\msvc2013_64
     - VisualStudioVersion: 12.0
       platform: x64
       configuration: Release
       vcvarsall_platform: x64
       PlatformToolset: v120
-      MYQTDIR: C:\Qt\5.6\msvc2013_64
 # FIXME: These are disabled for now. They were broken by ae8653612802b41b70424ec9a5eefe8a1178f6d1
 #    - VisualStudioVersion: 14.0
 #      platform: x64
 #      configuration: Debug
 #      vcvarsall_platform: x64
 #      PlatformToolset: v140
+#      MYQTDIR: C:\Qt\5.11\msvc2015_64
 # That platform causes frequent errors on appveyor due to an unknown infrastructure failure
 #    - VisualStudioVersion: 14.0
 #      platform: x64
 #      configuration: Release
 #      vcvarsall_platform: x64
 #      PlatformToolset: v140
-#      MYQTDIR: C:\Qt\5.11\msvc2015_64
 
 install:
   - python -m pip install --user pip --upgrade
   - python -m pip install --user pytest
-  - SET p=x64
-  - curl -fsSL https://github.com/Z3Prover/z3/releases/download/z3-4.8.9/z3-4.8.9-%p%-win.zip -o z3-4.8.9-win.zip
+  - curl -fsSL https://github.com/Z3Prover/z3/releases/download/z3-4.8.9/z3-4.8.9-%platform%-win.zip -o z3-4.8.9-win.zip
   - 7z x z3-4.8.9-win.zip -oexternals -r -y
-  - move externals\z3-4.8.9-%p%-win externals\z3
+  - move externals\z3-4.8.9-%platform%-win externals\z3
 
 build_script:
   - ECHO Building %configuration% %platform% with MSVC %VisualStudioVersion% using %PlatformToolset% PlatformToolset
   - 'CALL "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio %VisualStudioVersion%\VC\vcvarsall.bat" %vcvarsall_platform%'
   # Visual studio project..
   - msbuild "cppcheck.sln" /consoleloggerparameters:Verbosity=minimal /target:Build /property:Configuration="%configuration%";Platform=%platform% /p:PlatformToolset=%PlatformToolset% /maxcpucount /logger:"C:\Program Files\AppVeyor\BuildAgent\Appveyor.MSBuildLogger.dll"
+  # the following builds are Debug ones so do not perform them in Release jobs
+  - 'IF "%configuration%" == "Release" exit /b 0'
   # cmake..
   - mkdir build
   - cd build
@@ -72,11 +73,3 @@ test_script:
   - python -m pytest test-proj2.py
   - python -m pytest test-suppress-syntaxError.py
   - 'IF defined cygwin_build C:\cygwin64\bin\bash -e -l -c "cd /cygdrive/c/projects/cppcheck && make clean && make -j 2 test checkcfg"'
-
-artifacts:
-  - path: bin
-    name: CLI binaries
-    type: zip
-  - path: Build\gui
-    name: GUI binaries
-    type: zip