diff --git a/source/src/clients2c.cpp b/source/src/clients2c.cpp
index 130b0cef..5c207131 100644
--- a/source/src/clients2c.cpp
+++ b/source/src/clients2c.cpp
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ void parsemessages(int cn, playerent *d, ucharbuf &p)
         type = getint(p);
 
         #ifdef _DEBUG
-        if(type!=SV_POS && type!=SV_CLIENTPING && type!=SV_PING && type!=SV_PONG)
+        if(type!=SV_POS && type!=SV_CLIENTPING && type!=SV_PING && type!=SV_PONG && type!=SV_CLIENT)
         {
             DEBUGVAR(d);
             ASSERT(type>=0 && type<SV_NUM);
diff --git a/source/src/main.cpp b/source/src/main.cpp
index 5774f777..b641e4b4 100644
--- a/source/src/main.cpp
+++ b/source/src/main.cpp
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ void cleanup(char *msg)         // single program exit point;
     if(msg)
     {
         #ifdef WIN32
-        MessageBox(NULL, msg, "AssaultCube fatal error", MB_OK|MB_SYSTEMMODAL);
+        MessageBox(NULL, msg, "AssaultCube fatal error", MB_OK|MB_SYSTEMMODAL|MB_ICONERROR);
         #else
         printf(msg);
         #endif
@@ -465,6 +465,15 @@ VARFP(clockfix, 0, 0, 1, clockreset());
 
 int main(int argc, char **argv)
 {
+    #ifdef WIN32
+    //atexit((void (__cdecl *)(void))_CrtDumpMemoryLeaks);
+    #ifndef _DEBUG
+    #ifndef __GNUC__
+    __try {
+    #endif
+    #endif
+    #endif
+
     bool dedicated = false;
     int uprate = 0, maxcl = DEFAULTCLIENTS, scthreshold = -5, port = 0, permdemo = -1;
     const char *sdesc = "", *sdesc_pre = "", *sdesc_suf = "", *ip = "", *master = NULL, *passwd = "", *maprot = NULL, *adminpwd = NULL, *pwdfile = NULL, *blfile = NULL, *srvmsg = NULL;
@@ -705,6 +714,10 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 
     quit();
     return EXIT_SUCCESS;
+
+    #if defined(WIN32) && !defined(_DEBUG) && !defined(__GNUC__)
+    } __except(stackdumper(0, GetExceptionInformation()), EXCEPTION_CONTINUE_SEARCH) { return 0; }
+    #endif
 }
 
 VAR(version, 1, AC_VERSION, 0);
diff --git a/source/src/pch.h b/source/src/pch.h
index f77e209f..8611cc48 100644
--- a/source/src/pch.h
+++ b/source/src/pch.h
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
     #define WIN32_LEAN_AND_MEAN
     #include "windows.h"
     #include <tlhelp32.h>
+    #include <Dbghelp.h>
     #define _WINDOWS
     #define ZLIB_DLL
 #endif
diff --git a/source/src/server.cpp b/source/src/server.cpp
index 357c040b..d72fc5f2 100644
--- a/source/src/server.cpp
+++ b/source/src/server.cpp
@@ -2465,7 +2465,7 @@ void process(ENetPacket *packet, int sender, int chan)   // sender may be -1
         type = checktype(getint(p), cl);
 
         #ifdef _DEBUG
-        if(type!=SV_POS && type!=SV_CLIENTPING && type!=SV_PING)
+        if(type!=SV_POS && type!=SV_CLIENTPING && type!=SV_PING && type!=SV_CLIENT)
         {
             DEBUGVAR(cl->name);
             ASSERT(type>=0 && type<SV_NUM);
@@ -3369,7 +3369,7 @@ void fatal(const char *s, ...)
 {
     cleanupserver();
     s_sprintfdlv(msg,s,s);
-    s_sprintfd(out)("fatal: %s", msg);
+    s_sprintfd(out)("AssaultCube fatal error: %s", msg);
     if(logger) logger->writeline(log::error, out);
     else puts(out);
     exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
@@ -3377,6 +3377,15 @@ void fatal(const char *s, ...)
 
 int main(int argc, char **argv)
 {
+    #ifdef WIN32
+    //atexit((void (__cdecl *)(void))_CrtDumpMemoryLeaks);
+    #ifndef _DEBUG
+    #ifndef __GNUC__
+    __try {
+    #endif
+    #endif
+    #endif
+
     int uprate = 0, maxcl = DEFAULTCLIENTS, scthreshold = -5, port = 0, permdemo = -1;
     const char *sdesc = "", *sdesc_pre = "", *sdesc_suf = "", *ip = "", *master = NULL, *passwd = "", *maprot = "", *admpwd = NULL, *pwdfile = NULL, *blfile = NULL, *srvmsg = NULL, *service = NULL;
 
@@ -3427,6 +3436,10 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
     if(enet_initialize()<0) fatal("Unable to initialise network module");
     initserver(true, uprate, sdesc, sdesc_pre, sdesc_suf, ip, port, master, passwd, maxcl, maprot, admpwd, pwdfile, blfile, srvmsg, scthreshold, permdemo);
     return EXIT_SUCCESS;
+
+    #if defined(WIN32) && !defined(_DEBUG) && !defined(__GNUC__)
+    } __except(stackdumper(0, GetExceptionInformation()), EXCEPTION_CONTINUE_SEARCH) { return 0; }
+    #endif
 }
 #endif
 
diff --git a/source/src/tools.cpp b/source/src/tools.cpp
index 82fd246c..4e2fd492 100644
--- a/source/src/tools.cpp
+++ b/source/src/tools.cpp
@@ -302,6 +302,35 @@ bool delfile(const char *path)
     return !remove(path);
 }
 
+///////////////////////// debugging ///////////////////////
+
+#if defined(WIN32) && !defined(_DEBUG) && !defined(__GNUC__)
+void stackdumper(unsigned int type, EXCEPTION_POINTERS *ep)
+{
+    if(!ep) fatal("unknown type");
+    EXCEPTION_RECORD *er = ep->ExceptionRecord;
+    CONTEXT *context = ep->ContextRecord;
+    string out, t;
+    s_sprintf(out)("Win32 Exception: 0x%x [0x%x]\n\n", er->ExceptionCode, er->ExceptionCode==EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION ? er->ExceptionInformation[1] : -1);
+    STACKFRAME sf = {{context->Eip, 0, AddrModeFlat}, {}, {context->Ebp, 0, AddrModeFlat}, {context->Esp, 0, AddrModeFlat}, 0};
+    SymInitialize(GetCurrentProcess(), NULL, TRUE);
+
+    while(::StackWalk(IMAGE_FILE_MACHINE_I386, GetCurrentProcess(), GetCurrentThread(), &sf, context, NULL, ::SymFunctionTableAccess, ::SymGetModuleBase, NULL))
+    {
+        struct { IMAGEHLP_SYMBOL sym; string n; } si = { { sizeof( IMAGEHLP_SYMBOL ), 0, 0, 0, sizeof(string) } };
+        IMAGEHLP_LINE li = { sizeof( IMAGEHLP_LINE ) };
+        DWORD off;
+        if(SymGetSymFromAddr(GetCurrentProcess(), (DWORD)sf.AddrPC.Offset, &off, &si.sym) && SymGetLineFromAddr(GetCurrentProcess(), (DWORD)sf.AddrPC.Offset, &off, &li))
+        {
+            char *del = strrchr(li.FileName, '\\');
+            s_sprintf(t)("%s - %s [%d]\n", si.sym.Name, del ? del + 1 : li.FileName, li.LineNumber);
+            s_strcat(out, t);
+        }
+    }
+    fatal(out);
+}
+#endif
+
 ///////////////////////// misc tools ///////////////////////
 
 bool cmpb(void *b, int n, enet_uint32 c)
diff --git a/source/src/tools.h b/source/src/tools.h
index c6d26a4c..0c97884c 100644
--- a/source/src/tools.h
+++ b/source/src/tools.h
@@ -525,6 +525,7 @@ extern char *loadfile(const char *fn, int *size, const char *mode = NULL);
 extern bool listdir(const char *dir, const char *ext, vector<char *> &files);
 extern int listfiles(const char *dir, const char *ext, vector<char *> &files);
 extern bool delfile(const char *path);
+extern void stackdumper(unsigned int type, EXCEPTION_POINTERS *ep);
 extern bool cmpb(void *b, int n, enet_uint32 c);
 extern bool cmpf(char *fn, enet_uint32 c);
 extern void endianswap(void *, int, int);