diff --git a/src/base/logger.h b/src/base/logger.h
index 9624c8c12ea..a5c872df49c 100644
--- a/src/base/logger.h
+++ b/src/base/logger.h
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 #include <mutex>
 #include <vector>
 
-typedef struct IOINTERNAL *IOHANDLE;
+typedef void *IOHANDLE;
 
 /**
  * @ingroup Log
diff --git a/src/base/system.cpp b/src/base/system.cpp
index ddcaad016d6..263e1e47066 100644
--- a/src/base/system.cpp
+++ b/src/base/system.cpp
@@ -91,10 +91,10 @@
 
 IOHANDLE io_stdin()
 {
-	return (IOHANDLE)stdin;
+	return stdin;
 }
-IOHANDLE io_stdout() { return (IOHANDLE)stdout; }
-IOHANDLE io_stderr() { return (IOHANDLE)stderr; }
+IOHANDLE io_stdout() { return stdout; }
+IOHANDLE io_stderr() { return stderr; }
 
 IOHANDLE io_current_exe()
 {
@@ -258,21 +258,52 @@ IOHANDLE io_open_impl(const char *filename, int flags)
 	dbg_assert(flags == (IOFLAG_READ | IOFLAG_SKIP_BOM) || flags == IOFLAG_READ || flags == IOFLAG_WRITE || flags == IOFLAG_APPEND, "flags must be read, read+skipbom, write or append");
 #if defined(CONF_FAMILY_WINDOWS)
 	const std::wstring wide_filename = windows_utf8_to_wide(filename);
+	DWORD desired_access;
+	DWORD creation_disposition;
 	if((flags & IOFLAG_READ) != 0)
-		return (IOHANDLE)_wfsopen(wide_filename.c_str(), L"rb", _SH_DENYNO);
-	if(flags == IOFLAG_WRITE)
-		return (IOHANDLE)_wfsopen(wide_filename.c_str(), L"wb", _SH_DENYNO);
-	if(flags == IOFLAG_APPEND)
-		return (IOHANDLE)_wfsopen(wide_filename.c_str(), L"ab", _SH_DENYNO);
-	return 0x0;
+	{
+		desired_access = FILE_READ_DATA;
+		creation_disposition = OPEN_EXISTING;
+	}
+	else if(flags == IOFLAG_WRITE)
+	{
+		desired_access = FILE_WRITE_DATA;
+		creation_disposition = OPEN_ALWAYS;
+	}
+	else if(flags == IOFLAG_APPEND)
+	{
+		desired_access = FILE_APPEND_DATA;
+		creation_disposition = OPEN_ALWAYS;
+	}
+	else
+	{
+		dbg_assert(false, "logic error");
+		return nullptr;
+	}
+	HANDLE handle = CreateFileW(wide_filename.c_str(), desired_access, FILE_SHARE_READ | FILE_SHARE_WRITE | FILE_SHARE_DELETE, nullptr, creation_disposition, FILE_ATTRIBUTE_NORMAL, nullptr);
+	if(handle == INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE)
+		return nullptr; // otherwise all existing checks don't work for the invalid handle
+	return handle;
 #else
+	const char *open_mode;
 	if((flags & IOFLAG_READ) != 0)
-		return (IOHANDLE)fopen(filename, "rb");
-	if(flags == IOFLAG_WRITE)
-		return (IOHANDLE)fopen(filename, "wb");
-	if(flags == IOFLAG_APPEND)
-		return (IOHANDLE)fopen(filename, "ab");
-	return 0x0;
+	{
+		open_mode = "rb";
+	}
+	else if(flags == IOFLAG_WRITE)
+	{
+		open_mode = "wb";
+	}
+	else if(flags == IOFLAG_APPEND)
+	{
+		open_mode = "ab";
+	}
+	else
+	{
+		dbg_assert(false, "logic error");
+		return nullptr;
+	}
+	return fopen(filename, open_mode);
 #endif
 }
 
@@ -293,7 +324,13 @@ IOHANDLE io_open(const char *filename, int flags)
 
 unsigned io_read(IOHANDLE io, void *buffer, unsigned size)
 {
+#if defined(CONF_FAMILY_WINDOWS)
+	DWORD actual_size;
+	ReadFile((HANDLE)io, buffer, size, &actual_size, nullptr);
+	return actual_size;
+#else
 	return fread(buffer, 1, size, (FILE *)io);
+#endif
 }
 
 void io_read_all(IOHANDLE io, void **result, unsigned *result_len)
@@ -343,14 +380,31 @@ char *io_read_all_str(IOHANDLE io)
 
 unsigned io_skip(IOHANDLE io, int size)
 {
-	fseek((FILE *)io, size, SEEK_CUR);
-	return size;
+	return io_seek(io, size, IOSEEK_CUR);
 }
 
 int io_seek(IOHANDLE io, int offset, int origin)
 {
+#if defined(CONF_FAMILY_WINDOWS)
+	DWORD move_method;
+	switch(origin)
+	{
+	case IOSEEK_START:
+		move_method = FILE_BEGIN;
+		break;
+	case IOSEEK_CUR:
+		move_method = FILE_CURRENT;
+		break;
+	case IOSEEK_END:
+		move_method = FILE_END;
+		break;
+	default:
+		dbg_assert(false, "origin invalid");
+		return -1;
+	}
+	return SetFilePointer((HANDLE)io, offset, nullptr, move_method);
+#else
 	int real_origin;
-
 	switch(origin)
 	{
 	case IOSEEK_START:
@@ -363,15 +417,20 @@ int io_seek(IOHANDLE io, int offset, int origin)
 		real_origin = SEEK_END;
 		break;
 	default:
+		dbg_assert(false, "origin invalid");
 		return -1;
 	}
-
 	return fseek((FILE *)io, offset, real_origin);
+#endif
 }
 
 long int io_tell(IOHANDLE io)
 {
+#if defined(CONF_FAMILY_WINDOWS)
+	return SetFilePointer((HANDLE)io, 0, nullptr, FILE_CURRENT);
+#else
 	return ftell((FILE *)io);
+#endif
 }
 
 long int io_length(IOHANDLE io)
@@ -385,12 +444,23 @@ long int io_length(IOHANDLE io)
 
 int io_error(IOHANDLE io)
 {
+#if defined(CONF_FAMILY_WINDOWS)
+	// Only works when called directly after the operation that failed
+	return GetLastError();
+#else
 	return ferror((FILE *)io);
+#endif
 }
 
 unsigned io_write(IOHANDLE io, const void *buffer, unsigned size)
 {
+#if defined(CONF_FAMILY_WINDOWS)
+	DWORD actual_size;
+	WriteFile((HANDLE)io, buffer, size, &actual_size, nullptr);
+	return actual_size;
+#else
 	return fwrite(buffer, 1, size, (FILE *)io);
+#endif
 }
 
 bool io_write_newline(IOHANDLE io)
@@ -404,12 +474,20 @@ bool io_write_newline(IOHANDLE io)
 
 int io_close(IOHANDLE io)
 {
+#if defined(CONF_FAMILY_WINDOWS)
+	return CloseHandle((HANDLE)io) == 0;
+#else
 	return fclose((FILE *)io) != 0;
+#endif
 }
 
 int io_flush(IOHANDLE io)
 {
+#if defined(CONF_FAMILY_WINDOWS)
+	return FlushFileBuffers((HANDLE)io) == FALSE;
+#else
 	return fflush((FILE *)io);
+#endif
 }
 
 int io_sync(IOHANDLE io)
@@ -419,7 +497,7 @@ int io_sync(IOHANDLE io)
 		return 1;
 	}
 #if defined(CONF_FAMILY_WINDOWS)
-	return FlushFileBuffers((HANDLE)_get_osfhandle(_fileno((FILE *)io))) == 0;
+	return FlushFileBuffers((HANDLE)io) == 0;
 #else
 	return fsync(fileno((FILE *)io)) != 0;
 #endif
diff --git a/src/base/system.h b/src/base/system.h
index 71781c4ef54..d837399aed7 100644
--- a/src/base/system.h
+++ b/src/base/system.h
@@ -223,7 +223,7 @@ enum
 	IO_MAX_PATH_LENGTH = 512,
 };
 
-typedef struct IOINTERNAL *IOHANDLE;
+typedef void *IOHANDLE;
 
 /**
  * Opens a file.