diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 2dd36e28..60400b7a 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 - add vips_transpose3d() -- swap major dimensions in a volumetric image
 - remove vips7 stuff from default API ... you must now #include it explicitly
 - added vips_argument_get_id() to fix derived classes on win32 [angelmixu]
+- fix compile with MSVC 2017 [angelmixu]
 
 12/3/18 started 8.6.4
 - better fitting of fonts with overhanging edges [Adrià]
diff --git a/libvips/arithmetic/divide.c b/libvips/arithmetic/divide.c
index 0cc3970c..fcbec4b3 100644
--- a/libvips/arithmetic/divide.c
+++ b/libvips/arithmetic/divide.c
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
  * 19/10/93 JC
  *	- coredump-inducing bug in complex*complex fixed
  * 13/12/93
- *	- char*short bug fixed
+ *	- char * short bug fixed
  * 12/6/95 JC
  *	- new im_multiply adapted to make new im_divide
  * 27/9/04
diff --git a/libvips/arithmetic/multiply.c b/libvips/arithmetic/multiply.c
index 424b9097..3d30079b 100644
--- a/libvips/arithmetic/multiply.c
+++ b/libvips/arithmetic/multiply.c
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
  * 19/10/93 JC
  *	- coredump-inducing bug in complex*complex fixed
  * 13/12/93
- *	- char*short bug fixed
+ *	- char * short bug fixed
  * 12/6/95 JC
  *	- new im_add adapted to make new im_multiply
  * 27/9/04
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/exif.c b/libvips/foreign/exif.c
index ef3fcef6..af6ff54e 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/exif.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/exif.c
@@ -570,7 +570,7 @@ vips_exif_double_to_srational( double value, ExifSRational *srv )
 	srv->denominator = 1000;
 }
 
-/* Parse a char* into an ExifRational. We allow floats as well.
+/* Parse a char * into an ExifRational. We allow floats as well.
  */
 static void
 vips_exif_parse_rational( const char *str, ExifRational *rv )
@@ -580,7 +580,7 @@ vips_exif_parse_rational( const char *str, ExifRational *rv )
 	vips_exif_double_to_rational( g_ascii_strtod( str, NULL ), rv );
 }
 
-/* Parse a char* into an ExifSRational. We allow floats as well.
+/* Parse a char * into an ExifSRational. We allow floats as well.
  */
 static void
 vips_exif_parse_srational( const char *str, ExifSRational *srv )
@@ -591,7 +591,7 @@ vips_exif_parse_srational( const char *str, ExifSRational *srv )
 	vips_exif_double_to_srational( g_ascii_strtod( str, NULL ), srv );
 }
 
-/* Does both signed and unsigned rationals from a char*.
+/* Does both signed and unsigned rationals from a char *.
  */
 static void
 vips_exif_set_rational( ExifData *ed, 
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/tiff2vips.c b/libvips/foreign/tiff2vips.c
index 522e9a49..b5978e84 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/tiff2vips.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/tiff2vips.c
@@ -1843,7 +1843,7 @@ rtiff_stripwise_generate( VipsRegion *or,
 
 			/* Do any repacking to generate pixels in vips layout.
 			 */
-			p = (char*)(rtiff->contig_buf) + 
+			p = (VipsPel *) rtiff->contig_buf + 
 				(hit.top - strip.top) * scanline_size;
 			q = VIPS_REGION_ADDR( or, 0, r->top + y );
 			for( z = 0; z < hit.height; z++ ) { 
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/vipspng.c b/libvips/foreign/vipspng.c
index d659b9fe..e4913c97 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/vipspng.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/vipspng.c
@@ -700,7 +700,7 @@ vips_png_read_buffer( png_structp pPng, png_bytep data, png_size_t length )
 	if( read->read_pos + length > read->length )
 		png_error( pPng, "not enough data in buffer" );
 
-	memcpy( data, (const char*)(read->buffer) + read->read_pos, length );
+	memcpy( data, (VipsPel *) read->buffer + read->read_pos, length );
 	read->read_pos += length;
 }
 
diff --git a/libvips/include/vips/type.h b/libvips/include/vips/type.h
index 1d545a2d..0cc2a275 100644
--- a/libvips/include/vips/type.h
+++ b/libvips/include/vips/type.h
@@ -100,7 +100,8 @@ void *vips_area_get_data( VipsArea *area,
 #ifdef VIPS_DEBUG
 #define VIPS_ARRAY_ADDR( X, I ) \
 	(((I) >= 0 && (I) < VIPS_AREA( X )->n) ? \
-	 ((char*)(VIPS_AREA( X )->data) + VIPS_AREA( X )->sizeof_type * (I)) : \
+	 (void *) ((VipsPel *) VIPS_AREA( X )->data + \
+	  	VIPS_AREA( X )->sizeof_type * (I)) : \
 	 (fprintf( stderr, \
 		"VIPS_ARRAY_ADDR: index out of bounds, " \
 		"file \"%s\", line %d\n" \
@@ -109,7 +110,8 @@ void *vips_area_get_data( VipsArea *area,
 		(I), VIPS_AREA( X )->n ), NULL ))
 #else /*!VIPS_DEBUG*/
 #define VIPS_ARRAY_ADDR( X, I ) \
-	((char*)(VIPS_AREA( X )->data) + VIPS_AREA( X )->sizeof_type * (I))
+	((void *) \
+	 ((VipsPel *) VIPS_AREA( X )->data + VIPS_AREA( X )->sizeof_type * (I)))
 #endif /*VIPS_DEBUG*/
 
 /**
diff --git a/libvips/iofuncs/image.c b/libvips/iofuncs/image.c
index 7aaada2c..0679ac7b 100644
--- a/libvips/iofuncs/image.c
+++ b/libvips/iofuncs/image.c
@@ -3269,7 +3269,8 @@ vips_image_wio_input( VipsImage *image )
 		 */
 		if( vips_mapfile( image ) ) 
 			return( -1 );
-		image->data = ((char*)image->baseaddr) + image->sizeof_header;
+		image->data = (VipsPel *) image->baseaddr + 
+			image->sizeof_header;
 		image->dtype = VIPS_IMAGE_MMAPIN;
 
 		break;
diff --git a/libvips/iofuncs/util.c b/libvips/iofuncs/util.c
index a9f3bb86..6ea75172 100644
--- a/libvips/iofuncs/util.c
+++ b/libvips/iofuncs/util.c
@@ -1005,7 +1005,7 @@ vips__gslist_gvalue_merge( GSList *a, const GSList *b )
 	return( a );
 }
 
-/* Make a char* from GSList of GValue. Each GValue should be a ref_string.
+/* Make a char * from GSList of GValue. Each GValue should be a ref_string.
  * free the result. Empty list -> "", not NULL. Join strings with '\n'.
  */
 char *
diff --git a/libvipsCC/vipsc++.cc b/libvipsCC/vipsc++.cc
index 37f52e1d..73e81c84 100644
--- a/libvipsCC/vipsc++.cc
+++ b/libvipsCC/vipsc++.cc
@@ -717,7 +717,7 @@ VDMask VImage::stats()
 	Vargv _vec( "im_stats" );
 
 	_vec.data(0) = in.image();
-	((im_mask_object*) _vec.data(1))->name = (char*)"noname";
+	((im_mask_object*) _vec.data(1))->name = (char*) "noname";
 	_vec.call();
 	statistics.embed( (DOUBLEMASK *)((im_mask_object*)_vec.data(1))->mask );