diff --git a/renderdoc/core/core.cpp b/renderdoc/core/core.cpp
index 5447ce7f6..1f116fe2f 100644
--- a/renderdoc/core/core.cpp
+++ b/renderdoc/core/core.cpp
@@ -259,7 +259,7 @@ RenderDoc::~RenderDoc()
 	}
 
 	m_RemoteServerThreadShutdown = true;
-	Threading::JoinThread(m_RemoteThread);
+	// don't join, just close the thread, as we can't wait while in the middle of module unloading
 	Threading::CloseThread(m_RemoteThread);
 	m_RemoteThread = 0;
 
diff --git a/renderdoc/core/remote_access.cpp b/renderdoc/core/remote_access.cpp
index 7d685b145..86a3fa5f1 100644
--- a/renderdoc/core/remote_access.cpp
+++ b/renderdoc/core/remote_access.cpp
@@ -44,6 +44,8 @@ enum PacketType
 
 void RenderDoc::RemoteAccessClientThread(void *s)
 {
+	Threading::KeepModuleAlive();
+
 	Network::Socket *client = (Network::Socket *)s;
 
 	Serialiser ser(L"", Serialiser::WRITING, false);
@@ -66,7 +68,8 @@ void RenderDoc::RemoteAccessClientThread(void *s)
 			SCOPED_LOCK(RenderDoc::Inst().m_SingleClientLock);
 			RenderDoc::Inst().m_SingleClientName = L"";
 		}
-
+		
+		Threading::ReleaseModuleExitThread();
 		return;
 	}
 
@@ -204,10 +207,14 @@ void RenderDoc::RemoteAccessClientThread(void *s)
 		SCOPED_LOCK(RenderDoc::Inst().m_SingleClientLock);
 		RenderDoc::Inst().m_SingleClientName = L"";
 	}
+
+	Threading::ReleaseModuleExitThread();
 }
 
 void RenderDoc::RemoteAccessServerThread(void *s)
 {
+	Threading::KeepModuleAlive();
+
 	Network::Socket *sock = (Network::Socket *)s;
 	
 	RenderDoc::Inst().m_SingleClientName = L"";
@@ -227,6 +234,7 @@ void RenderDoc::RemoteAccessServerThread(void *s)
 				RDCERR("Error in accept - shutting down server");
 
 				SAFE_DELETE(sock);
+				Threading::ReleaseModuleExitThread();
 				return;
 			}
 
@@ -322,9 +330,11 @@ void RenderDoc::RemoteAccessServerThread(void *s)
 	}
 	
 	RenderDoc::Inst().m_RemoteClientThreadShutdown = true;
-	Threading::JoinThread(clientThread);
+	// don't join, just close the thread, as we can't wait while in the middle of module unloading
 	Threading::CloseThread(clientThread);
 	clientThread = 0;
+
+	Threading::ReleaseModuleExitThread();
 }
 
 struct RemoteAccess
diff --git a/renderdoc/os/linux/linux_threading.cpp b/renderdoc/os/linux/linux_threading.cpp
index 79332cf55..d2e5bbc19 100644
--- a/renderdoc/os/linux/linux_threading.cpp
+++ b/renderdoc/os/linux/linux_threading.cpp
@@ -152,7 +152,15 @@ namespace Threading
 	void CloseThread(ThreadHandle handle)
 	{
 	}
+	
+	void KeepModuleAlive()
+	{
+	}
 
+	void ReleaseModuleExitThread()
+	{
+	}
+	
 	void Sleep(uint32_t milliseconds)
 	{
 		usleep(milliseconds*1000);
diff --git a/renderdoc/os/os_specific.h b/renderdoc/os/os_specific.h
index 2ada76bd7..fee2a020f 100644
--- a/renderdoc/os/os_specific.h
+++ b/renderdoc/os/os_specific.h
@@ -89,6 +89,11 @@ namespace Threading
 	void JoinThread(ThreadHandle handle);
 	void CloseThread(ThreadHandle handle);
 	void Sleep(uint32_t milliseconds);
+
+	// kind of windows specific, to handle this case:
+	// http://blogs.msdn.com/b/oldnewthing/archive/2013/11/05/10463645.aspx
+	void KeepModuleAlive();
+	void ReleaseModuleExitThread();
 };
 
 namespace Network
diff --git a/renderdoc/os/win32/win32_threading.cpp b/renderdoc/os/win32/win32_threading.cpp
index 988f78a4b..7e0df24a7 100644
--- a/renderdoc/os/win32/win32_threading.cpp
+++ b/renderdoc/os/win32/win32_threading.cpp
@@ -144,6 +144,21 @@ namespace Threading
 		if(handle == 0) return;
 		CloseHandle((HANDLE)handle);
 	}
+
+	static HMODULE ownModuleHandle = 0;
+
+	void KeepModuleAlive()
+	{
+		// deliberately omitting GET_MODULE_HANDLE_EX_FLAG_UNCHANGED_REFCOUNT to bump refcount
+		GetModuleHandleExA(GET_MODULE_HANDLE_EX_FLAG_FROM_ADDRESS,
+											 (const char *)&ownModuleHandle,
+											 &ownModuleHandle);
+	}
+
+	void ReleaseModuleExitThread()
+	{
+		FreeLibraryAndExitThread(ownModuleHandle, 0);
+	}
 	
 	void Sleep(uint32_t milliseconds)
 	{