diff --git a/appveyor.yml b/appveyor.yml
index 28aba67..a19532a 100644
--- a/appveyor.yml
+++ b/appveyor.yml
@@ -1,87 +1,58 @@
-version: '{branch}-{build}'
-build: off
-cache:
-  - '%LOCALAPPDATA%\pip\Cache'
 environment:
-  global:
-    WITH_COMPILER: 'cmd /E:ON /V:ON /C .\ci\appveyor-with-compiler.cmd'
   matrix:
-    - TOXENV: check
-      TOXPYTHON: C:\Python27\python.exe
-      PYTHON_HOME: C:\Python27
-      PYTHON_VERSION: '2.7'
-      PYTHON_ARCH: '32'
-    - TOXENV: 'py27,report,codecov'
-      TOXPYTHON: C:\Python27\python.exe
-      PYTHON_HOME: C:\Python27
-      PYTHON_VERSION: '2.7'
-      PYTHON_ARCH: '32'
-    - TOXENV: 'py27,report,codecov'
-      TOXPYTHON: C:\Python27-x64\python.exe
-      WINDOWS_SDK_VERSION: v7.0
-      PYTHON_HOME: C:\Python27-x64
-      PYTHON_VERSION: '2.7'
-      PYTHON_ARCH: '64'
-    - TOXENV: 'py33,report,codecov'
-      TOXPYTHON: C:\Python33\python.exe
-      PYTHON_HOME: C:\Python33
-      PYTHON_VERSION: '3.3'
-      PYTHON_ARCH: '32'
-    - TOXENV: 'py33,report,codecov'
-      TOXPYTHON: C:\Python33-x64\python.exe
-      WINDOWS_SDK_VERSION: v7.1
-      PYTHON_HOME: C:\Python33-x64
-      PYTHON_VERSION: '3.3'
-      PYTHON_ARCH: '64'
-    - TOXENV: 'py34,report,codecov'
-      TOXPYTHON: C:\Python34\python.exe
-      PYTHON_HOME: C:\Python34
-      PYTHON_VERSION: '3.4'
-      PYTHON_ARCH: '32'
-    - TOXENV: 'py34,report,codecov'
-      TOXPYTHON: C:\Python34-x64\python.exe
-      WINDOWS_SDK_VERSION: v7.1
-      PYTHON_HOME: C:\Python34-x64
-      PYTHON_VERSION: '3.4'
-      PYTHON_ARCH: '64'
-    - TOXENV: 'py35,report,codecov'
-      TOXPYTHON: C:\Python35\python.exe
-      PYTHON_HOME: C:\Python35
-      PYTHON_VERSION: '3.5'
-      PYTHON_ARCH: '32'
-    - TOXENV: 'py35,report,codecov'
-      TOXPYTHON: C:\Python35-x64\python.exe
-      PYTHON_HOME: C:\Python35-x64
-      PYTHON_VERSION: '3.5'
-      PYTHON_ARCH: '64'
-    - TOXENV: 'py36,report,codecov'
-      TOXPYTHON: C:\Python36\python.exe
-      PYTHON_HOME: C:\Python36
-      PYTHON_VERSION: '3.6'
-      PYTHON_ARCH: '32'
-    - TOXENV: 'py36,report,codecov'
-      TOXPYTHON: C:\Python36-x64\python.exe
-      PYTHON_HOME: C:\Python36-x64
-      PYTHON_VERSION: '3.6'
-      PYTHON_ARCH: '64'
+      - SYS_PYTHON: "C:\\Miniconda37-x64"
+        SYS_PYTHON_VERSION: "3.7"
+        SYS_PYTHON_ARCH: "64"
+        CONDA_CANARY: "False"
+
+      - SYS_PYTHON: "C:\\Miniconda37"
+        SYS_PYTHON_VERSION: "3.7"
+        SYS_PYTHON_ARCH: "32"
+        CONDA_CANARY: "False"
+
+      - SYS_PYTHON: "C:\\Miniconda36-x64"
+        SYS_PYTHON_VERSION: "3.6"
+        SYS_PYTHON_ARCH: "64"
+        CONDA_CANARY: "False"
+
+      - SYS_PYTHON: "C:\\Miniconda36"
+        SYS_PYTHON_VERSION: "3.6"
+        SYS_PYTHON_ARCH: "32"
+        CONDA_CANARY: "False"
+
 init:
-  - ps: echo $env:TOXENV
-  - ps: ls C:\Python*
+    - ECHO %SYS_PYTHON_VERSION% %MINICONDA%
+
 install:
-  - python -u ci\appveyor-bootstrap.py
-  - '%PYTHON_HOME%\Scripts\virtualenv --version'
-  - '%PYTHON_HOME%\Scripts\easy_install --version'
-  - '%PYTHON_HOME%\Scripts\pip --version'
-  - '%PYTHON_HOME%\Scripts\tox --version'
-test_script:
-  - '%WITH_COMPILER% %PYTHON_HOME%\Scripts\tox'
+    # If there is a newer build queued for the same PR, cancel this one.
+    # The AppVeyor 'rollout builds' option is supposed to serve the same
+    # purpose but it is problematic because it tends to cancel builds pushed
+    # directly to master instead of just PR builds (or the converse).
+    # credits: JuliaLang developers.
+    - ps: if ($env:APPVEYOR_PULL_REQUEST_NUMBER -and $env:APPVEYOR_BUILD_NUMBER -ne ((Invoke-RestMethod `
+          https://ci.appveyor.com/api/projects/$env:APPVEYOR_ACCOUNT_NAME/$env:APPVEYOR_PROJECT_SLUG/history?recordsNumber=50).builds | `
+          Where-Object pullRequestId -eq $env:APPVEYOR_PULL_REQUEST_NUMBER)[0].buildNumber) { `
+          throw "There are newer queued builds for this pull request, failing early." }
+    # these correspond to folder naming of miniconda installs on appveyor.  See
+    # https://www.appveyor.com/docs/installed-software#python
+    - if "%SYS_PYTHON_VERSION%" == "3.6" set "BASE_PYTHON_VERSION=36"
+    - if "%SYS_PYTHON_VERSION%" == "3.7" set "BASE_PYTHON_VERSION=37"
+    - if "%SYS_PYTHON_ARCH%" == "64" set "ARCH_LABEL=-x64"
+    # These are already installed on appveyor.  Update them.
+    - set "CONDA_ROOT=C:\Miniconda%BASE_PYTHON_VERSION%%ARCH_LABEL%"
+    - set "PATH=%CONDA_ROOT%;%CONDA_ROOT%\Scripts;%CONDA_ROOT%\Library\bin;%PATH%"
+    - conda config --set always_yes yes --set changeps1 no
+    - conda update -q conda
+    - conda info -a
+    - python -c "import sys; print(sys.version)"
+    - python -c "import sys; print(sys.executable)"
+    - python -c "import sys; print(sys.prefix)"
+    - conda create -q -n test-environment python=%SYS_PYTHON_VERSION% numpy scipy pandas pip pytest virtualenv sphinx
+    - activate test-environment
+    - pip install coverage coveralls pytest-cov tox mdanalysis dnamd
 
-on_failure:
-  - ps: dir "env:"
-  - ps: get-content .tox\*\log\*
-artifacts:
-  - path: dist\*
+# Not a .NET project, we build package in the install step instead
+build: false
 
-### To enable remote debugging uncomment this (also, see: http://www.appveyor.com/docs/how-to/rdp-to-build-worker):
-# on_finish:
-#   - ps: $blockRdp = $true; iex ((new-object net.webclient).DownloadString('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/appveyor/ci/master/scripts/enable-rdp.ps1'))
+test_script:
+    - tox