diff --git a/cmake/modules/TestTarget.cmake b/cmake/modules/TestTarget.cmake
index dbf6105..bdb749b 100644
--- a/cmake/modules/TestTarget.cmake
+++ b/cmake/modules/TestTarget.cmake
@@ -1,48 +1,54 @@
 # before including this module, BasicConfig must be included
 
-# add autotools-style check target
-if(NOT TARGET check)
-    set(CMAKE_CTEST_COMMAND ctest -V)
-    add_custom_target(check COMMAND ${CMAKE_CTEST_COMMAND})
-    enable_testing()
-endif()
-
-# add test executable, but exclude it from the "all target"
-add_executable(${META_PROJECT_NAME}_tests EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL ${TEST_HEADER_FILES} ${TEST_SRC_FILES})
-
-# always link test applications against c++utilities, cppunit and pthreads
+# always link test applications against c++utilities and cppunit
 find_library(CPP_UNIT_LIB cppunit)
-find_library(PTHREAD_LIB pthread)
-list(APPEND TEST_LIBRARIES ${CPP_UTILITIES_LIB} ${CPP_UNIT_LIB} ${PTHREAD_LIB})
 
-# test applications of my projects always use c++utilities and cppunit
-if(NOT META_PROJECT_TYPE OR "${META_PROJECT_TYPE}" STREQUAL "library") # default project type is library
-    # when testing a library, the test application always needs to link against it
-    if(BUILD_SHARED_LIBS)
-        list(APPEND TEST_LIBRARIES ${META_PROJECT_NAME})
-    else()
-        list(APPEND TEST_LIBRARIES ${META_PROJECT_NAME}_static)
+if(CPP_UNIT_LIB)
+    list(APPEND TEST_LIBRARIES ${CPP_UTILITIES_LIB} ${CPP_UNIT_LIB})
+
+    # add autotools-style check target
+    if(NOT TARGET check)
+        set(CMAKE_CTEST_COMMAND ctest -V)
+        add_custom_target(check COMMAND ${CMAKE_CTEST_COMMAND})
+        enable_testing()
     endif()
-else()
-    # otherwise, the tests application needs the path of the application to be tested
-    set(APPLICATION_PATH "-a ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/${META_PROJECT_NAME}")
-endif()
 
-target_link_libraries(${META_PROJECT_NAME}_tests ${TEST_LIBRARIES})
-set_target_properties(${META_PROJECT_NAME}_tests PROPERTIES CXX_STANDARD 11)
-add_test(NAME ${META_PROJECT_NAME}_cppunit COMMAND ${META_PROJECT_NAME}_tests -p "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/testfiles" ${APPLICATION_PATH})
+    # add test executable, but exclude it from the "all target"
+    add_executable(${META_PROJECT_NAME}_tests EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL ${TEST_HEADER_FILES} ${TEST_SRC_FILES})
 
-# add the test executable to the dependencies of the check target
-add_dependencies(check ${META_PROJECT_NAME}_tests)
-
-# add target for launching tests with wine ensuring the WINEPATH is set correctly so wine is able to find all required *.dll files
-# requires script from c++utilities, hence the sources of c++utilities must be present
-if(MINGW AND CMAKE_CROSSCOMPILING AND CPP_UTILITIES_SOURCE_DIR)
-    if(NOT TARGET ${META_PROJECT_NAME}_run_tests)
-        if(CMAKE_FIND_ROOT_PATH)
-            list(APPEND RUNTIME_LIBRARY_PATH "${CMAKE_FIND_ROOT_PATH}/bin")
+    # test applications of my projects always use c++utilities and cppunit
+    if(NOT META_PROJECT_TYPE OR "${META_PROJECT_TYPE}" STREQUAL "library") # default project type is library
+        # when testing a library, the test application always needs to link against it
+        if(BUILD_SHARED_LIBS)
+            list(APPEND TEST_LIBRARIES ${META_PROJECT_NAME})
+        else()
+            list(APPEND TEST_LIBRARIES ${META_PROJECT_NAME}_static)
         endif()
-        add_custom_target(${META_PROJECT_NAME}_run_tests COMMAND "${CPP_UTILITIES_SOURCE_DIR}/scripts/wine.sh" "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/${META_PROJECT_NAME}_tests.${WINDOWS_EXT}" ${RUNTIME_LIBRARY_PATH})
-        add_dependencies(${META_PROJECT_NAME}_run_tests ${META_PROJECT_NAME}_tests)
+    else()
+        # otherwise, the tests application needs the path of the application to be tested
+        set(APPLICATION_PATH "-a ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/${META_PROJECT_NAME}")
     endif()
+
+    target_link_libraries(${META_PROJECT_NAME}_tests ${TEST_LIBRARIES})
+    set_target_properties(${META_PROJECT_NAME}_tests PROPERTIES CXX_STANDARD 11)
+    add_test(NAME ${META_PROJECT_NAME}_cppunit COMMAND ${META_PROJECT_NAME}_tests -p "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/testfiles" ${APPLICATION_PATH})
+
+    # add the test executable to the dependencies of the check target
+    add_dependencies(check ${META_PROJECT_NAME}_tests)
+
+    # add target for launching tests with wine ensuring the WINEPATH is set correctly so wine is able to find all required *.dll files
+    # requires script from c++utilities, hence the sources of c++utilities must be present
+    if(MINGW AND CMAKE_CROSSCOMPILING AND CPP_UTILITIES_SOURCE_DIR)
+        if(NOT TARGET ${META_PROJECT_NAME}_run_tests)
+            if(CMAKE_FIND_ROOT_PATH)
+                list(APPEND RUNTIME_LIBRARY_PATH "${CMAKE_FIND_ROOT_PATH}/bin")
+            endif()
+            add_custom_target(${META_PROJECT_NAME}_run_tests COMMAND "${CPP_UTILITIES_SOURCE_DIR}/scripts/wine.sh" "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/${META_PROJECT_NAME}_tests.${WINDOWS_EXT}" ${RUNTIME_LIBRARY_PATH})
+            add_dependencies(${META_PROJECT_NAME}_run_tests ${META_PROJECT_NAME}_tests)
+        endif()
+    endif()
+
+else()
+    message(WARNING "Unable to add test target because cppunit could not be located.")
+
 endif()