diff --git a/packages/vhd-lib/Vhd/VhdFile.js b/packages/vhd-lib/Vhd/VhdFile.js
index d32471d4e..376419181 100644
--- a/packages/vhd-lib/Vhd/VhdFile.js
+++ b/packages/vhd-lib/Vhd/VhdFile.js
@@ -83,7 +83,9 @@ exports.VhdFile = class VhdFile extends VhdAbstract {
   }
 
   static async open(handler, path, { flags, checkSecondFooter = true } = {}) {
-    assert(!handler.isEncrypted, `VHDFile implementation is not compatible with encrypted remote`)
+    if (handler.isEncrypted) {
+      throw new Error(`VHDFile implementation is not compatible with encrypted remote`)
+    }
     const fd = await handler.openFile(path, flags ?? 'r+')
     const vhd = new VhdFile(handler, fd)
     // openning a file for reading does not trigger EISDIR as long as we don't really read from it :
diff --git a/packages/vhd-lib/openVhd.js b/packages/vhd-lib/openVhd.js
index ce7632b9b..8852cbafe 100644
--- a/packages/vhd-lib/openVhd.js
+++ b/packages/vhd-lib/openVhd.js
@@ -9,8 +9,7 @@ exports.openVhd = async function openVhd(handler, path, opts) {
   try {
     return await VhdFile.open(handler, resolved, opts)
   } catch (e) {
-    // if the remote is encrypted, trying to open a VhdFile will throw an assertion error before checking if the path is a directory, therefore we should try to open a VhdDirectory anyway.
-    if (e.code !== 'EISDIR' && e.code !== 'ERR_ASSERTION') {
+    if (e.code !== 'EISDIR') {
       throw e
     }
     return await VhdDirectory.open(handler, resolved, opts)