windows install tips

Windows installation tips cover PowerShell 7, administrator terminals, and encoding.

Language: 🇺🇸 English | 🇰🇷 한국어

This page collects common Windows friction points for installing Ghost-ALICE OS. Use Team onboarding for the quick copy-and-run install path. Use this page to make the Windows environment more comfortable.

Contents

• 0. Scope
• 1. Recommended Environment
• 2. Install PowerShell 7 First
• 3. Set PowerShell 7 as the Windows Terminal Default Profile
  • Change It in the UI
  • Change It in settings.json
• 4. Run Installation Through install.ps1
• 5. Add a Right-Click Administrator Terminal Entry
  • Simplest Existing Method
  • Undo
• 6. Move to PowerShell 7 First If Localized Output Is Garbled in Windows PowerShell 5.1
• 7. FAQ
  • Can installation work with only Windows PowerShell 5.1?
  • Do I need to install Python first?
  • Should I use install.cmd or install.ps1?
  • Must I always run as administrator?

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0. Scope

This page covers only the items below.

• How to use PowerShell 7 as the default shell
• How to set PowerShell 7 as the default profile in Windows Terminal
• How to open an administrator terminal safely when needed
• How to work around garbled localized output in Windows PowerShell 5.1 or cmd

The full install commands are already in Team onboarding.

1. Recommended Environment

The recommended Windows setup is below.

Item	Recommended	Reason
Shell	PowerShell 7 (pwsh)	Better encoding behavior and modern command compatibility than Windows PowerShell 5.1
Terminal app	Windows Terminal	Easier PowerShell 7 profile, administrator launch, and folder start handling
Install entrypoint	.\install.ps1	The default Windows install path for this project

The installer uses Python 3.11 or newer. If Python 3.11+ is not detected, it tries to prepare Python through winget, choco, and scoop in that order. If Python is still unavailable after that, the installer stops. Most users do not need to install Python first, but on company PCs where package managers are blocked, check installation permissions with an administrator or maintainer.

2. Install PowerShell 7 First

The default Windows shell is often Windows PowerShell 5.1. This project still supports 5.1, but PowerShell 7 is usually smoother in practice.

Follow the official Microsoft documentation first.

• Install PowerShell: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/scripting/install/installing-powershell?view=powershell-7.5

Check installation with the commands below.

pwsh -v
where pwsh

If pwsh is found, the shell is ready.

3. Set PowerShell 7 as the Windows Terminal Default Profile

Installing PowerShell 7 does not automatically change the Windows Terminal default profile. Change the default profile first.

Change It in the UI

1. Open Windows Terminal.
2. Press Ctrl + , to open Settings.
3. Move to the startup settings.
4. Set the default profile to PowerShell 7 or PowerShell.
5. Save.

Change It in settings.json

The file is usually here.

C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.WindowsTerminal_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\settings.json

The official Windows Terminal profile documentation is here.

• Windows Terminal general profile settings: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/terminal/customize-settings/profile-general

The defaultProfile value varies by environment. Do not copy a specific GUID blindly. Find the PowerShell 7 profile guid in profiles.list, then put that value into defaultProfile.

4. Run Installation Through install.ps1

The recommended flow is to run the commands below from PowerShell 7 or Windows Terminal.

cd ~\Desktop
git clone https://github.com/AidALL/ghost-alice.git
cd .\ghost-alice
.\install.ps1

To choose a platform interactively:

.\install.ps1 -PromptPlatform

To install only Codex:

.\install.ps1 -Platform codex

To check installation:

.\install.ps1 -Status

Even when started from Command Prompt, install.cmd ultimately calls pwsh.exe or powershell.exe. Starting directly from PowerShell 7 is simpler when possible. If ExecutionPolicy is locked on a company PC, use the install.cmd path in Team onboarding first.

5. Add a Right-Click Administrator Terminal Entry

• If you use Windows Terminal often, opening a folder with the right-click terminal entry is convenient.
• The default right-click menu may not make administrator launch easy, so you can add a separate menu item when needed.
• Do not make the default right-click terminal entry always run as administrator. Keeping normal terminals and administrator terminals separate is safer.

Simplest Existing Method

• Search for Windows Terminal in the Start menu.
• Right-click it.
• Choose Run as administrator.

That method starts in the default location. If you want to open an administrator terminal directly from a specific folder, add a separate context-menu entry with the script below.

$base1 = "HKCU:\Software\Classes\Directory\Background\shell\OpenAdminTerminalHere"
$base2 = "HKCU:\Software\Classes\Directory\shell\OpenAdminTerminalHere"

New-Item -Path $base1 -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $base1 -Name "(default)" -Value "Open administrator terminal here"
Set-ItemProperty -Path $base1 -Name "Icon" -Value "wt.exe"
New-Item -Path "$base1\command" -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path "$base1\command" -Name "(default)" -Value 'powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "Start-Process wt.exe -Verb RunAs -ArgumentList ''-d'',''\"%V\"''"'

New-Item -Path $base2 -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $base2 -Name "(default)" -Value "Open administrator terminal here"
Set-ItemProperty -Path $base2 -Name "Icon" -Value "wt.exe"
New-Item -Path "$base2\command" -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path "$base2\command" -Name "(default)" -Value 'powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "Start-Process wt.exe -Verb RunAs -ArgumentList ''-d'',''\"%1\"''"'

This menu is added only under the current user's HKCU. It appears only in the right-click menu for the current Windows profile. If the default profile is PowerShell 7, Windows Terminal opened through this entry also starts with PowerShell 7.

Undo

Remove-Item "HKCU:\Software\Classes\Directory\Background\shell\OpenAdminTerminalHere" -Recurse -Force
Remove-Item "HKCU:\Software\Classes\Directory\shell\OpenAdminTerminalHere" -Recurse -Force

6. Move to PowerShell 7 First If Localized Output Is Garbled in Windows PowerShell 5.1

Some project scripts and settings can print localized strings. Windows PowerShell 5.1 can display UTF-8 without BOM files or console output incorrectly.

Symptoms usually look like this.

• Localized messages appear garbled.
• Script strings print incorrectly.
• Messages look abnormal while install.ps1 is running.

The first response is to rerun from PowerShell 7, not to resave files.

pwsh
cd ~\Desktop\ghost-alice
.\install.ps1

If a file truly must be resaved in an editor, confirm that it uses a UTF-8 family encoding first. Local encoding edits can become shared project changes, so do not commit them before confirming the cause.

7. FAQ

Can installation work with only Windows PowerShell 5.1?

Yes. .\install.ps1 runs on Windows PowerShell 5.1. Python 3.11+ is still required, and the installer tries to prepare it automatically when possible. PowerShell 7 is more stable in practice.

Do I need to install Python first?

Usually no. If the installer cannot find Python 3.11+, it tries to prepare it automatically when possible. If automatic preparation fails, the installer shows the install command to run manually.

Should I use install.cmd or install.ps1?

Use install.ps1 when possible. install.cmd is a wrapper that calls pwsh.exe or powershell.exe internally. On company PCs where ExecutionPolicy blocks scripts, install.cmd can be the easier entrypoint.

Must I always run as administrator?

No. Normal permissions are enough for most installation and update work. Open a separate administrator terminal only for system-wide changes or UAC-required cases.