From 1b2fdddf3197ef29ad63ac178978bafd526ccc10 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: jiankaiii <jian.kai.foong@intel.com>
Date: Fri, 26 Sep 2025 14:07:23 +0800
Subject: [PATCH] feat: enable content generation without source for Summary
 (#349)

---
 README.md                                     |   68 +-
 backend/main.py                               |  126 +-
 backend/requirements.txt                      |    2 +-
 ecosystem.config.cjs                          |    2 +-
 frontend/next.config.mjs                      |   39 +-
 frontend/package.json                         |    3 +-
 .../(app)/workspace/courses/create/page.tsx   |    6 +-
 .../workspace/courses/edit/[id]/page.tsx      |    6 +-
 .../src/app/(app)/workspace/summary/page.tsx  |   39 +-
 .../src/app/api/programmes/download/route.ts  |   81 +-
 frontend/src/app/api/summary/route.ts         |  325 ++---
 frontend/src/components/sources-list.tsx      |    8 +-
 install_win.bat                               |   74 ++
 run_win.bat                                   |   98 ++
 scripts/path-resolver.mjs                     |    4 +-
 scripts/utils.mjs                             | 1107 ++++++++++++++---
 scripts/win/install.ps1                       |  576 +++++++++
 scripts/win/run.ps1                           |   71 ++
 scripts/win/setup.ps1                         |  146 +++
 scripts/win/stop.ps1                          |   44 +
 scripts/win/uninstall.ps1                     |  318 +++++
 setup_win.bat                                 |   37 +
 stop_win.bat                                  |  161 +++
 uninstall_win.bat                             |   42 +
 24 files changed, 2973 insertions(+), 410 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 install_win.bat
 create mode 100644 run_win.bat
 create mode 100644 scripts/win/install.ps1
 create mode 100644 scripts/win/run.ps1
 create mode 100644 scripts/win/setup.ps1
 create mode 100644 scripts/win/stop.ps1
 create mode 100644 scripts/win/uninstall.ps1
 create mode 100644 setup_win.bat
 create mode 100644 stop_win.bat
 create mode 100644 uninstall_win.bat

diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 4e43d48..e35b98f 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -16,9 +16,10 @@ Powered by Intel CPUs and GPUs, the tool ensures accurate, contextually relevant
 
 - **Operating System**: 
 
-  | Type        | Version                   |
-  |-------------|---------------------------|
-  | Linux       | Ubuntu 24.04 Desktop LTS  |
+  | Type    | Version                  |
+  | ------- | ------------------------ |
+  | Linux   | Ubuntu 24.04 Desktop LTS |
+  | Windows | Windows 11               |
 
 ### Hardware Requirements
 
@@ -45,13 +46,13 @@ Powered by Intel CPUs and GPUs, the tool ensures accurate, contextually relevant
 
 > **Important Notice:** This software is currently in pre-production status, designed to run locally on a single system only. For more stable version, please refer to our latest tagged pre-release.
 
-## Quick Start
+## Quick Start Linux
 
 > **Pre-requisite:** Follow the [Edge Developer Kit Reference Scripts](https://github.com/intel/edge-developer-kit-reference-scripts) to install the necessary drivers and compute-related packages for Intel® GPUs 
 
 1. **Setup** - Install system dependencies:
 
-   > **Note:** Setup requires administrator privileges as it installs system-level dependencies.
+   > **Note**: Setup requires administrator privileges as it installs system-level dependencies.
 
    ```bash
    sudo ./setup.sh
@@ -81,5 +82,62 @@ Powered by Intel CPUs and GPUs, the tool ensures accurate, contextually relevant
    ./uninstall.sh
    ```
 
+## Quick Start Windows
+
+1. System-level setup (Adminstrator required)
+
+   ```powershell
+   # Double click on setup_win.bat and select "Yes"
+   .\setup_win.bat
+   ```
+   This script will perform or install the following if not present and may take a while to complete:
+   - Winget
+   - Python 3.12 (if not not installed or lower version)
+   - Enable PowerShell script execution if needed
+
+2. Install application and its dependencies
+
+   ```powershell
+   # Double click on install_win.bat
+   .\install_win.bat
+   ```
+   This will automatically proceed to installation of application (without administrator privilege) which does the following:
+     - Download and install Node.js locally (22.16.0)
+     - Download and install jq locally
+     - Install npm dependencies
+     - Set up Python virtual environment
+     - Download and configure Ollama
+     - Create environment configuration files
+
+3. Start the application
+   ```powershell
+   # Double-click to run
+   .\run_win.bat
+   ```
+   Running this command will automatically open a web-browser with `http://localhost:8080`
+
+4. Stop the application
+   ```powershell
+   # Double click to stop all services
+   .\stop_win.bat
+   ```
+   >**IMPORTANT**: Please make sure to close all command or terminal prompts that are open after running `stop_win.bat`
+
+5. Uninstall the application
+   ```powershell
+   # Double click to run uninstall script
+   .\uninstall_win.bat
+   ```
+
+## Limitations
+
+On Windows, when running `run_win.bat`, PM2 launches several command prompt windows during operation. These windows can be minimized, but they will remain open. To stop the application, run `stop_win.bat` and manually close the command prompt windows to properly shut down all services.
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+1. Unable to unzip file from Github for Windows
+
+   If you have trouble unzipping the downloaded zip file from GitHub on Windows, try extracting it to a folder with a shorter name or path. This issue is caused by Windows' maximum file path length limitation.
+
 ## Disclaimer
 Intel is committed to respecting human rights and avoiding causing or contributing to adverse impacts on human rights. See [Intel’s Global Human Rights Principles](https://www.intel.com/content/dam/www/central-libraries/us/en/documents/policy-human-rights.pdf). Intel’s products and software are intended only to be used in applications that do not cause or contribute to adverse impacts on human rights. Users should comply with all requirements to notify relevant parties that AI was used in the production of materials, as mandated by their employers or professional standards.
diff --git a/backend/main.py b/backend/main.py
index 4691396..acf66da 100644
--- a/backend/main.py
+++ b/backend/main.py
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 from generate_caption import generate_dynamic_caption
 from generate_image_embedding import generate_image_embedding
 from fastapi.responses import FileResponse, JSONResponse
-from generate_pptx import create_pptx 
+from generate_pptx import create_pptx
 from starlette.background import BackgroundTask
 import tempfile
 import imagehash
@@ -25,61 +25,66 @@
 OUTPUT_DIR = BASE_DIR / "images"
 OUTPUT_DIR.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
 
+
 @app.post("/parse")
 async def parse_pdf(file: UploadFile = File(...)):
     """
     Endpoint to parse a PDF file uploaded via multipart/form-data.
     Extracts images, generates captions and embeddings, and returns the data.
     """
+    temp_file_path = None
     try:
-        with tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile(delete=True, suffix=".pdf") as temp_file:
+        # Create temp file with delete=False to avoid Windows file locking issues
+        with tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile(delete=False, suffix=".pdf") as temp_file:
             temp_file.write(await file.read())
             temp_file_path = temp_file.name
 
-            print(f"DEBUG : Temporary PDF file created at: {temp_file_path}")
-            # Open the PDF file using PyMuPDF
-            pdf_file = fitz.open(str(temp_file_path))
-            image_data = []
-            image_order = 1
-            seen_hashes = set()
-            extracted_text = []
-
-            for page_index in range(len(pdf_file)):
-                page = pdf_file.load_page(page_index)
-                extracted_text.append(page.get_text())
-
-                # Extract images from the page
-                image_list = page.get_images(full=True)
-                for image_index, img in enumerate(image_list, start=1):
-                    xref = img[0]
-                    base_image = pdf_file.extract_image(xref)
-                    image_bytes = base_image["image"]
-                    image_ext = base_image["ext"]
-                    
-                    # Compute perceptual hash
-                    pil_img = Image.open(io.BytesIO(image_bytes))
-                    phash = str(imagehash.phash(pil_img))
-                    if phash in seen_hashes:
-                        print(f"DEBUG: Skipping duplicate/similar image (hash: {phash})")
-                        continue
-                    seen_hashes.add(phash)
-
-                    image_name = f"image{page_index+1}_{image_index}.{image_ext}"
-
-                    # Generate caption and embedding for the image
-                    try:
-                        caption = generate_dynamic_caption(image_bytes)
-                        if caption is not None:
-                            embedding = generate_image_embedding(image_bytes)
-                            image_data.append({
+        print(f"DEBUG : Temporary PDF file created at: {temp_file_path}")
+        # Open the PDF file using PyMuPDF (now works on Windows since file is closed)
+        pdf_file = fitz.open(str(temp_file_path))
+        image_data = []
+        image_order = 1
+        seen_hashes = set()
+        extracted_text = []
+
+        for page_index in range(len(pdf_file)):
+            page = pdf_file.load_page(page_index)
+            extracted_text.append(page.get_text())
+
+            # Extract images from the page
+            image_list = page.get_images(full=True)
+            for image_index, img in enumerate(image_list, start=1):
+                xref = img[0]
+                base_image = pdf_file.extract_image(xref)
+                image_bytes = base_image["image"]
+                image_ext = base_image["ext"]
+
+                # Compute perceptual hash
+                pil_img = Image.open(io.BytesIO(image_bytes))
+                phash = str(imagehash.phash(pil_img))
+                if phash in seen_hashes:
+                    print(f"DEBUG: Skipping duplicate/similar image (hash: {phash})")
+                    continue
+                seen_hashes.add(phash)
+
+                image_name = f"image{page_index+1}_{image_index}.{image_ext}"
+
+                # Generate caption and embedding for the image
+                try:
+                    caption = generate_dynamic_caption(image_bytes)
+                    if caption is not None:
+                        embedding = generate_image_embedding(image_bytes)
+                        image_data.append(
+                            {
                                 "filename": image_name,
                                 "embedding": embedding,
                                 "order": image_order,
-                                "image_bytes": image_bytes.hex()
-                            })
-                            image_order += 1
-                    except Exception as e:
-                        print(f"Error processing image {image_name}: {e}")
+                                "image_bytes": image_bytes.hex(),
+                            }
+                        )
+                        image_order += 1
+                except Exception as e:
+                    print(f"Error processing image {image_name}: {e}")
 
         # Prepare the response data
         response_data = {
@@ -93,11 +98,25 @@ async def parse_pdf(file: UploadFile = File(...)):
 
     except Exception as e:
         print(f"Error processing PDF: {e}")
-        raise HTTPException(status_code=500, detail=f"An error occurred while processing the PDF: {e}")
+        raise HTTPException(
+            status_code=500, detail=f"An error occurred while processing the PDF: {e}"
+        )
+    finally:
+        # Clean up temporary file on Windows
+        if temp_file_path and os.path.exists(temp_file_path):
+            try:
+                os.unlink(temp_file_path)
+                print(f"DEBUG: Cleaned up temporary file: {temp_file_path}")
+            except Exception as cleanup_error:
+                print(
+                    f"Warning: Failed to clean up temporary file {temp_file_path}: {cleanup_error}"
+                )
+
 
 class PPTXRequest(BaseModel):
     content: dict
 
+
 def validate_and_transform_content(content: dict) -> dict:
     """
     Validate and transform the incoming content to match the expected format
@@ -160,6 +179,7 @@ def validate_and_transform_content(content: dict) -> dict:
 
     return transformed_content
 
+
 @app.post("/generate-pptx")
 async def generate_pptx(request: PPTXRequest):
     """Endpoint to generate a PowerPoint presentation."""
@@ -170,7 +190,9 @@ async def generate_pptx(request: PPTXRequest):
         transformed_content = validate_and_transform_content(request.content)
 
         # Create a temporary file for the PPTX
-        with tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile(delete=False, suffix=".pptx", dir=dir_slide) as temp_pptx_file:
+        with tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile(
+            delete=False, suffix=".pptx", dir=dir_slide
+        ) as temp_pptx_file:
             temp_pptx_path = temp_pptx_file.name
 
         print(temp_pptx_path)
@@ -195,20 +217,24 @@ async def cleanup_temp_file():
             path=temp_pptx_path,
             media_type="application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.presentationml.presentation",
             filename="generated_presentation.pptx",
-            background=BackgroundTask(cleanup_temp_file)
+            background=BackgroundTask(cleanup_temp_file),
         )
 
     except Exception as e:
         print(f"Error generating PPTX: {e}")
-        raise HTTPException(status_code=500, detail=f"An error occurred while generating the PPTX file: {e}")
+        raise HTTPException(
+            status_code=500,
+            detail=f"An error occurred while generating the PPTX file: {e}",
+        )
+
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     import uvicorn
     import os
-    
+
     # Get host and port from environment variables with defaults
     host = os.environ.get("BACKEND_HOST", "127.0.0.1")
     port = int(os.environ.get("BACKEND_PORT", 8016))
-    
+
     print(f"Starting backend server on {host}:{port}")
-    uvicorn.run(app, host=host, port=port)
\ No newline at end of file
+    uvicorn.run(app, host=host, port=port)
diff --git a/backend/requirements.txt b/backend/requirements.txt
index b1185c7..2d28232 100644
--- a/backend/requirements.txt
+++ b/backend/requirements.txt
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 python-pptx==1.0.2
 fastapi==0.115.11
 uvicorn==0.34.0
-PyMuPDF==1.22.3
+PyMuPDF==1.26.4
 Pillow==11.1.0
 python-dotenv==1.0.0
 torch
diff --git a/ecosystem.config.cjs b/ecosystem.config.cjs
index 7fbd0be..081979f 100644
--- a/ecosystem.config.cjs
+++ b/ecosystem.config.cjs
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ module.exports = {
       env: {
         NODE_ENV: 'production',
         HOSTNAME: readEnvVariable('FRONTEND_HOST', '127.0.0.1'),
-        PORT: readEnvVariable('FRONTEND_PORT', 8080)
+        PORT: readEnvVariable('FRONTEND_PORT', 8080),
       },
       watch: false,
       autorestart: true,
diff --git a/frontend/next.config.mjs b/frontend/next.config.mjs
index 2d0bf9b..cc9828d 100644
--- a/frontend/next.config.mjs
+++ b/frontend/next.config.mjs
@@ -1,17 +1,17 @@
-import { withPayload } from "@payloadcms/next/withPayload"
-import { readFileSync } from "fs"
-import path from "path"
+import { withPayload } from '@payloadcms/next/withPayload'
+import { readFileSync } from 'fs'
+import path from 'path'
 
-const isStandalone = process.env.STANDALONE_BUILD === "true"
-const packageJsonPath = path.resolve(process.cwd(), "package.json")
-const packageJson = JSON.parse(readFileSync(packageJsonPath, "utf-8"))
-const persona = process.env.PERSONA || "faculty"
-const personaView = process.env.PERSONA_VIEW || "default"
+const isStandalone = process.env.STANDALONE_BUILD === 'true'
+const packageJsonPath = path.resolve(process.cwd(), 'package.json')
+const packageJson = JSON.parse(readFileSync(packageJsonPath, 'utf-8'))
+const persona = process.env.PERSONA || 'faculty'
+const personaView = process.env.PERSONA_VIEW || 'default'
 
 /** @type {import('next').NextConfig} */
 const nextConfig = {
   distDir: isStandalone ? path.join(`next-${persona}`) : `.next`,
-  output: isStandalone ? "standalone" : undefined,
+  output: isStandalone ? 'standalone' : undefined,
   outputFileTracingRoot: isStandalone
     ? path.resolve(process.cwd()) // Use a separate folder for standalone output
     : process.cwd(),
@@ -19,8 +19,25 @@ const nextConfig = {
     NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_NAME: packageJson.name,
     NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_VERSION: packageJson.version,
     NEXT_PUBLIC_PERSONA: persona,
-    NEXT_PUBLIC_PERSONA_VIEW: personaView
-  }
+    NEXT_PUBLIC_PERSONA_VIEW: personaView,
+  },
+  // Windows-specific: Include libsql native dependencies in standalone build
+  ...(process.platform === 'win32' &&
+    isStandalone && {
+      outputFileTracingIncludes: {
+        '*': ['./node_modules/@libsql/**/*'],
+      },
+      webpack: (config, { isServer }) => {
+        if (isServer) {
+          // Windows-specific: Don't externalize libsql native dependencies
+          config.externals = config.externals || []
+          config.externals.push({
+            '@libsql/win32-x64-msvc': 'commonjs @libsql/win32-x64-msvc',
+          })
+        }
+        return config
+      },
+    }),
 }
 
 export default withPayload(nextConfig)
diff --git a/frontend/package.json b/frontend/package.json
index 86a790d..69ff8aa 100644
--- a/frontend/package.json
+++ b/frontend/package.json
@@ -8,7 +8,8 @@
     "dev:lecturer": "cross-env NODE_OPTIONS=--no-deprecation PERSONA=lecturer next dev -p 8080",
     "dev:student": "cross-env NODE_OPTIONS=--no-deprecation PERSONA=student next dev -p 8080",
     "build": "cross-env NODE_OPTIONS=--no-deprecation next build",
-    "prebuild:faculty": "if [ ! -d node_modules ]; then npm install; fi && npm run build:lecturer && npm run build:student",
+    "prebuild:faculty": "npm run ensure-deps && npm run build:lecturer && npm run build:student",
+    "ensure-deps": "npm install",
     "build:faculty": "cross-env NODE_OPTIONS=--no-deprecation STANDALONE_BUILD=true next build",
     "build:lecturer": "cross-env NODE_OPTIONS=--no-deprecation STANDALONE_BUILD=true PERSONA=lecturer next build",
     "build:student": "cross-env NODE_OPTIONS=--no-deprecation STANDALONE_BUILD=true PERSONA=student next build",
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/(app)/workspace/courses/create/page.tsx b/frontend/src/app/(app)/workspace/courses/create/page.tsx
index 375ade2..2b9b55c 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/(app)/workspace/courses/create/page.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/app/(app)/workspace/courses/create/page.tsx
@@ -68,7 +68,9 @@ const courseFormSchema = z.object({
     .refine((val) => /^\d{4}\.\d{1,2}\.\d{1,3}$/.test(val), {
       message: 'Version must be in YYYY.MM.MICRO format (e.g., 2025.01.0)',
     }),
-  description: z.string().optional(),
+  description: z.string().min(10, {
+    message: 'Course description must be at least 10 characters.',
+  }),
   model: z.object({
     name: z.string(),
     modified_at: z.string(),
@@ -640,7 +642,7 @@ export default function CreateCoursePage() {
                               name="description"
                               render={({ field }) => (
                                 <FormItem>
-                                  <FormLabel>Course Description (Optional)</FormLabel>
+                                  <FormLabel>Course Description</FormLabel>
                                   <FormControl>
                                     <Textarea
                                       placeholder="A comprehensive introduction to the fundamental concepts of computer science..."
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/(app)/workspace/courses/edit/[id]/page.tsx b/frontend/src/app/(app)/workspace/courses/edit/[id]/page.tsx
index 6e69a34..9b16429 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/(app)/workspace/courses/edit/[id]/page.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/app/(app)/workspace/courses/edit/[id]/page.tsx
@@ -46,7 +46,9 @@ const courseFormSchema = z.object({
   version: z.string().min(1, {
     message: 'Version is required.',
   }),
-  description: z.string().optional(),
+  description: z.string().min(10, {
+    message: 'Course description must be at least 10 characters.',
+  }),
   model: z.object({
     name: z.string(),
     modified_at: z.string(),
@@ -639,7 +641,7 @@ export default function EditCoursePage({ params }: { params: Promise<{ id: strin
                         name="description"
                         render={({ field }) => (
                           <FormItem>
-                            <FormLabel>Course Description (Optional)</FormLabel>
+                            <FormLabel>Course Description</FormLabel>
                             <FormControl>
                               <Textarea
                                 placeholder="A comprehensive introduction to the fundamental concepts of computer science..."
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/(app)/workspace/summary/page.tsx b/frontend/src/app/(app)/workspace/summary/page.tsx
index afa8831..2e657ef 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/(app)/workspace/summary/page.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/app/(app)/workspace/summary/page.tsx
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import { usePersonaStore } from '@/lib/store/persona-store'
 import { useContextAvailability } from '@/lib/hooks/use-context-availability'
 import { getSelectContextDescription } from '@/lib/utils/context-messages'
 import { ContextRequirementMessage } from '@/components/context-requirement-message'
+import { useCourses } from '@/lib/hooks/use-courses'
 import type { CitationReference, Citation } from '@/lib/types/citation-types'
 import React from 'react'
 
@@ -71,9 +72,10 @@ export default function SummaryPage() {
     setError,
     setSelectedModel,
   } = useSummaryStore()
-  const { activePersona } = usePersonaStore()
+  const { activePersona, selectedCourseId } = usePersonaStore()
   const { selectedSources } = useSourcesStore()
   const { getActiveContextModelName, getContextTypeLabel } = useContextAvailability()
+  const { data: coursesData } = useCourses()
   const summary = summaries[id]?.summary || ''
   const [, setIsMobile] = useState(false)
   const [citations, setCitations] = useState<Citation[]>([])
@@ -94,8 +96,11 @@ export default function SummaryPage() {
       return false
     }
     const selectedSourcesCount = selectedSources.filter((source) => source.selected).length
-    if (selectedSourcesCount !== 1) {
-      toast.error('Please select exactly one source.')
+    // Allow generation with no sources or exactly one source, but not multiple sources
+    if (selectedSourcesCount > 1) {
+      toast.error(
+        'Multiple sources selected. Please select only one source or none to use course context.',
+      )
       return false
     }
     return true
@@ -103,18 +108,43 @@ export default function SummaryPage() {
 
   const generateSummary = async () => {
     startGenerating()
+
     if (!validateInputs()) {
       stopGenerating()
       return
     }
+
     try {
       const modelName = getActiveContextModelName()
+
+      // Get course information from context
+      const selectedCourse = coursesData?.docs.find((course) => course.id === selectedCourseId)
+      const courseInfo = selectedCourse
+        ? {
+            courseName: selectedCourse.name,
+            courseDescription: selectedCourse.description,
+          }
+        : undefined
+
+      // Fallback: if no sources selected, use course description as a pseudo-source
+      const sourcesToUse = selectedSources?.length
+        ? selectedSources
+        : courseInfo?.courseDescription
+          ? [{ content: courseInfo.courseDescription, name: 'Course Description' }]
+          : []
+
       const response = await fetch('/api/summary', {
         method: 'POST',
         headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
-        body: JSON.stringify({ selectedModel: modelName, selectedSources }),
+        body: JSON.stringify({
+          selectedModel: modelName,
+          selectedSources: sourcesToUse,
+          courseInfo,
+        }),
       })
+
       if (!response.ok) throw new Error('Failed to generate summary')
+
       const data = await response.json()
       setSummary(id, data.summary)
       setSelectedModel(modelName)
@@ -124,6 +154,7 @@ export default function SummaryPage() {
       console.error('Error generating summary:', error)
       setError('An error occurred while generating the summary.')
     }
+
     stopGenerating()
   }
 
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/api/programmes/download/route.ts b/frontend/src/app/api/programmes/download/route.ts
index fe91eec..d651c12 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/api/programmes/download/route.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/app/api/programmes/download/route.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import path from 'path'
 import archiver from 'archiver'
 import { NextResponse } from 'next/server'
 import os from 'os'
+import { fileURLToPath } from 'url'
 
 // Inline abbreviation function to avoid "unknown function" taint
 const createSafeAbbreviation = (name: string): string => {
@@ -76,8 +77,9 @@ export async function POST(req: Request) {
     // tempDir = path.join("/tmp", `export-${persona}-${Date.now()}`)
     // await fs.ensureDir(tempDir)
 
-    const tempDir = new URL(`file://${path.join(os.tmpdir(), `package-${persona}-${Date.now()}`)}`)
-    stagingDir = await fs.mkdtemp(tempDir.pathname)
+    // Create temp directory with proper Windows path handling
+    const tempDirTemplate = path.join(os.tmpdir(), `package-${persona}-${Date.now()}XXXXXX`)
+    stagingDir = await fs.mkdtemp(fileURLToPath(new URL(`file://${tempDirTemplate}`)))
     console.log(`DEBUG: Created temporary staging directory: ${stagingDir}`)
 
     // Listen for abort signal
@@ -85,7 +87,7 @@ export async function POST(req: Request) {
       console.log('Request aborted by the client.')
       if (stagingDir) {
         try {
-          await fs.remove(new URL(`file://${stagingDir}`).pathname) // Clean up temporary directory
+          await fs.remove(fileURLToPath(new URL(`file://${stagingDir}`))) // Clean up temporary directory
         } catch (cleanupError) {
           console.error('Error cleaning up temp dir:', cleanupError)
         }
@@ -157,13 +159,14 @@ export async function POST(req: Request) {
 
     console.log(`DEBUG: Secure persona asset path: ${cleanPersonaAssetPath}`)
 
-    const personaAssetUrl = new URL(`file://${cleanPersonaAssetPath}`)
-    if (await fs.pathExists(personaAssetUrl.pathname)) {
+    if (await fs.pathExists(fileURLToPath(new URL(`file://${cleanPersonaAssetPath}`)))) {
       console.log(`DEBUG: Found prebuilt assets for persona: ${persona}`)
 
       // Copy the prebuilt assets directly to the temp directory
-      const stagingDirUrl = new URL(`file://${stagingDir}`)
-      await fs.copy(personaAssetUrl.pathname, stagingDirUrl.pathname)
+      await fs.copy(
+        fileURLToPath(new URL(`file://${cleanPersonaAssetPath}`)),
+        fileURLToPath(new URL(`file://${stagingDir}`)),
+      )
       console.log(`DEBUG: Copied prebuilt assets for persona: ${persona}`)
     } else {
       console.error(`ERROR: Prebuilt assets not found for persona: ${persona}`)
@@ -196,13 +199,13 @@ export async function POST(req: Request) {
         `-${softwareNameAbbreviation}` +
         `-${softwareVersion}.json`,
     )
-    const programmeJsonUrl = new URL(`file://${programmeJsonPath}`)
-    await fs.outputJson(programmeJsonUrl.pathname, programme, { spaces: 2 })
+    await fs.outputJson(fileURLToPath(new URL(`file://${programmeJsonPath}`)), programme, {
+      spaces: 2,
+    })
     console.log(`DEBUG: Added programme.json for persona: ${persona}`)
 
     const modelsDir = path.join(stagingDir, 'models')
-    const modelsDirUrl = new URL(`file://${modelsDir}`)
-    await fs.ensureDir(modelsDirUrl.pathname) // Ensure models directory exists regardless
+    await fs.ensureDir(fileURLToPath(new URL(`file://${modelsDir}`))) // Ensure models directory exists regardless
 
     // Extract unique model names from programme courses
     const modelNames = new Set<string>()
@@ -232,8 +235,7 @@ export async function POST(req: Request) {
     }
 
     const modelsDestDir = path.join(stagingDir, 'models')
-    const modelsDestDirUrl = new URL(`file://${modelsDestDir}`)
-    await fs.ensureDir(modelsDestDirUrl.pathname)
+    await fs.ensureDir(fileURLToPath(new URL(`file://${modelsDestDir}`)))
 
     const platform = process.platform
 
@@ -386,8 +388,7 @@ export async function POST(req: Request) {
       const cleanVersion = version
 
       const modelDestDir = path.join(modelsDestDir, cleanFolderName)
-      const modelDestDirUrl = new URL(`file://${modelDestDir}`)
-      await fs.ensureDir(modelDestDirUrl.pathname)
+      await fs.ensureDir(fileURLToPath(new URL(`file://${modelDestDir}`)))
 
       try {
         // SANITIZE OLLAMA MODEL NAME WITH VALIDATION
@@ -416,7 +417,7 @@ export async function POST(req: Request) {
           continue
         }
 
-        if (await fs.pathExists(new URL(`file://${normalizedManifestDir}`).pathname)) {
+        if (await fs.pathExists(fileURLToPath(new URL(`file://${normalizedManifestDir}`)))) {
           const modelDestManifestDir = path.join(
             modelDestDir,
             'manifests',
@@ -424,8 +425,7 @@ export async function POST(req: Request) {
             'library',
             cleanFolderName,
           )
-          const modelDestManifestDirUrl = new URL(`file://${modelDestManifestDir}`)
-          await fs.ensureDir(modelDestManifestDirUrl.pathname)
+          await fs.ensureDir(fileURLToPath(new URL(`file://${modelDestManifestDir}`)))
 
           const manifestFilePath = path.join(normalizedManifestDir, cleanVersion)
 
@@ -436,10 +436,10 @@ export async function POST(req: Request) {
             continue
           }
 
-          if (await fs.pathExists(new URL(`file://${normalizedManifestFilePath}`).pathname)) {
+          if (await fs.pathExists(fileURLToPath(new URL(`file://${normalizedManifestFilePath}`)))) {
             await fs.copy(
-              new URL(`file://${normalizedManifestFilePath}`).pathname,
-              new URL(`file://${path.join(modelDestManifestDir, cleanVersion)}`).pathname,
+              fileURLToPath(new URL(`file://${normalizedManifestFilePath}`)),
+              fileURLToPath(new URL(`file://${path.join(modelDestManifestDir, cleanVersion)}`)),
             )
             console.log(`DEBUG: Copied manifest file for model version: ${cleanVersion}`)
           } else {
@@ -449,7 +449,7 @@ export async function POST(req: Request) {
           const shaRefs = new Set<string>()
           try {
             const content = await fs.readFile(
-              new URL(`file://${normalizedManifestFilePath}`).pathname,
+              fileURLToPath(new URL(`file://${normalizedManifestFilePath}`)),
               'utf-8',
             )
             const shaMatches = content.match(/sha256:[a-f0-9]+/g) || []
@@ -465,8 +465,7 @@ export async function POST(req: Request) {
           )
 
           const blobsDestDir = path.join(modelDestDir, 'blobs')
-          const blobsDestDirUrl = new URL(`file://${blobsDestDir}`)
-          await fs.ensureDir(blobsDestDirUrl.pathname)
+          await fs.ensureDir(fileURLToPath(new URL(`file://${blobsDestDir}`)))
 
           for (const shaWithPrefix of shaRefs) {
             // VALIDATE SHA FORMAT
@@ -486,14 +485,14 @@ export async function POST(req: Request) {
             }
 
             let sourceFile = path.join(cleanOllamaModelDir, shaWithPrefix)
-            if (!(await fs.pathExists(new URL(`file://${sourceFile}`).pathname))) {
+            if (!(await fs.pathExists(fileURLToPath(new URL(`file://${sourceFile}`))))) {
               sourceFile = path.join(cleanOllamaModelDir, `sha256-${sha}`)
-              if (!(await fs.pathExists(new URL(`file://${sourceFile}`).pathname))) {
+              if (!(await fs.pathExists(fileURLToPath(new URL(`file://${sourceFile}`))))) {
                 sourceFile = path.join(cleanOllamaModelDir, sha)
               }
             }
 
-            if (await fs.pathExists(new URL(`file://${sourceFile}`).pathname)) {
+            if (await fs.pathExists(fileURLToPath(new URL(`file://${sourceFile}`)))) {
               const relativePath = path.relative(cleanOllamaModelDir, sourceFile)
               const destFile = path.join(blobsDestDir, relativePath)
 
@@ -506,12 +505,14 @@ export async function POST(req: Request) {
                 continue
               }
 
-              await fs.ensureDir(new URL(`file://${path.dirname(normalizedDestFile)}`).pathname)
-              if (!(await fs.pathExists(new URL(`file://${normalizedDestFile}`).pathname))) {
+              await fs.ensureDir(
+                fileURLToPath(new URL(`file://${path.dirname(normalizedDestFile)}`)),
+              )
+              if (!(await fs.pathExists(fileURLToPath(new URL(`file://${normalizedDestFile}`))))) {
                 try {
                   await fs.copy(
-                    new URL(`file://${sourceFile}`).pathname,
-                    new URL(`file://${normalizedDestFile}`).pathname,
+                    fileURLToPath(new URL(`file://${sourceFile}`)),
+                    fileURLToPath(new URL(`file://${normalizedDestFile}`)),
                   )
                   console.log(`DEBUG: Copied blob file: ${relativePath}`)
                 } catch (copyErr) {
@@ -551,10 +552,11 @@ export async function POST(req: Request) {
 
     // Calculate total source file size with path validation
     const calculateDirectorySize = async (inputDir: string): Promise<number> => {
-      // VALIDATION LIST - Regex patterns for safe paths
+      // VALIDATION LIST - Regex patterns for safe paths (Windows and Unix)
       const PATH_VALIDATION_PATTERNS = [
-        '^/tmp/package-[a-zA-Z0-9_\\-]+-\\d+$', // Temp staging directories
-        '^[a-zA-Z0-9_\\-/]+$', // General safe path pattern
+        '^/tmp/package-[a-zA-Z0-9_\\-]+-\\d+[a-zA-Z0-9]+$', // Unix temp staging directories
+        '^C:\\\\Users\\\\[a-zA-Z0-9_\\-]+\\\\AppData\\\\Local\\\\Temp\\\\package-[a-zA-Z0-9_\\-]+-\\d+[a-zA-Z0-9]+$', // Windows temp staging directories
+        '^[a-zA-Z0-9_\\-/\\\\.:\\\\]+$', // General safe path pattern with Windows support
       ]
 
       // Validate input directory against patterns
@@ -584,8 +586,9 @@ export async function POST(req: Request) {
       // Safe recursive size calculation with validated path
       const calculateSizeRecursive = async (dir: string): Promise<number> => {
         const DIR_VALIDATION_PATTERNS = [
-          '^/tmp/package-[a-zA-Z0-9_\\-]+-\\d+', // Must start with temp staging directory
-          '^[a-zA-Z0-9_\\-/\\.]+$', // Safe characters only (including dots for file extensions)
+          '^/tmp/package-[a-zA-Z0-9_\\-]+-\\d+', // Unix temp staging directory
+          '^C:\\\\Users\\\\[a-zA-Z0-9_\\-]+\\\\AppData\\\\Local\\\\Temp\\\\package-[a-zA-Z0-9_\\-]+-\\d+', // Windows temp staging directory
+          '^[a-zA-Z0-9_\\-/\\\\.:\\\\]+$', // Safe characters (Windows and Unix)
         ]
 
         // Validate directory parameter in recursive function
@@ -617,7 +620,7 @@ export async function POST(req: Request) {
         // Create clean directory path for this recursive call
         const cleanRecursiveDir = normalizedRecursiveDir
 
-        const files = await fs.readdir(new URL(`file://${cleanRecursiveDir}`).pathname)
+        const files = await fs.readdir(fileURLToPath(new URL(`file://${cleanRecursiveDir}`)))
         let totalSize = 0
 
         for (const file of files) {
@@ -634,7 +637,7 @@ export async function POST(req: Request) {
             console.warn(`Skipping file outside staging directory`)
             continue
           }
-          const stats = await fs.stat(new URL(`file://${normalizedFilePath}`).pathname)
+          const stats = await fs.stat(fileURLToPath(new URL(`file://${normalizedFilePath}`)))
 
           if (stats.isDirectory()) {
             totalSize += await calculateSizeRecursive(normalizedFilePath)
@@ -695,7 +698,7 @@ export async function POST(req: Request) {
     // Clean up the temporary directory
     if (stagingDir) {
       try {
-        await fs.remove(new URL(`file://${stagingDir}`).pathname)
+        await fs.remove(fileURLToPath(new URL(`file://${stagingDir}`)))
         console.log(`DEBUG: Cleaned up temporary staging directory: ${stagingDir}`)
       } catch (cleanupError) {
         console.error('Error cleaning up temporary staging directory:', cleanupError)
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/api/summary/route.ts b/frontend/src/app/api/summary/route.ts
index 6ecdb93..a9c5322 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/api/summary/route.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/app/api/summary/route.ts
@@ -28,12 +28,6 @@ interface SummaryObject {
   [key: string]: unknown
 }
 
-// Citation-related types
-interface SimilarityInfo {
-  idx: number
-  sim: number
-}
-
 interface ChunkReference {
   chunk: string
   chunkIndex: number
@@ -72,18 +66,20 @@ const useReranker = false
 const similarityThreshold = 0.8
 
 export async function POST(req: Request) {
-  const { selectedModel, selectedSources } = await req.json()
+  const { selectedModel, selectedSources, courseInfo } = await req.json()
 
-  // --- VALIDATION: Ensure selectedSources is valid ---
-  if (
-    !Array.isArray(selectedSources) ||
-    selectedSources.length === 0 ||
-    !selectedSources.every(
+  // Check if we have valid sources
+  const hasValidSources =
+    Array.isArray(selectedSources) &&
+    selectedSources.length > 0 &&
+    selectedSources.every(
       (source) => source && typeof source === 'object' && 'id' in source && 'name' in source,
     )
-  ) {
-    console.warn('DEBUG: Invalid or missing selectedSources in POST /api/summary', selectedSources)
-    return errorResponse('Invalid or missing selected sources.', null, 400)
+
+  // --- VALIDATION: Ensure either sources OR course info is provided ---
+  if (!hasValidSources && !courseInfo?.courseName && !courseInfo?.courseDescription) {
+    console.warn('DEBUG: No sources or course information provided in POST /api/summary')
+    return errorResponse('Either sources or course information must be provided.', null, 400)
   }
 
   const ollamaUrl = process.env.OLLAMA_URL
@@ -94,35 +90,43 @@ export async function POST(req: Request) {
   const ollama = createOllama({ baseURL: ollamaUrl + '/api' })
 
   try {
-    // Use hybrid search to get top chunks for summary generation
+    // Use hybrid search to get top chunks for summary generation (only if source is selected)
     let keyword = 'summary of '
-    if (Array.isArray(selectedSources) && selectedSources.length > 0) {
-      keyword += selectedSources.map((s: ClientSource) => s.name || s.id || 'source').join(', ')
-    } else {
-      keyword += 'selected sources'
-    }
+    let topChunks: ContextChunk[] = []
 
-    const topChunks = await hybridSearch(
-      keyword,
-      selectedSources,
-      semanticWeight,
-      keywordWeight,
-      topK,
-      useReranker,
-    )
+    if (hasValidSources) {
+      if (Array.isArray(selectedSources) && selectedSources.length > 0) {
+        keyword += selectedSources.map((s: ClientSource) => s.name || s.id || 'source').join(', ')
+      } else {
+        keyword += 'selected sources'
+      }
 
-    // DEBUG: Top chunks from hybrid search used for summary generation
-    console.debug('DEBUG: Top chunks from hybrid search used for summary generation:')
-    topChunks.forEach((chunk, idx) => {
-      console.debug(
-        `DEBUG: Chunk #${idx + 1} (sourceId: ${chunk.sourceId}, order: ${chunk.order}):\n${chunk.chunk}\n`,
+      topChunks = await hybridSearch(
+        keyword,
+        selectedSources,
+        semanticWeight,
+        keywordWeight,
+        topK,
+        useReranker,
       )
-    })
 
-    const topChunkContent = topChunks.map((chunk) => chunk.chunk).join('\n\n')
+      // DEBUG: Top chunks from hybrid search used for summary generation
+      console.debug('DEBUG: Top chunks from hybrid search used for summary generation:')
+      topChunks.forEach((chunk, idx) => {
+        console.debug(
+          `DEBUG: Chunk #${idx + 1} (sourceId: ${chunk.sourceId}, order: ${chunk.order}):\n${chunk.chunk}\n`,
+        )
+      })
+    } else {
+      console.log('No valid sources provided, will generate using course context')
+    }
+
+    const topChunkContent = hasValidSources
+      ? topChunks.map((chunk) => chunk.chunk).join('\n\n')
+      : ''
 
     const SystemPrompt = `You are a world-class academic summarizer. Your job is to generate a highly detailed, 
-    well-structured, and interesting summary for students, based strictly on the provided context.
+    well-structured, and interesting summary for students, based ${hasValidSources ? 'strictly on the provided context' : `on general academic knowledge${courseInfo?.courseName ? ` for the course "${courseInfo.courseName}"` : ''}${courseInfo?.courseDescription ? `. Course context: ${courseInfo.courseDescription}` : ''}`}.
 
 INSTRUCTIONS:
 - The summary must be comprehensive, with clear hierarchy (multiple heading levels, sections, and subsections).
@@ -131,7 +135,7 @@ content-based section titles for each heading (e.g., "Architecture Overview", "P
 "Software Integration"). Do NOT use generic titles like "heading 1", "heading 2", etc.
 - Use paragraphs for explanations, and both ordered and unordered lists for key points.
 - Make the summary highly detailed, with technical depth, examples, and clear explanations. 
-Include all relevant facts, numbers, and comparisons from the context.
+Include all relevant facts, numbers, and comparisons from ${hasValidSources ? 'the context' : 'your knowledge'}.
 - Do NOT use any markdown or bold/italic formatting (such as **, __, *, _ or similar) in any field.
 - Do NOT use any special formatting for headings or titles; just provide plain text for all fields.
 - Make the summary engaging and easy to scan, with short sections and clear structure.
@@ -154,7 +158,8 @@ Return your response as a JSON object with this structure:
 }
 CRITICAL: Your response MUST be valid JSON only. Do not include any text, markdown, explanations, or other content outside the JSON object. Do not include backticks or code block markers.`
 
-    const UserPrompt = `Generate a highly detailed, structured, and interesting summary of the provided academic content. Use the format and instructions above. The summary should:
+    const UserPrompt = hasValidSources
+      ? `Generate a highly detailed, structured, and interesting summary of the provided academic content. Use the format and instructions above. The summary should:
 - Start with a clear, descriptive title (no markdown)
 - Use multiple heading levels (1, 2, 3) for sections and subsections
 - Include both paragraphs and lists (ordered and unordered)
@@ -162,14 +167,24 @@ CRITICAL: Your response MUST be valid JSON only. Do not include any text, markdo
 - Be comprehensive, but concise and easy to scan
 - Include as much technical detail, facts, and examples as possible from the context. Do not omit any important information.
 - End with a short, insightful conclusion
+If you do not use at least two heading levels and at least one list, your answer will be considered incomplete.`
+      : `Generate a highly detailed, structured, and interesting summary${courseInfo?.courseName ? ` for students in ${courseInfo.courseName}` : ''}. ${courseInfo?.courseDescription ? `Use this course context to guide your summary: ${courseInfo.courseDescription}. ` : ''}The summary should:
+- Start with a clear, descriptive title (no markdown)
+- Use multiple heading levels (1, 2, 3) for sections and subsections
+- Include both paragraphs and lists (ordered and unordered)
+- Do NOT use any markdown or bold/italic formatting (such as **, __, *, _ or similar) in any field.
+- Be comprehensive, but concise and easy to scan
+- Include as much technical detail, facts, and examples as possible from general academic knowledge. Do not omit any important information.
+- End with a short, insightful conclusion
 If you do not use at least two heading levels and at least one list, your answer will be considered incomplete.`
 
     const systemMessage: CoreMessage = { role: 'system', content: SystemPrompt }
     const userMessage: CoreMessage = { role: 'user', content: UserPrompt }
-    const assistantMessage: CoreMessage = { role: 'assistant', content: topChunkContent }
 
-    // Combine messages into a single array for the LLM
-    const fullMessages = [systemMessage, assistantMessage, userMessage]
+    // Combine messages - only include assistant message if source is selected
+    const fullMessages = hasValidSources
+      ? [systemMessage, { role: 'assistant', content: topChunkContent } as CoreMessage, userMessage]
+      : [systemMessage, userMessage]
 
     const startFinalSummarizeTime = Date.now()
     const { object: summaryObj, usage: finalUsage } = await generateObject({
@@ -310,9 +325,31 @@ If you do not use at least two heading levels and at least one list, your answer
         )
         flattenBlocks(filteredContent, 2)
       }
+      const conclusionCount = blocks.filter(
+        (block) =>
+          block.type === 'heading' && block.content.trim().toLowerCase().includes('conclusion'),
+      ).length
+
+      if (conclusionCount > 0) {
+        console.log(`DEBUG: Found ${conclusionCount} conclusion heading(s) in content blocks`)
+      }
+
       if (summaryObj.conclusion) {
+        console.log(`DEBUG: Also found conclusion in summaryObj.conclusion field`)
+      }
+      const hasExistingConclusion = blocks.some(
+        (block) =>
+          block.type === 'heading' && block.content.trim().toLowerCase().includes('conclusion'),
+      )
+
+      if (summaryObj.conclusion && !hasExistingConclusion) {
+        console.log(`DEBUG: Adding conclusion from summaryObj.conclusion`)
         blocks.push({ type: 'heading', content: 'Conclusion', level: 2 })
         blocks.push({ type: 'paragraph', content: summaryObj.conclusion })
+      } else if (summaryObj.conclusion && hasExistingConclusion) {
+        console.log(`DEBUG: Not adding conclusion - already exists in content blocks`)
+      } else if (!summaryObj.conclusion) {
+        console.log(`DEBUG: No conclusion in summaryObj.conclusion field`)
       }
     } else {
       // fallback: treat as plain text, even if summaryObj is null/undefined
@@ -339,52 +376,59 @@ If you do not use at least two heading levels and at least one list, your answer
       )
     }
 
-    // Prepare citation blocks (split paragraphs/lists into sentences/items)
+    // Prepare citation blocks (split paragraphs/lists into sentences/items) - only if source is selected
     type CitationBlock = { type: string; content: string; blockIdx: number; itemIdx?: number }
     const citationBlocks: CitationBlock[] = []
-    blocks.forEach((block, idx) => {
-      if (block.type === 'paragraph') {
-        const sentences = splitIntoSentences(block.content)
-        sentences.forEach((sentence) => {
-          citationBlocks.push({ type: 'sentence', content: sentence, blockIdx: idx })
-        })
-      } else if (block.type === 'list' && block.items) {
-        block.items.forEach((item, i) => {
-          citationBlocks.push({ type: 'list-item', content: item, blockIdx: idx, itemIdx: i })
-        })
-      }
-    })
 
-    // Generate embeddings for each citation block
-    const citationBlockEmbeddings = await Promise.all(
-      citationBlocks.map(async (citationBlock) => {
-        const emb = await generateEmbeddings(
-          citationBlock.content,
-          chunkSizeToken,
-          chunkOverlapToken,
-          process.env.RAG_EMBEDDING_MODEL,
-        )
-        return { ...citationBlock, embedding: emb[0]?.embedding || [] }
-      }),
-    )
+    if (hasValidSources) {
+      blocks.forEach((block, idx) => {
+        if (block.type === 'paragraph') {
+          const sentences = splitIntoSentences(block.content)
+          sentences.forEach((sentence) => {
+            citationBlocks.push({ type: 'sentence', content: sentence, blockIdx: idx })
+          })
+        } else if (block.type === 'list' && block.items) {
+          block.items.forEach((item, i) => {
+            citationBlocks.push({ type: 'list-item', content: item, blockIdx: idx, itemIdx: i })
+          })
+        }
+      })
+    }
 
-    // Only get/generate embeddings for topK chunks
-    const sourceChunkEmbeddings = await Promise.all(
-      topChunks.map(async (chunk) => {
-        // Always generate embedding for each topK chunk
-        const embArr = await generateEmbeddings(
-          chunk.chunk,
-          chunkSizeToken,
-          chunkOverlapToken,
-          process.env.RAG_EMBEDDING_MODEL,
+    // Generate embeddings for each citation block (only if source is selected)
+    const citationBlockEmbeddings = hasValidSources
+      ? await Promise.all(
+          citationBlocks.map(async (citationBlock) => {
+            const emb = await generateEmbeddings(
+              citationBlock.content,
+              chunkSizeToken,
+              chunkOverlapToken,
+              process.env.RAG_EMBEDDING_MODEL,
+            )
+            return { ...citationBlock, embedding: emb[0]?.embedding || [] }
+          }),
         )
-        const embedding = embArr[0]?.embedding || []
-        return {
-          ...chunk,
-          embedding,
-        }
-      }),
-    )
+      : []
+
+    // Only get/generate embeddings for topK chunks (only if source is selected)
+    const sourceChunkEmbeddings = hasValidSources
+      ? await Promise.all(
+          topChunks.map(async (chunk) => {
+            // Always generate embedding for each topK chunk
+            const embArr = await generateEmbeddings(
+              chunk.chunk,
+              chunkSizeToken,
+              chunkOverlapToken,
+              process.env.RAG_EMBEDDING_MODEL,
+            )
+            const embedding = embArr[0]?.embedding || []
+            return {
+              ...chunk,
+              embedding,
+            }
+          }),
+        )
+      : []
     // Warn if any chunk is missing embedding
     sourceChunkEmbeddings.forEach((c, i) => {
       if (!Array.isArray(c.embedding) || c.embedding.length === 0) {
@@ -398,80 +442,60 @@ If you do not use at least two heading levels and at least one list, your answer
       string,
       { sentences: string[]; embeddings: number[][] }
     > = {}
-    for (const chunk of topChunks) {
-      const sentences = splitIntoSentences(chunk.chunk)
-      const embeddings: number[][] = []
-      for (const sentence of sentences) {
-        const embArr = await generateEmbeddings(
-          sentence,
-          chunkSizeToken,
-          chunkOverlapToken,
-          process.env.RAG_EMBEDDING_MODEL,
-        )
-        embeddings.push(embArr[0]?.embedding || [])
+
+    // Only precompute if we have sources
+    if (hasValidSources) {
+      for (const chunk of topChunks) {
+        const sentences = splitIntoSentences(chunk.chunk)
+        const embeddings: number[][] = []
+        for (const sentence of sentences) {
+          const embArr = await generateEmbeddings(
+            sentence,
+            chunkSizeToken,
+            chunkOverlapToken,
+            process.env.RAG_EMBEDDING_MODEL,
+          )
+          embeddings.push(embArr[0]?.embedding || [])
+        }
+        const chunkKey = `${chunk.sourceId}-${chunk.order}`
+        chunkSentenceEmbeddingsMap[chunkKey] = { sentences, embeddings }
       }
-      const chunkKey = `${chunk.sourceId}-${chunk.order}`
-      chunkSentenceEmbeddingsMap[chunkKey] = { sentences, embeddings }
     }
 
     // For each citation block, compute similarity to each topChunk, pick top-N with a strict threshold
-    const blockCitations = citationBlockEmbeddings.map(
-      (citationBlock: CitationBlockWithEmbedding) => {
-        const scored = sourceChunkEmbeddings
-          .map((chunk: ContextChunkWithEmbedding) => {
-            let highlightedSentenceIndices: number[] = []
-            const chunkKey = `${chunk.sourceId}-${chunk.order}`
-            if (
-              chunk.chunk &&
-              citationBlock.type === 'sentence' &&
-              chunkSentenceEmbeddingsMap[chunkKey]
-            ) {
-              const { embeddings: chunkEmbeddings } = chunkSentenceEmbeddingsMap[chunkKey]
-              // Compute similarity for each chunk sentence to the citationBlock
-              const similarities = chunkEmbeddings.map((emb: number[], i: number) => {
-                if (
-                  Array.isArray(emb) &&
-                  emb.length > 0 &&
-                  Array.isArray(citationBlock.embedding) &&
-                  citationBlock.embedding.length > 0
-                ) {
-                  return { idx: i, sim: cosineSimilarity(citationBlock.embedding, emb) }
-                }
-                return { idx: i, sim: 0 }
-              })
-              // Find the max similarity
-              const maxSim = Math.max(...similarities.map((s: SimilarityInfo) => s.sim))
-              // Highlight all sentences with similarity within 0.05 of max, and above a threshold (e.g., 0.7)
-              highlightedSentenceIndices = similarities
-                .filter((s: SimilarityInfo) => s.sim >= 0.7 && maxSim - s.sim <= 0.05)
-                .map((s: SimilarityInfo) => s.idx)
-            }
-            return {
-              chunk: chunk.chunk,
-              chunkIndex: chunk.order,
-              sourceId: chunk.sourceId || 0,
-              order: chunk.order,
-              score:
+    // Only do citation processing if we have sources
+    const blockCitations = hasValidSources
+      ? citationBlockEmbeddings.map((citationBlock: CitationBlockWithEmbedding) => {
+          const scored = sourceChunkEmbeddings
+            .map((chunk: ContextChunkWithEmbedding) => {
+              const score =
                 Array.isArray(chunk.embedding) &&
                 chunk.embedding.length > 0 &&
                 Array.isArray(citationBlock.embedding) &&
                 citationBlock.embedding.length > 0
                   ? cosineSimilarity(citationBlock.embedding, chunk.embedding)
-                  : 0,
-              highlightedSentenceIndices,
-            }
-          })
-          .filter((ref: ChunkReference) => !isNaN(ref.score))
-          .sort((a: ChunkReference, b: ChunkReference) => b.score - a.score)
-        // Only keep those above threshold, then slice to top-N
-        const filtered = scored
-          .filter((ref: ChunkReference) => ref.score >= similarityThreshold)
-          .slice(0, topN)
-        // Fallback: if none meet threshold but scored exists, include top-1
-        const finalRefs = filtered.length > 0 ? filtered : scored.length > 0 ? [scored[0]] : []
-        return { ...citationBlock, references: finalRefs }
-      },
-    )
+                  : 0
+              return {
+                chunk: chunk.chunk,
+                chunkIndex: chunk.order,
+                sourceId: chunk.sourceId || 0,
+                order: chunk.order,
+                score,
+                highlightedSentenceIndices: [],
+              }
+            })
+            .filter((ref: ChunkReference) => !isNaN(ref.score))
+            .sort((a: ChunkReference, b: ChunkReference) => b.score - a.score)
+
+          // Only keep those above threshold, then slice to top-N
+          const filtered = scored
+            .filter((ref: ChunkReference) => ref.score >= similarityThreshold)
+            .slice(0, topN)
+          // Fallback: if none meet threshold but scored exists, include top-1
+          const finalRefs = filtered.length > 0 ? filtered : scored.length > 0 ? [scored[0]] : []
+          return { ...citationBlock, references: finalRefs }
+        })
+      : []
 
     // Aggregate citations back to blocks
     const citations = blocks.map((block, idx) => {
@@ -483,7 +507,10 @@ If you do not use at least two heading levels and at least one list, your answer
         return { ...block, references: [] }
       }
       if (block.type === 'paragraph') {
-        // For each sentence, attach top-N citations, but aggregate for the whole paragraph
+        // For each sentence, attach top-N citations, but aggregate for the whole paragraph (only if source is selected)
+        if (!hasValidSources) {
+          return { ...block, references: [] }
+        }
         const paraSentences = splitIntoSentences(block.content)
         const sentRefs = paraSentences.map((sentence) => {
           const found = blockCitations.find(
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/sources-list.tsx b/frontend/src/components/sources-list.tsx
index 50b9356..f11506a 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/sources-list.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/sources-list.tsx
@@ -229,7 +229,7 @@ export function SourcesList() {
                 filteredSources.map((source) => (
                   <div
                     key={source.id}
-                    className="group flex items-center space-x-2 rounded-md pb-2 pl-2 pr-2 pt-2 hover:bg-accent"
+                    className="group flex items-center space-x-2 rounded-md px-2 py-2 hover:bg-accent"
                   >
                     <Checkbox
                       className="border-sidebar-border text-sidebar-primary-foreground shadow-none data-[state=checked]:border-sidebar-foreground data-[state=checked]:bg-sidebar-foreground"
@@ -250,12 +250,12 @@ export function SourcesList() {
                         ? source.name.substring(0, 13) + '...' + source.name.slice(-3)
                         : source.name}
                     </span>
-                    {selectedSources.length <= 1 && (
+                    {selectedSources.length <= 1 ? (
                       <DropdownMenu>
                         <DropdownMenuTrigger asChild>
                           <Button
                             variant="ghost"
-                            className="size-5 h-12 px-3 opacity-0 hover:bg-accent-foreground/10 group-hover:opacity-100"
+                            className="size-6 opacity-0 hover:bg-accent-foreground/10 group-hover:opacity-100"
                           >
                             <MoreHorizontal className="h-3 w-3" />
                           </Button>
@@ -325,6 +325,8 @@ export function SourcesList() {
                           </AlertDialog>
                         </DropdownMenuContent>
                       </DropdownMenu>
+                    ) : (
+                      <div className="size-6" />
                     )}
                   </div>
                 ))
diff --git a/install_win.bat b/install_win.bat
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5b1db8f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/install_win.bat
@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+
+REM Copyright (C) 2025 Intel Corporation
+REM SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+
+@echo off
+setlocal enabledelayedexpansion
+REM Install script - checks for dist package in scripts dir and runs install.ps1 from there if found
+set SCRIPT_DIR=%~dp0
+
+REM Check for dist package in scripts dir
+set DIST_PACKAGE=
+if exist "%SCRIPT_DIR%dist\" (
+    for /f "delims=" %%i in ('dir "%SCRIPT_DIR%dist\university-curriculum-enabling-tool-*" /b /ad 2^>nul') do (
+        set DIST_PACKAGE=%%i
+    )
+)
+
+
+) if defined DIST_PACKAGE (
+    echo Distribution package found: !DIST_PACKAGE!
+    echo Running install.ps1 from distribution package...
+    cd "%SCRIPT_DIR%dist\!DIST_PACKAGE!"
+    echo Current directory: %CD%
+    echo Checking for install.ps1...
+    if exist "scripts\win\install.ps1" (
+        echo Found scripts\win\install.ps1
+        powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "scripts\win\install.ps1" %* 2>&1
+    ) else (
+        echo ERROR: scripts\win\install.ps1 not found in distribution package
+        dir /b
+    )
+    set INSTALL_RESULT=%ERRORLEVEL%
+    echo Distribution package install result: !INSTALL_RESULT!
+    cd "%SCRIPT_DIR%"
+) else (
+    echo No distribution package found. Running install.ps1 in current directory...
+    powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "%SCRIPT_DIR%scripts\win\install.ps1" %*
+    set INSTALL_RESULT=%ERRORLEVEL%
+
+    REM After running local install.ps1, check again for dist package
+    set DIST_PACKAGE=
+    if exist "%SCRIPT_DIR%dist\" (
+        for /f "delims=" %%i in ('dir "%SCRIPT_DIR%dist\university-curriculum-enabling-tool-*" /b /ad 2^>nul') do (
+            set DIST_PACKAGE=%%i
+        )
+    )
+    if defined DIST_PACKAGE (
+        echo Distribution package found after local install: !DIST_PACKAGE!
+        echo Running install.ps1 from distribution package...
+        cd "%SCRIPT_DIR%dist\!DIST_PACKAGE!"
+        echo Current directory: %CD%
+        echo Checking for install.ps1...
+        if exist "scripts\win\install.ps1" (
+            echo Found scripts\win\install.ps1
+            powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "scripts\win\install.ps1" %* 2>&1
+        ) else (
+            echo ERROR: powershell\install.ps1 not found in distribution package
+            dir /b
+        )
+        set INSTALL_RESULT=%ERRORLEVEL%
+        echo Distribution package install result: !INSTALL_RESULT!
+        cd "%SCRIPT_DIR%"
+    )
+)
+
+if %INSTALL_RESULT% EQU 0 (
+    echo Installation completed successfully.
+    timeout /t 2 /nobreak >nul
+) else (
+    echo Installation failed with error code %INSTALL_RESULT%
+    echo Press Enter to close this window...
+    pause >nul
+    exit /b %INSTALL_RESULT%
+)
diff --git a/run_win.bat b/run_win.bat
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f7cb42e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/run_win.bat
@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+REM Copyright (C) 2025 Intel Corporation
+REM SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+
+@echo off
+setlocal enabledelayedexpansion
+
+echo Starting University Curriculum Enabling Tool...
+echo.
+
+REM Simple directory detection
+set SCRIPT_DIR=%~dp0
+set WORKING_DIR=%SCRIPT_DIR%
+
+REM Persona selection: default to faculty if not specified
+set "Persona=%1"
+if "%Persona%"=="" set "Persona=faculty"
+
+REM Validate persona
+if /i not "%Persona%"=="faculty" if /i not "%Persona%"=="lecturer" if /i not "%Persona%"=="student" (
+    echo ERROR: Invalid persona '%Persona%'
+    echo Valid personas are: faculty, lecturer, student
+    echo.
+    pause
+    exit /b 1
+)
+
+echo Starting application for persona: %Persona%
+echo.
+
+REM Simple directory detection
+set SCRIPT_DIR=%~dp0
+set WORKING_DIR=%SCRIPT_DIR%
+
+REM Check if we have a distribution package
+if exist "%SCRIPT_DIR%dist\university-curriculum-enabling-tool-2025.0.0\node_env.ps1" (
+    set WORKING_DIR=%SCRIPT_DIR%dist\university-curriculum-enabling-tool-2025.0.0
+    echo Using distribution package
+) else (
+    echo Using project root
+)
+
+REM Change to working directory
+cd /d "!WORKING_DIR!"
+
+REM Check for node_env.ps1
+if not exist "node_env.ps1" (
+    echo ERROR: node_env.ps1 not found!
+    echo Please run the install script first.
+    echo.
+    pause
+    exit /b 1
+)
+
+REM Check if application is already running on port 8080
+echo Checking if application is already running...
+netstat -an | findstr ":8080" >nul
+if %errorlevel% == 0 (
+    echo.
+    echo ========================================
+    echo APPLICATION ALREADY RUNNING!
+    echo ========================================
+    echo.
+    echo The application is already running.
+    echo.
+    echo If you want to restart the application:
+    echo 1. Run stop_win.bat first
+    echo 2. Close all existing command windows
+    echo 3. Then run this script again
+    echo.
+    pause
+    exit /b 0
+)
+
+REM Start the application
+echo Starting application...
+if exist "scripts\win\run.ps1" (
+    powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "scripts\win\run.ps1" %Persona%
+) else (
+    echo ERROR: PowerShell run script not found!
+    pause
+    exit /b 1
+)
+
+REM If we get here, application started successfully
+echo.
+echo ========================================
+echo APPLICATION IS RUNNING!
+echo ========================================
+echo.
+echo Running persona: %Persona%
+echo Open your browser to: http://localhost:8080
+echo.
+echo Opening browser automatically in 3 seconds...
+timeout /t 3 /nobreak >nul
+start http://localhost:8080
+echo Browser opened.
+echo.
+timeout /t 3 /nobreak >nul
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/scripts/path-resolver.mjs b/scripts/path-resolver.mjs
index 7a87d23..f886d1a 100644
--- a/scripts/path-resolver.mjs
+++ b/scripts/path-resolver.mjs
@@ -21,8 +21,8 @@ export function resolvePaths(args = {}) {
   const isDevelopmentMode = process.env.DEV_MODE === 'true';
   
   // Detect if we're already in a distribution package by checking for .version file
-  const isDistPackage = process.env.IS_DIST_PACKAGE === 'true' || 
-    fs.existsSync(path.join(ROOT_DIR, '.version'));
+  const versionFileExists = fs.existsSync(path.join(ROOT_DIR, '.version'));
+  const isDistPackage = process.env.IS_DIST_PACKAGE === 'true' || versionFileExists;
     
   // Default to using current directory
   let workingDir = ROOT_DIR;
diff --git a/scripts/utils.mjs b/scripts/utils.mjs
index 3d81bfc..20412b2 100644
--- a/scripts/utils.mjs
+++ b/scripts/utils.mjs
@@ -11,6 +11,9 @@ import archiver from 'archiver';
 import { fileURLToPath } from 'url';
 import { resolvePaths } from './path-resolver.mjs';
 import { spawnSync } from 'child_process';
+import { createWriteStream } from 'fs';
+import { pipeline } from 'stream/promises';
+import { Readable } from 'stream';
 
 const __filename = fileURLToPath(import.meta.url);
 const __dirname = path.dirname(__filename);
@@ -47,7 +50,33 @@ const {
 
 // Platform detection
 const isWindows = process.platform === 'win32';
-const pythonCommand = isWindows ? 'python' : 'python3';
+
+/**
+ * Find available Python command on the system - Simplified
+ */
+function getPythonCommand() {
+  if (isWindows) {
+    // Just try the most common commands, let the shell handle the rest
+    const pythonCommands = ['python', 'python3', 'py'];
+    for (const cmd of pythonCommands) {
+      try {
+        const result = spawnSync(cmd, ['--version'], { 
+          stdio: 'ignore',
+        });
+        if (result.status === 0) {
+          return cmd;
+        }
+      } catch (error) {
+        // Continue to next command
+      }
+    }
+    return 'python'; // fallback - let it fail naturally if not found
+  } else {
+    return 'python3';
+  }
+}
+
+const pythonCommand = getPythonCommand();
 const venvPython = isWindows 
   ? path.join(VENV_DIR, 'Scripts', 'python.exe')
   : path.join(VENV_DIR, 'bin', 'python');
@@ -55,32 +84,221 @@ const venvPip = isWindows
   ? path.join(VENV_DIR, 'Scripts', 'pip.exe')
   : path.join(VENV_DIR, 'bin', 'pip');
 
+// PowerShell path for Windows
+const powerShellCommand = isWindows ? 'powershell' : null;
+
 // Use local Node.js binaries if available
 const nodeBin = isWindows 
-  ? path.join(NODE_DIR, 'bin', 'node.exe')
+  ? path.join(NODE_DIR, 'node.exe')
   : path.join(NODE_DIR, 'bin', 'node');
 
 const npmBin = isWindows
-  ? path.join(NODE_DIR, 'bin', 'npm.cmd') 
+  ? path.join(NODE_DIR, 'npm.cmd') 
   : path.join(NODE_DIR, 'bin', 'npm');
 
 const npmCommand = fs.existsSync(npmBin) ? npmBin : (isWindows ? 'npm.cmd' : 'npm');
 const nodePath = fs.existsSync(nodeBin) ? nodeBin : (isWindows ? 'node.exe' : 'node');
 const pm2Command = isWindows
-  ? (fs.existsSync(nodeBin) ? path.join(NODE_DIR, 'bin', 'npx.cmd') : 'npx.cmd')
+  ? (fs.existsSync(nodeBin) ? path.join(NODE_DIR, 'npx.cmd') : 'npx.cmd')
   : (fs.existsSync(nodeBin) ? path.join(NODE_DIR, 'bin', 'npx') : 'npx');
 
 // Allow list of characters for directory names and filenames for security purposes (i.e. to prevent directory traversal attacks)
 const ALLOWED_PATH_REGEX = /^[a-zA-Z0-9_\-\.\/]+$/;
 
-// Allow list of safe characters for command arguments
-const SAFE_ARG_REGEX = /^[a-zA-Z0-9_\-\/\.=:@+]+$/;
+// Allow list of safe characters for command arguments (including Windows paths)
+const SAFE_ARG_REGEX = /^[a-zA-Z0-9_\-\/\.=:@+\\]+$/;
 
 // Allow URLs for curl
 const SAFE_URL_REGEX = /^https?:\/\/[a-zA-Z0-9\-._~:/?#\[\]@!$&'()*+,;=%]+$/;
 
+
+/**
+ * Safely validate a Python executable path to prevent command injection
+ */
+function isValidPythonPath(pythonPath) {
+  if (!pythonPath || typeof pythonPath !== 'string') return false;
+  
+  // Check for basic path safety - no command injection characters
+  const dangerousChars = /[;&|`$(){}[\]<>]/;
+  if (dangerousChars.test(pythonPath)) return false;
+  
+  // Must be an absolute path on Windows
+  if (isWindows && !path.isAbsolute(pythonPath)) return false;
+  
+  // Must end with python.exe on Windows or python/python3 on Unix
+  const validEndings = isWindows 
+    ? [/python\.exe$/i, /python3\.exe$/i]
+    : [/\/python$/, /\/python3$/];
+  
+  if (!validEndings.some(pattern => pattern.test(pythonPath))) return false;
+  
+  // Path must exist
+  if (!fs.existsSync(pythonPath)) return false;
+  
+  // Additional Windows-specific validation
+  if (isWindows) {
+    // Must be in expected locations
+    const allowedPrefixes = [
+      'C:\\Python',
+      'C:\\Program Files\\Python',
+      'C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Python',
+      process.env.USERPROFILE ? path.join(process.env.USERPROFILE, 'AppData\\Local\\Programs\\Python') : null,
+      process.env.USERPROFILE ? path.join(process.env.USERPROFILE, 'AppData\\Local\\Microsoft\\WindowsApps') : null
+    ].filter(Boolean);
+    
+    const isInAllowedLocation = allowedPrefixes.some(prefix => 
+      pythonPath.toLowerCase().startsWith(prefix.toLowerCase())
+    );
+    
+    if (!isInAllowedLocation) {
+      console.log(`Python path not in allowed location: ${pythonPath}`);
+      return false;
+    }
+  }
+  
+  return true;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Get Python command dynamically at runtime
+ */
+function getDynamicPythonCommand() {
+  if (isWindows) {
+    console.log('Searching for Python installation...');
+    
+    // First try to get the full path using 'where' command
+    try {
+      const whereResult = spawnSync('where', ['python'], { 
+        encoding: 'utf8',
+      });
+      
+      if (whereResult.status === 0 && whereResult.stdout) {
+        const pythonPaths = whereResult.stdout.trim().split('\n').map(p => p.trim()).filter(Boolean);
+        
+        // Validate each path returned by 'where' command
+        for (const pythonPath of pythonPaths) {
+          if (isValidPythonPath(pythonPath)) {
+            console.log(`Found Python with 'where python': ${pythonPath}`);
+            // Test if it actually works using spawn instead of execSync for safety
+            try {
+              const result = spawnSync(pythonPath, ['--version'], { 
+                stdio: ['ignore', 'pipe', 'pipe'],
+                encoding: 'utf8',
+              });
+              if (result.status === 0) {
+                console.log(`Verified Python works: ${pythonPath}`);
+                return pythonPath;
+              }
+            } catch (testError) {
+              console.log(`Python path failed verification: ${pythonPath} - ${testError.message}`);
+            }
+          } else {
+            console.log(`Skipping invalid Python path: ${pythonPath}`);
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    } catch (error) {
+      console.log(`'where python' failed: ${error.message}`);
+    }
+    
+    const pythonCommands = [
+      'python', 
+      'python3', 
+      'py'
+    ];
+    
+    // Allow list of python paths
+    const userProfile = process.env.USERPROFILE || '';
+    const pythonPathPatterns = [
+      'C:\\Python*\\python.exe',  // System root
+      'C:\\Program Files\\Python*\\python.exe', // 64-bit
+      'C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Python*\\python.exe'  // 32-bit
+    ];
+    
+    // Add user-specific patterns if userProfile is available
+    if (userProfile) {
+      pythonPathPatterns.push(
+        path.join(userProfile, 'AppData\\Local\\Programs\\Python\\Python*\\python.exe'),  // User installation
+        path.join(userProfile, 'AppData\\Local\\Microsoft\\WindowsApps\\python*.exe') // Microsoft store
+      );
+    }
+    
+    for (const pattern of pythonPathPatterns) {
+      try {
+        // Extract base directory and pattern from the path
+        const basePath = pattern.substring(0, pattern.lastIndexOf('\\'));
+        const baseDir = basePath.substring(0, basePath.lastIndexOf('\\'));
+        
+        if (fs.existsSync(baseDir)) {
+          const entries = fs.readdirSync(baseDir);
+          
+          // Different matching logic based on the pattern
+          let matchingEntries;
+          if (pattern.includes('WindowsApps')) {
+            // For Microsoft Store: match python*.exe files directly
+            matchingEntries = entries
+              .filter(file => /^python(3(\.\d+)?)?\.exe$/i.test(file))
+              .map(file => path.join(baseDir, file));
+          } else {
+            // For other patterns: match Python* directories containing python.exe
+            matchingEntries = entries
+              .filter(dir => /^Python(\d+(\.\d+)?)?$/i.test(dir))
+              .map(dir => path.join(baseDir, dir, 'python.exe'))
+              .filter(pythonExe => fs.existsSync(pythonExe));
+          }
+          
+          pythonCommands.push(...matchingEntries);
+        }
+      } catch (error) {
+        // Continue if we can't read the directory
+      }
+    }
+    
+    for (const cmd of pythonCommands) {
+      try {
+        // Check if the command exists as a file
+        if (cmd.includes(path.sep) && isValidPythonPath(cmd)) {
+          console.log(`Found Python executable at: ${cmd}`);
+          // Test if it actually works using spawn for safety
+          const result = spawnSync(cmd, ['--version'], { 
+            stdio: ['ignore', 'pipe', 'pipe'],
+            encoding: 'utf8',
+          });
+          if (result.status === 0) {
+            console.log(`Verified Python works: ${cmd}`);
+            return cmd;
+          }
+        } else if (!cmd.includes(path.sep)) {
+          // Test command in PATH using spawn for safety
+          console.log(`Testing Python command in PATH: ${cmd}`);
+          const result = spawnSync(cmd, ['--version'], { 
+            stdio: ['ignore', 'pipe', 'pipe'],
+            encoding: 'utf8',
+          });
+          if (result.status === 0) {
+            console.log(`Verified Python works from PATH: ${cmd}`);
+            return cmd;
+          }
+        }
+      } catch (error) {
+        console.log(`Python command failed: ${cmd} - ${error.message || 'Command not found'}`);
+        // Continue to next command
+      }
+    }
+    
+    console.warn('No working Python installation found!');
+    console.warn('Tried the following commands:');
+    pythonCommands.forEach(cmd => console.warn(`  - ${cmd}`));
+    console.warn('Please install Python using setup.ps1 or manually install Python 3.12+');
+    
+    return 'python'; // fallback
+  } else {
+    return 'python3';
+  }
+}
+
 // Define a whitelist of allowed commands
-const ALLOWED_COMMANDS_CONFIG = {
+export const ALLOWED_COMMANDS_CONFIG = {
   npm: {
     path: npmCommand,
     aliases: ['npm', npmCommand],
@@ -107,7 +325,7 @@ const ALLOWED_COMMANDS_CONFIG = {
     ]),
   },
   python3: {
-    path: pythonCommand,
+    path: getDynamicPythonCommand(),
     aliases: ['python', 'python3', pythonCommand],
     allowedArgs: new Set(['-m', 'pip', 'install', 'venv']),
   },
@@ -119,12 +337,15 @@ const ALLOWED_COMMANDS_CONFIG = {
   node: {
     path: nodePath,
     aliases: ['node', nodePath],
-    allowedArgs: new Set([]),
+    allowedArgs: new Set(['jlist', 'start', 'stop', 'delete', 'restart', 'reload', '--silent', '--namespace', 'all', 'update', 'test', 'test-suite']),
   },
   curl: {
     path: 'curl',
     aliases: ['curl'],
-    allowedArgs: new Set(['-L', '-o']),
+    allowedArgs: new Set([
+      '-L', '-o', '--location', '--output', '--fail', '--retry', '--retry-delay',
+      '--connect-timeout', '--max-time', '--progress-bar'
+    ]),
   },
   tar: {
     path: 'tar',
@@ -137,16 +358,88 @@ const ALLOWED_COMMANDS_CONFIG = {
     allowedArgs: new Set(['+x']),
   },
   powershell: {
-    path: 'powershell',
+    path: isWindows ? (() => {
+      // Try multiple PowerShell locations
+      const powerShellPaths = [
+        'C:\\Windows\\System32\\WindowsPowerShell\\v1.0\\powershell.exe',
+        'C:\\Windows\\SysWOW64\\WindowsPowerShell\\v1.0\\powershell.exe', 
+        'powershell.exe',
+        'powershell'
+      ];
+
+      for (const psPath of powerShellPaths) {
+        if (psPath.includes('\\') && fs.existsSync(psPath)) {
+          return psPath;
+        } else if (!psPath.includes('\\')) {
+          // Try to find in PATH
+          try {
+            const result = spawnSync('where', [psPath], { 
+              stdio: 'ignore',
+            });
+            if (result.status === 0) {
+              return psPath;
+            }
+          } catch (error) {
+            // Continue to next path
+          }
+        }
+      }
+      return 'powershell'; // fallback
+    })() : null,
     aliases: ['powershell'],
-    allowedArgs: new Set(['-Command', 'Expand-Archive', '-Path', '-DestinationPath', '-Force']),
+    allowedArgs: new Set(['-Command', 'Expand-Archive', '-Path', '-DestinationPath', '-Force', 'Invoke-WebRequest', '-Uri', '-OutFile']),
+  },
+  cmd: {
+    path: isWindows ? 'cmd' : null,
+    aliases: ['cmd'],
+    allowedArgs: new Set(['/c', '/k', 'npx', 'pm2', 'jlist', '--silent', 'start', 'stop', 'delete', 'all', '--namespace']),
+  },
+  pm2bin: {
+    path: path.join(WORKING_DIR, 'node_modules', 'pm2', 'bin', 'pm2'),
+    aliases: [path.join(WORKING_DIR, 'node_modules', 'pm2', 'bin', 'pm2')],
+    allowedArgs: new Set(['jlist', 'start', 'stop', 'delete', 'restart', 'reload', '--silent', '--namespace', 'all', 'update', 'test', 'test-suite']),
   }
 };
 
 /**
  * Finds the ALLOWED_COMMANDS_CONFIG entry that has the given alias.
  */
-function lookupCommandInfo(cmdAlias) {
+export function lookupCommandInfo(cmdAlias) {
+  // For Python commands, refresh the path dynamically
+  if (['python', 'python3'].includes(cmdAlias) || 
+      (cmdAlias.toLowerCase().includes('python') && cmdAlias.toLowerCase().endsWith('.exe'))) {
+    const pythonPath = getDynamicPythonCommand();
+    return {
+      path: pythonPath,
+      aliases: ['python', 'python3', pythonPath],
+      allowedArgs: new Set(['-m', 'pip', 'install', 'venv'])
+    };
+  }
+  
+  // Special handling for PowerShell full paths on Windows
+  if (isWindows && cmdAlias.toLowerCase().includes('powershell.exe')) {
+    const powerShellConfig = ALLOWED_COMMANDS_CONFIG.powershell;
+    if (powerShellConfig && powerShellConfig.path) {
+      return {
+        path: cmdAlias, // Use the full path as provided
+        aliases: [cmdAlias, 'powershell.exe', 'powershell'],
+        allowedArgs: powerShellConfig.allowedArgs
+      };
+    }
+  }
+  
+  // Special handling for Node.js full paths
+  if (cmdAlias.toLowerCase().includes('node.exe') || cmdAlias.toLowerCase().endsWith('node')) {
+    const nodeConfig = ALLOWED_COMMANDS_CONFIG.node;
+    if (nodeConfig && nodeConfig.path) {
+      return {
+        path: cmdAlias, // Use the full path as provided
+        aliases: [cmdAlias, 'node.exe', 'node', nodeConfig.path],
+        allowedArgs: nodeConfig.allowedArgs
+      };
+    }
+  }
+  
   return Object.values(ALLOWED_COMMANDS_CONFIG).find((entry) =>
     entry.aliases.includes(cmdAlias)
   ) || null;
@@ -236,14 +529,190 @@ function getOllamaEnvironmentVariables(rootDir) {
 }
 
 /**
- * Execute a command and return its output
+ * Final validation of command path before execution (for Coverity taint analysis)
+ */
+function validateExecutablePath(commandPath) {
+  if (!commandPath || typeof commandPath !== 'string') {
+    throw new Error('Invalid command path: must be a non-empty string');
+  }
+  
+  // Check for dangerous characters that could enable command injection
+  const dangerousChars = /[;&|`$(){}[\]<>]/;
+  if (dangerousChars.test(commandPath)) {
+    throw new Error(`Invalid command path: contains dangerous characters: ${commandPath}`);
+  }
+  
+  // For absolute paths, ensure they're in safe locations
+  if (path.isAbsolute(commandPath)) {
+    // Use static project paths based on __dirname to avoid process.cwd() dependency
+    const projectBasePaths = [
+      ROOT_DIR, // Project root directory (statically defined)
+      path.dirname(ROOT_DIR), // Allow parent of project root for workspace scenarios
+    ];
+    
+    const safePrefixes = isWindows ? [
+      'C:\\Windows\\System32\\',
+      'C:\\Windows\\SysWOW64\\',
+      'C:\\Program Files\\',
+      'C:\\Program Files (x86)\\',
+      'C:\\Python',
+      process.env.USERPROFILE ? path.join(process.env.USERPROFILE, 'AppData\\Local\\Programs\\') : null,
+      process.env.USERPROFILE ? path.join(process.env.USERPROFILE, 'AppData\\Local\\Microsoft\\WindowsApps\\') : null,
+      ...projectBasePaths, // Add static project paths
+    ].filter(Boolean) : [
+      '/usr/bin/',
+      '/usr/local/bin/',
+      '/bin/',
+      '/opt/',
+      ...projectBasePaths, // Add static project paths
+    ];
+    
+    const isInSafeLocation = safePrefixes.some(prefix => 
+      commandPath.toLowerCase().startsWith(prefix.toLowerCase())
+    );
+    
+    if (!isInSafeLocation) {
+      throw new Error(`Invalid command path: not in safe location: ${commandPath}`);
+    }
+  }
+  
+  return true;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Sanitized command path wrapper to break taint flow for Coverity
+ * This function validates the path and returns a clean object
+ */
+function getSanitizedCommandPath(commandPath) {
+  // First validate the path through our existing validation
+  validateExecutablePath(commandPath);
+  
+  // Explicit whitelist check
+  if (!validateCommandPath(commandPath)) {
+    throw new Error(`Command path not in whitelist: ${commandPath}`);
+  }
+  
+  // Return a clean path object that breaks the taint flow
+  // Using a simple object wrapper to contain the validated path
+  return {
+    executablePath: String(commandPath), // Create a new string to break taint
+    isValidated: true
+  };
+}
+
+/**
+ * Function to validate executable command paths
  */
+function validateCommandPath(commandPath) {
+  // Explicit hardcoded whitelist of allowed command paths
+  const ALLOWED_COMMAND_PATHS = [
+    // System commands (Windows)
+    'C:\\Windows\\System32\\cmd.exe',
+    'C:\\Windows\\SysWOW64\\cmd.exe',
+    'C:\\Windows\\System32\\WindowsPowerShell\\v1.0\\powershell.exe',
+    'C:\\Windows\\SysWOW64\\WindowsPowerShell\\v1.0\\powershell.exe',
+    'powershell.exe',
+    'powershell',
+    'cmd',
+    'curl',
+    'tar',
+    'chmod',
+    'where',
+    'robocopy',
+    
+    // Node.js commands
+    'node',
+    'node.exe',
+    'npm',
+    'npm.cmd',
+    'npx',
+    'npx.cmd',
+    
+    // Python commands
+    'python',
+    'python3',
+    'python.exe',
+    'python3.exe',
+    'py',
+    'pip',
+    'pip3',
+    'pip.exe',
+    
+    // PM2 commands
+    'pm2',
+    
+    // Unix/Linux system commands
+    '/usr/bin/python3',
+    '/usr/bin/python',
+    '/usr/local/bin/python3',
+    '/usr/local/bin/python',
+    '/bin/bash',
+    '/bin/sh',
+    '/usr/bin/curl',
+    '/usr/bin/tar',
+    '/usr/bin/chmod'
+  ];
+  
+  // Check if the command path is in our explicit whitelist
+  if (ALLOWED_COMMAND_PATHS.includes(commandPath)) {
+    return true;
+  }
+  
+  // Check if it's a path within our project directories
+  const projectBasePaths = [
+    ROOT_DIR,
+    path.dirname(ROOT_DIR)
+  ];
+  
+  for (const basePath of projectBasePaths) {
+    if (commandPath.startsWith(basePath)) {
+      return true;
+    }
+  }
+  
+  // Check if it's in standard system directories
+  const systemPrefixes = isWindows ? [
+    'C:\\Windows\\System32\\',
+    'C:\\Windows\\SysWOW64\\',
+    'C:\\Program Files\\',
+    'C:\\Program Files (x86)\\',
+    'C:\\Python',
+  ] : [
+    '/usr/bin/',
+    '/usr/local/bin/',
+    '/bin/',
+    '/opt/',
+  ];
+  
+  for (const prefix of systemPrefixes) {
+    if (commandPath.startsWith(prefix)) {
+      return true;
+    }
+  }
+  
+  // Check user directories (Python installations)
+  if (isWindows && process.env.USERPROFILE) {
+    const userPrefixes = [
+      path.join(process.env.USERPROFILE, 'AppData\\Local\\Programs\\'),
+      path.join(process.env.USERPROFILE, 'AppData\\Local\\Microsoft\\WindowsApps\\')
+    ];
+    
+    for (const prefix of userPrefixes) {
+      if (commandPath.startsWith(prefix)) {
+        return true;
+      }
+    }
+  }
+  
+  return false;
+}
+
 function execCommand(command, options = {}) {
   try {
     // Ensure NODE_DIR is in the PATH environment variable
     const env = { ...process.env };
     if (fs.existsSync(NODE_DIR)) {
-      const nodeBinPath = path.join(NODE_DIR, 'bin');
+      const nodeBinPath = isWindows ? NODE_DIR : path.join(NODE_DIR, 'bin');
 
       env.PATH = nodeBinPath + (isWindows ? ';' : ':') + (env.PATH || '');
     }
@@ -271,9 +740,13 @@ function execCommand(command, options = {}) {
       }
     }
 
-    const result = spawnSync(commandInfo.path, args, {
+    // Final validation of executable commands and its respective paths to prevent command injection
+    const sanitizedCommand = getSanitizedCommandPath(commandInfo.path);
+
+    const result = spawnSync(sanitizedCommand.executablePath, args, {
       stdio: ['pipe', 'pipe', 'pipe'],
       encoding: 'utf-8',
+      shell: false,
       env,
       ...options,
     });
@@ -294,11 +767,53 @@ function execCommand(command, options = {}) {
 function isSafeArg(command, commandInfo, arg, index, args) {
   if (typeof arg !== 'string') return false;
   if (command === 'curl' && SAFE_URL_REGEX.test(arg)) return true;
-  if (command === 'curl' && args && args[index - 1] === '-o') {
+  if (command === 'curl' && args && (args[index - 1] === '-o' || args[index - 1] === '--output')) {
     return SAFE_ARG_REGEX.test(arg);
   }
-  if (command === 'curl' && (arg === '-L' || arg === '-o')) return true;
-  if (commandInfo.allowedArgs && arg.startsWith('-') && !commandInfo.allowedArgs.has(arg)) return false;
+  if (command === 'curl' && (
+    arg === '-L' || arg === '-o' || arg === '--location' || arg === '--output' ||
+    arg === '--fail' || arg === '--retry' || arg === '--retry-delay' ||
+    arg === '--connect-timeout' || arg === '--max-time' || arg === '--progress-bar'
+  )) return true;
+
+  // Allow numeric values for timeout and retry arguments
+  if (command === 'curl' && args && (
+    args[index - 1] === '--retry' || args[index - 1] === '--retry-delay' ||
+    args[index - 1] === '--connect-timeout' || args[index - 1] === '--max-time'
+  ) && /^\d+$/.test(arg)) return true;
+
+  // PowerShell command validation - check both command name and path
+  const isPowerShellCommand = command === 'powershell' || 
+                              command.toLowerCase().includes('powershell.exe') ||
+                              path.basename(command).toLowerCase() === 'powershell.exe';
+
+  if (isPowerShellCommand) {
+    // Allow URLs for Invoke-WebRequest
+    if (SAFE_URL_REGEX.test(arg)) return true;
+    // Allow file paths
+    if (arg.match(/^[a-zA-Z0-9_\-\.\\\/\s\:]+$/)) return true;
+    // Allow PowerShell command strings with comprehensive character set
+    if (arg.includes('Invoke-WebRequest') || arg.includes('Expand-Archive')) {
+      // Allow PowerShell commands with all necessary characters: letters, numbers, spaces, quotes, 
+      // paths, URLs, parameters, equals signs, colons, periods, hyphens, slashes, backslashes
+      if (arg.match(/^[a-zA-Z0-9_\-\.\\\/\s\:\"'=@+\?\&\[\](){}]+$/)) return true;
+    }
+    // Allow individual PowerShell parameters (like -Command, -Uri, -OutFile, etc.)
+    if (arg.match(/^-[a-zA-Z0-9]+$/)) return true;
+    // Allow quoted strings and file paths
+    if (arg.match(/^\"[^\"]*\"$/) || arg.match(/^'[^']*'$/)) return true;
+    // Allow simple PowerShell parameter values
+    if (arg.match(/^[a-zA-Z0-9_\-\.\\\/\s\:]+$/)) return true;
+    // If none of the PowerShell-specific patterns match, check allowedArgs
+    if (commandInfo.allowedArgs && !commandInfo.allowedArgs.has(arg)) return false;
+    // For PowerShell, return false if it doesn't match any allowed pattern
+    return false;
+  }
+  
+  if (commandInfo.allowedArgs && arg.startsWith('-')) {
+    // If the argument is in allowedArgs, allow it; if not, reject it
+    return commandInfo.allowedArgs.has(arg);
+  }
   if (!SAFE_ARG_REGEX.test(arg)) return false;
   if (command === 'tar' && (arg === '-xzf' || arg === '--strip-components=1')) return true;
   if (
@@ -328,38 +843,61 @@ function sanitizeArgs(command, commandInfo, args) {
 }
 
 /**
- * Execute a command with real-time output
+ * Execute a command with real-time output - Uses lookupCommandInfo and sanitizeArgs
  */
 function spawnCommand(command, args, options = {}) {
   return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
-    // Ensure NODE_DIR is in the PATH environment variable
+    // Use the system's default PATH environment
     const env = { ...process.env };
+    
+    // Only add Node.js to PATH if we have local installation
     if (fs.existsSync(NODE_DIR)) {
-      const nodeBinPath = path.join(NODE_DIR, 'bin');
+      const nodeBinPath = isWindows ? NODE_DIR : path.join(NODE_DIR, 'bin');
       env.PATH = nodeBinPath + (isWindows ? ';' : ':') + (env.PATH || '');
     }
-    
+
+    // Validate command with list of allowed commands
     const commandInfo = lookupCommandInfo(command);
     if (!commandInfo) {
-      return reject({
-        success: false,
-        error: `Blocked execution: command '${command}' is not allowed.`,
-      });
+      return reject(new Error(`Blocked execution: command '${command}' is not allowed.`));
     }
 
+    // Sanitize arguments using the existing sanitizeArgs function
     let sanitizedArgs;
     try {
-      sanitizedArgs = sanitizeArgs(command, commandInfo, args);
-    } catch (err) {
-      return reject({ success: false, error: err.message });
+      sanitizedArgs = sanitizeArgs(command, commandInfo, args || []);
+    } catch (error) {
+      return reject(error);
     }
 
-    // Validate arguments
-    if (!Array.isArray(args)) {
-      return reject({ success: false, error: 'Arguments must be an array' });
+    // Handle Windows .cmd/.bat files securely without shell injection
+    let finalCommand = commandInfo.path;
+    let finalArgs = sanitizedArgs;
+
+    if (isWindows && (commandInfo.path.endsWith('.cmd') || commandInfo.path.endsWith('.bat'))) {
+      // Use hardcoded cmd.exe path to avoid environment variable injection
+      // Common safe locations for cmd.exe on Windows
+      const safeCmdPaths = [
+        'C:\\Windows\\System32\\cmd.exe',
+        'C:\\Windows\\SysWOW64\\cmd.exe'
+      ];
+
+      let cmdPath = 'cmd.exe'; // fallback
+      for (const safePath of safeCmdPaths) {
+        if (fs.existsSync(safePath)) {
+          cmdPath = safePath;
+          break;
+        }
+      }
+
+      finalCommand = cmdPath;
+      finalArgs = ['/d', '/s', '/c', commandInfo.path, ...sanitizedArgs];
     }
 
-    const proc = spawn(commandInfo.path, sanitizedArgs, {
+    // Final validation of executable commands and its respective paths to prevent command injection
+    const sanitizedCommand = getSanitizedCommandPath(finalCommand);
+
+    const proc = spawn(sanitizedCommand.executablePath, finalArgs, {
       stdio: 'inherit',
       shell: false,
       env,
@@ -380,6 +918,27 @@ function spawnCommand(command, args, options = {}) {
   });
 }
 
+/**
+ * Execute a PM2 command with proper Windows/Linux compatibility
+ */
+function executePM2Command(pm2Args, options = {}) {
+  if (isWindows) {
+    // On Windows, try to run PM2 directly using Node.js
+    const nodePath = fs.existsSync(path.join(NODE_DIR, 'node.exe')) ? path.join(NODE_DIR, 'node.exe') : 'node';
+    const pm2BinPath = path.join(WORKING_DIR, 'node_modules', 'pm2', 'bin', 'pm2');
+    
+    if (fs.existsSync(pm2BinPath)) {
+      // Use Node.js to run PM2 directly
+      return spawnCommand(nodePath, [pm2BinPath, ...pm2Args], options);
+    } else {
+      // Fallback to npx using cmd.exe
+      return spawnCommand('cmd', ['/c', 'npx', 'pm2', ...pm2Args], options);
+    }
+  } else {
+    return spawnCommand(pm2Command, ['pm2', ...pm2Args], options);
+  }
+}
+
 /**
  * Check if a persona build exists
  */
@@ -452,7 +1011,7 @@ export async function buildPersona(persona, force = false) {
 
   try {
     if (isSafeRelativePath(frontend)) {
-      process.chdir(new URL(`file://${path.resolve(frontend)}`).pathname);
+      process.chdir(fileURLToPath(new URL(`file://${path.resolve(frontend)}`)));
     } else {
       throw new Error(`Unsafe frontend directory detected: ${frontend}`);
     }
@@ -489,7 +1048,7 @@ export async function buildPersona(persona, force = false) {
     return { success: false, error };
   } finally {
       if (isSafeRelativePath(root)) {
-        process.chdir(new URL(`file://${path.resolve(root)}`).pathname);
+        process.chdir(fileURLToPath(new URL(`file://${path.resolve(root)}`)));
       } else {
         console.error(`Unsafe root path detected when attempting to build persona: ${root}`);
       }
@@ -500,7 +1059,9 @@ export async function buildPersona(persona, force = false) {
  * Create a distribution package for a specific persona
  */
 export async function createDistPackage(persona, force = false) {
-  console.log(`Creating distribution package for persona: ${persona}`);
+  console.log(`\n=== Creating Distribution Package ===`);
+  console.log(`Persona: ${persona}`);
+  console.log(`Force rebuild: ${force}`);
 
   // Validate persona before proceeding
   const safePersona = getPersonaFromKey(persona);
@@ -510,35 +1071,35 @@ export async function createDistPackage(persona, force = false) {
   
   // Skip package creation if in distribution package mode
   if (isDistPackage) {
-    console.log(`Running in distribution package mode - package creation skipped for ${safePersona}`);
+    console.log(`✓ Running in distribution package mode - package creation skipped for ${safePersona}`);
     return { success: true, skipped: true };
   }
   
   // Only proceed with package creation if in root repository or forced
   if (!isRootRepo && !force) {
-    console.log(`Not running from root repository - skipping package creation for ${safePersona}`);
+    console.log(`✓ Not running from root repository - skipping package creation for ${safePersona}`);
     return { success: true, skipped: true };
   }
   
   if (!force && checkDistExists(safePersona)) {
-    console.log(`Distribution package for ${safePersona} already exists. Use --force to recreate.`);
+    console.log(`✓ Distribution package for ${safePersona} already exists. Use --force to recreate.`);
     return { success: true, skipped: true };
   }
   
   try {
     // Step 1: Build the persona first
-    console.log(`Step 1: Building persona ${safePersona}...`);
+    console.log(`\n[1/12] Building persona ${safePersona}...`);
     const buildResult = await buildPersona(safePersona, force);
     if (!buildResult.success) {
       throw new Error(`Build failed for persona ${safePersona}`);
     }
     
     // Step 2: Get fresh paths for the specified persona
-    console.log(`Step 2: Resolving paths for ${safePersona}...`);
+    console.log(`[2/12] Resolving paths for ${safePersona}...`);
     const { frontend, backend, dist, ecosystem } = resolvePaths({ safePersona });
     
     // Step 3: Get the name and version from frontend package.json
-    console.log(`Step 3: Reading package information...`);
+    console.log(`[3/12] Reading package information...`);
     const packageJsonPath = path.join(frontend, 'package.json');
     let packageName = 'university-curriculum-enabling-tool';
     let packageVersion = '';
@@ -567,20 +1128,92 @@ export async function createDistPackage(persona, force = false) {
 
     
     fs.mkdirSync(distDir, { recursive: true });
-    fs.mkdirSync(path.join(distDir, 'thirdparty', 'ollama'), { recursive: true });
-    fs.copySync(
-      path.join(root, 'thirdparty', 'ollama'),
-      path.join(distDir, 'thirdparty', 'ollama')
-    );
+    
+    // Step 4.1: Copy thirdparty dependencies (Node.js, jq, pm2, Ollama)
+    console.log(`Step 4.1: Copying thirdparty dependencies...`);
+    fs.mkdirSync(path.join(distDir, 'thirdparty'), { recursive: true });
+    
+    // Copy Node.js if it exists
+    const sourceNodeDir = path.join(root, 'thirdparty', 'node');
+    if (fs.existsSync(sourceNodeDir)) {
+      console.log(`Copying Node.js from ${sourceNodeDir}...`);
+      const targetNodeDir = path.join(distDir, 'thirdparty', 'node');
+      
+      // Use robocopy on Windows for better handling of long paths
+      if (isWindows) {
+        try {
+          const robocopyArgs = [
+            sourceNodeDir,     // Source directory (unquoted for spawnSync)
+            targetNodeDir,     // Target directory (unquoted for spawnSync)
+            '/E',    // Copy subdirectories, including empty ones
+            '/R:3',  // Retry 3 times on failed copies
+            '/W:1',  // Wait 1 second between retries
+            '/NFL',  // No file list (reduce output)
+            '/NDL',  // No directory list
+            '/NJH',  // No job header
+            '/NJS',  // No job summary
+            '/NC',   // No class
+            '/NS',   // No size
+            '/NP'    // No progress
+          ];
+          
+          const robocopyResult = spawnSync('robocopy', robocopyArgs, { 
+            stdio: ['ignore', 'ignore', 'pipe'], 
+            encoding: 'utf8',
+            timeout: 60000 // 60 second timeout for large copy operations
+          });
+          // Robocopy exit codes 0-7 are success, 8+ are errors
+          const exitCode = robocopyResult.status || 0;
+          if (exitCode >= 8) {
+            console.warn(`Warning: Robocopy failed with exit code ${exitCode}, falling back to fs.copySync`);
+            fs.copySync(sourceNodeDir, targetNodeDir);
+          } else {
+            console.log(`Node.js copied successfully using robocopy (exit code: ${exitCode})`);
+          }
+        } catch (error) {
+          console.warn(`Warning: Robocopy command failed, falling back to fs.copySync: ${error.message}`);
+          fs.copySync(sourceNodeDir, targetNodeDir);
+        }
+      } else {
+        // Use standard copy on non-Windows systems
+        fs.copySync(sourceNodeDir, targetNodeDir);
+      }
+    } else {
+      console.log(`Node.js not found at ${sourceNodeDir}, will be downloaded during installation`);
+      fs.mkdirSync(path.join(distDir, 'thirdparty', 'node'), { recursive: true });
+    }
+    
+    // Copy jq if it exists
+    const sourceJqDir = path.join(root, 'thirdparty', 'jq');
+    if (fs.existsSync(sourceJqDir)) {
+      console.log(`Copying jq from ${sourceJqDir}...`);
+      fs.copySync(sourceJqDir, path.join(distDir, 'thirdparty', 'jq'));
+    } else {
+      console.log(`jq not found at ${sourceJqDir}, will be downloaded during installation`);
+      fs.mkdirSync(path.join(distDir, 'thirdparty', 'jq'), { recursive: true });
+    }
+    
+    // Copy pm2 directory (create empty if not exists)
+    fs.mkdirSync(path.join(distDir, 'thirdparty', 'pm2'), { recursive: true });
+    
+    // Copy Ollama if it exists
+    const sourceOllamaDir = path.join(root, 'thirdparty', 'ollama');
+    if (fs.existsSync(sourceOllamaDir)) {
+      console.log(`Copying Ollama from ${sourceOllamaDir}...`);
+      fs.copySync(sourceOllamaDir, path.join(distDir, 'thirdparty', 'ollama'));
+    } else {
+      console.log(`Ollama not found at ${sourceOllamaDir}, will be downloaded during installation`);
+      fs.mkdirSync(path.join(distDir, 'thirdparty', 'ollama'), { recursive: true });
+    }
 
     // Step 5: Clean up existing dist package if force is true
     if (force) {
       console.log(`Step 5: Cleaning up existing distribution package...`);
       if (isSafeRelativePath(distDir) &&  fs.existsSync(distDir)) {
-        fs.removeSync(new URL(`file://${path.resolve(distDir)}`));
+        fs.removeSync(fileURLToPath(new URL(`file://${path.resolve(distDir)}`)));
       }
       if (isSafeRelativePath(zipFile) && fs.existsSync(zipFile)) {
-        fs.removeSync(new URL(`file://${path.resolve(zipFile)}`));
+        fs.removeSync(fileURLToPath(new URL(`file://${path.resolve(zipFile)}`)));
       }
     }
     
@@ -661,7 +1294,8 @@ export async function createDistPackage(persona, force = false) {
     // List of scripts to include in the dist package
     const scriptsToInclude = [
       'setup.sh', 'install.sh', 'run.sh', 'stop.sh', 'uninstall.sh',
-      'setup.cmd', 'install.cmd', 'run.cmd', 'stop.cmd', 'uninstall.cmd'
+      'setup_win.bat', 'install_win.bat', 'run_win.bat', 'stop_win.bat', 'uninstall_win.bat',
+      'setup.ps1', 'install.ps1', 'run.ps1', 'stop.ps1', 'uninstall.ps1'
     ];
     // Step 8: For faculty persona, populate the assets/deployment/personas directories
     if (safePersona.toLowerCase() === 'faculty') {
@@ -680,16 +1314,25 @@ export async function createDistPackage(persona, force = false) {
         // Step 8.2: Copy scripts for this persona
         console.log(`Step 8.2: Copying scripts for ${otherPersona} persona...`);
         for (const script of scriptsToInclude) {
-          if (fs.existsSync(path.join(root, script))) {
-            fs.copySync(path.join(root, script), path.join(personaDir, script));
-            
+          let sourcePath;
+          if (script.endsWith('.ps1')) {
+            continue;
+          } else if (script.endsWith('.sh') || script.endsWith('.bat')) {
+            // Bash and batch scripts: copy from project root
+            sourcePath = path.join(root, script);
+          } else {
+            // Fallback: project root
+            sourcePath = path.join(root, script);
+          }
+          if (fs.existsSync(sourcePath)) {
+            fs.copySync(sourcePath, path.join(personaDir, script));
             // Make shell scripts executable
             if (!isWindows && script.endsWith('.sh')) {
               fs.chmodSync(path.join(personaDir, script), '755');
             }
           }
         }
-      
+
         // Step 8.3: Create placeholder .version file for the persona
         console.log(`Step 8.3: Creating version file for ${otherPersona} persona...`);
         const date = new Date().toISOString().split('T')[0];
@@ -706,9 +1349,9 @@ export async function createDistPackage(persona, force = false) {
         fs.mkdirSync(path.join(personaDir, 'backend'), { recursive: true });
         const backendDest = path.join(personaDir, 'backend');
         if (isSafeRelativePath(backendDest)) {
-          const backendUrl = new URL(`file://${path.resolve(backend)}`);
-          const backendDestUrl = new URL(`file://${path.resolve(backendDest)}`);
-          fs.copySync(fileURLToPath(backendUrl), fileURLToPath(backendDestUrl));
+          const backendUrl = fileURLToPath(new URL(`file://${path.resolve(backend)}`));
+          const backendDestUrl = fileURLToPath(new URL(`file://${path.resolve(backendDest)}`));
+          fs.copySync(backendUrl, backendDestUrl);
         } else {
           console.warn(`Refused to copy backend to unsafe path: ${backendDest}`);
         }
@@ -841,7 +1484,8 @@ export async function createDistPackage(persona, force = false) {
         // Step 8.11: Update all scripts to use the correct persona by default
         console.log(`Step 8.11: Updating all scripts for ${otherPersona} persona...`);
         const scriptsToUpdate = ['setup.sh', 'install.sh', 'run.sh', 'stop.sh', 'uninstall.sh',
-             'setup.cmd', 'install.cmd', 'run.cmd', 'stop.cmd', 'uninstall.cmd'];
+             'setup_win.bat', 'install_win.bat', 'run_win.bat', 'stop_win.bat', 'uninstall_win.bat',
+             'setup.ps1', 'install.ps1', 'run.ps1', 'stop.ps1', 'uninstall.ps1'];
         
         for (const script of scriptsToUpdate) {
           const scriptPath = path.join(personaDir, script);
@@ -855,12 +1499,40 @@ export async function createDistPackage(persona, force = false) {
                   /PERSONA=\${1:-faculty}/g,
                   `PERSONA=\${1:-${otherPersona}}`
                 );
-              } else if (script.endsWith('.cmd')) {
-                // Update Windows batch script
+              } else if (script.endsWith('.bat')) {
+                // Update Windows batch script - handle multiple patterns
+                // Pattern 1: set "Persona=faculty" 
+                scriptContent = scriptContent.replace(
+                  /set "Persona=faculty"/g,
+                  `set "Persona=${otherPersona}"`
+                );
+                // Pattern 2: if "%Persona%"=="" set "Persona=faculty"
+                scriptContent = scriptContent.replace(
+                  /if "%Persona%"=="" set "Persona=faculty"/g,
+                  `if "%Persona%"=="" set "Persona=${otherPersona}"`
+                );
+                // Pattern 3: Legacy formats without quotes
                 scriptContent = scriptContent.replace(
                   /if "%PERSONA%"=="" set PERSONA=faculty/g,
                   `if "%PERSONA%"=="" set PERSONA=${otherPersona}`
                 );
+              } else if (script.endsWith('.ps1')) {
+                // Update PowerShell script - handle multiple patterns
+                // Pattern 1: Single line format (install.ps1, uninstall.ps1)
+                scriptContent = scriptContent.replace(
+                  /\$Persona = if \(\$args\[0\]\) \{ \$args\[0\] \} else \{ "faculty" \}/g,
+                  `$Persona = if ($args[0]) { $args[0] } else { "${otherPersona}" }`
+                );
+                // Pattern 2: Multi-line if/else format (run.ps1 final fallback)
+                scriptContent = scriptContent.replace(
+                  /Write-Host "No persona indicators found, defaulting to faculty"\s*"faculty"/g,
+                  `Write-Host "No persona indicators found, defaulting to ${otherPersona}"\n            "${otherPersona}"`
+                );
+                // Pattern 3: Default persona in multi-line auto-detection fallback
+                scriptContent = scriptContent.replace(
+                  /} else \{\s*Write-Host "No persona indicators found, defaulting to faculty"\s*"faculty"\s*\}/g,
+                  `} else {\n            Write-Host "No persona indicators found, defaulting to ${otherPersona}"\n            "${otherPersona}"\n        }`
+                );
               }
               
               fs.writeFileSync(scriptPath, scriptContent);
@@ -913,11 +1585,22 @@ export async function createDistPackage(persona, force = false) {
     console.log(`Step 10: Copying backend, scripts and configuration files...`);
     fs.copySync(backend, path.join(distDir, 'backend'));
     fs.copySync(__dirname, path.join(distDir, 'scripts'));
-    
-    // Copy shell and batch scripts to root of dist
+
+    // Copy shell and batch scripts to root of dist (but keep PowerShell scripts in powershell folder)
     for (const script of scriptsToInclude) {
-      if (fs.existsSync(path.join(root, script))) {
-        fs.copySync(path.join(root, script), path.join(distDir, script));
+      let sourcePath;
+      if (script.endsWith('.ps1')) {
+        // PowerShell scripts are now only in the powershell folder, not root
+        continue;
+      } else if (script.endsWith('.sh') || script.endsWith('.bat')) {
+        // Bash and batch scripts: copy from project root
+        sourcePath = path.join(root, script);
+      } else {
+        // Fallback: project root
+        sourcePath = path.join(root, script);
+      }
+      if (fs.existsSync(sourcePath)) {
+        fs.copySync(sourcePath, path.join(distDir, script));
       }
     }
     
@@ -926,6 +1609,56 @@ export async function createDistPackage(persona, force = false) {
       fs.copySync(ecosystem, path.join(distDir, 'ecosystem.config.cjs'));
     }
     
+    // Step 10.1: Update main distribution package scripts to use correct persona defaults
+    console.log(`Step 10.1: Updating main distribution package scripts for ${safePersona} persona...`);
+    const mainScriptsToUpdate = ['setup.sh', 'install.sh', 'run.sh', 'stop.sh', 'uninstall.sh',
+         'setup_win.bat', 'install_win.bat', 'run_win.bat', 'stop_win.bat', 'uninstall_win.bat',
+         'setup.ps1', 'install.ps1', 'run.ps1', 'stop.ps1', 'uninstall.ps1'];
+    
+    for (const script of mainScriptsToUpdate) {
+      const scriptPath = path.join(distDir, script);
+      if (fs.existsSync(scriptPath)) {
+        try {
+          let scriptContent = fs.readFileSync(scriptPath, 'utf8');
+          if (script.endsWith('.sh')) {
+            // Update Linux shell script
+            scriptContent = scriptContent.replace(
+              /PERSONA=\${1:-faculty}/g,
+              `PERSONA=\${1:-${safePersona}}`
+            );
+          } else if (script.endsWith('.bat')) {
+            // Update Windows batch script - handle multiple patterns
+            scriptContent = scriptContent.replace(
+              /set "Persona=faculty"/g,
+              `set "Persona=${safePersona}"`
+            );
+            scriptContent = scriptContent.replace(
+              /if "%Persona%"=="" set "Persona=faculty"/g,
+              `if "%Persona%"=="" set "Persona=${safePersona}"`
+            );
+            scriptContent = scriptContent.replace(
+              /if "%PERSONA%"=="" set PERSONA=faculty/g,
+              `if "%PERSONA%"=="" set PERSONA=${safePersona}`
+            );
+          } else if (script.endsWith('.ps1')) {
+            // Update PowerShell script - handle multiple patterns
+            scriptContent = scriptContent.replace(
+              /\$Persona = if \(\$args\[0\]\) \{ \$args\[0\] \} else \{ "faculty" \}/g,
+              `$Persona = if ($args[0]) { $args[0] } else { "${safePersona}" }`
+            );
+            scriptContent = scriptContent.replace(
+              /"faculty"/g,
+              `"${safePersona}"`
+            );
+          }
+          fs.writeFileSync(scriptPath, scriptContent);
+          console.log(`Updated main distribution ${script} to default to ${safePersona} persona`);
+        } catch (err) {
+          console.warn(`Failed to update main distribution ${script} for ${safePersona}: ${err.message}`);
+        }
+      }
+    }
+    
     // Step 11: Create version file
     console.log(`Step 11: Creating version file...`);
     const date = new Date().toISOString().split('T')[0];
@@ -1030,9 +1763,34 @@ export async function setupBackend(force = false) {
     
     process.chdir(backendPath);
     
+    // Get the appropriate Python command dynamically
+    const pythonCmd = getDynamicPythonCommand();
+    console.log(`Using Python command: ${pythonCmd}`);
+    
+    // Verify Python is available
+    try {
+      console.log(`Verifying Python is available...`);
+      const result = spawnSync(pythonCmd, ['--version'], { 
+        stdio: 'pipe',
+        encoding: 'utf8',
+      });
+      if (result.status !== 0) {
+        throw new Error(`Python version check failed with exit code ${result.status}`);
+      }
+    } catch (error) {
+      console.error(`Python not found using command: ${pythonCmd}`);
+      console.error(`Error details: ${error.message}`);
+      console.error(`\nTo install Python on Windows:`);
+      console.error(`1. Download Python from https://python.org/downloads/`);
+      console.error(`2. Or install from Microsoft Store: run 'python' in PowerShell and follow prompts`);
+      console.error(`3. Ensure Python is added to your PATH during installation`);
+      console.error(`4. Or run setup.ps1 to install Python automatically`);
+      return { success: false, error: new Error(`Python not available.`) };
+    }
+    
     // Create virtual environment
     console.log('Creating Python virtual environment...');
-    await spawnCommand(pythonCommand, ['-m', 'venv', 'venv']);
+    await spawnCommand(pythonCmd, ['-m', 'venv', 'venv']);
     
     // Install requirements
     console.log('Installing Python dependencies...');
@@ -1085,7 +1843,7 @@ export async function startBackend() {
       ? path.join(venvPath, 'Scripts', 'python.exe')
       : path.join(venvPath, 'bin', 'python');
       
-    await spawnCommand(pm2Command, [
+    await executePM2Command([
       'start', 'main.py',
       '--name', 'backend',
       '--interpreter', venvPythonPath
@@ -1160,13 +1918,46 @@ export async function setupOllama(force = false) {
 
     // Download Ollama
     console.log(`Downloading Ollama from ${ollamaDownloadUrl}...`);
+    console.log(`This may take a few minutes depending on your internet connection...`);
 
+    /**
+     * File downloads are handled directly by system tools:
+     * - Windows: PowerShell Invoke-WebRequest
+     * - Linux: curl (native system command)
+     */
+    if (isWindows) {
+      // Get the proper PowerShell path
+      const powerShellPath = ALLOWED_COMMANDS_CONFIG.powershell.path;
+      console.log(`Using PowerShell at: ${powerShellPath}`);
+
+      await spawnCommand(powerShellPath, [
+        '-Command',
+        `Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "${ollamaDownloadUrl}" -OutFile "${ollamaArchive}" -UseBasicParsing -TimeoutSec 600`
+      ], { timeout: 650000 }); // 10+ minute timeout
+      console.log('PowerShell download completed successfully');
+    } else {
+      // On Linux, use curl
+      await spawnCommand('curl', [
+        '--fail', '--location', '--retry', '5', '--retry-delay', '10',
+        '--connect-timeout', '60', '--max-time', '600', // 10 minute max time
+        '--progress-bar', '--output', ollamaArchive, ollamaDownloadUrl
+      ], { timeout: 650000 }); // 10+ minute timeout
+      console.log('Curl download completed successfully');
+    }
+
+    console.log('Extracting Ollama archive...');
+    
     if (isWindows) {
-      await spawnCommand('curl', ['-L', ollamaDownloadUrl, '-o', ollamaArchive]);
       // Extract directly into the current directory (ollama)
-      await spawnCommand('powershell', ['-Command', `Expand-Archive -Path "${ollamaArchive}" -DestinationPath "." -Force`]);
+      const powerShellPath = ALLOWED_COMMANDS_CONFIG.powershell.path;
+      await spawnCommand(powerShellPath, ['-Command', `Expand-Archive -Path "${ollamaArchive}" -DestinationPath "." -Force`]);
+      
+      // Clean up the downloaded archive file to save space
+      if (fs.existsSync(ollamaArchive)) {
+        console.log(`Cleaning up downloaded archive: ${ollamaArchive}`);
+        fs.unlinkSync(ollamaArchive);
+      }
     } else {
-      await spawnCommand('curl', ['-L', ollamaDownloadUrl, '-o', ollamaArchive]);
       // Extract directly into the current directory (ollama)
       await spawnCommand('tar', ['-xzf', ollamaArchive, '--strip-components=1']);
       
@@ -1237,7 +2028,7 @@ export async function startOllama() {
       // Set environment variables for Ollama
       const envVars = getOllamaEnvironmentVariables(root);
       
-      await spawnCommand(pm2Command, [
+      await executePM2Command([
         'start', 'ollama.exe',
         '--name', 'ollama',
         '--env', JSON.stringify(envVars)
@@ -1256,7 +2047,7 @@ export async function startOllama() {
       const envVars = getOllamaEnvironmentVariables(root);
       
       console.log('Starting Ollama with PM2 on Linux using start-ollama.sh...');
-      await spawnCommand(pm2Command, [
+      await executePM2Command([
         'start', './start-ollama.sh',
         '--name', 'ollama',
         '--env', JSON.stringify(envVars)
@@ -1295,7 +2086,7 @@ export async function startFrontend(persona) {
     }
     
     if (isSafeRelativePath(standaloneDir)) {
-      process.chdir(new URL(`file://${path.resolve(standaloneDir)}`).pathname);
+      process.chdir(fileURLToPath(new URL(`file://${path.resolve(standaloneDir)}`)));
     } else {
       throw new Error(`Unsafe standalone directory detected: ${standaloneDir}`);
     }
@@ -1304,7 +2095,7 @@ export async function startFrontend(persona) {
     // Start frontend with PM2 using the standalone server.js
     console.log('Starting frontend with PM2 using standalone server.js...');
     
-    await spawnCommand(pm2Command, [
+    await executePM2Command([
       'start', 'server.js',
       '--name', 'frontend',
       '--env', JSON.stringify({
@@ -1333,7 +2124,7 @@ export async function startServices(persona) {
   // Kill PM2 daemon to avoid stale state or path issues
   try {
     console.log('Killing PM2 daemon to ensure a clean state...');
-    await spawnCommand(pm2Command, ['pm2', 'kill']);
+    await executePM2Command(['kill']);
     console.log('PM2 daemon killed successfully.');
   } catch (err) {
     console.warn('Failed to kill PM2 daemon (it may not be running):', err);
@@ -1455,14 +2246,14 @@ export async function startServices(persona) {
     if (useDistPackage) {
       console.log(`Changing directory to distribution package: ${distPackage}`);
       if (isSafeRelativePath(distPackage)) {
-        process.chdir(new URL(`file://${path.resolve(distPackage)}`).pathname);
+        process.chdir(fileURLToPath(new URL(`file://${path.resolve(distPackage)}`)));
         console.log(`New working directory: ${process.cwd()}`);
       } else {
         throw new Error(`Unsafe distribution package directory detected: ${distPackage}`);
       }
     }
     // Start PM2 services
-    await spawnCommand(pm2Command, ['pm2', 'start', configToUse, '--namespace', projectTag]); // !DEBUG
+    await executePM2Command(['start', configToUse, '--namespace', projectTag]); // !DEBUG
     console.log(`All services started successfully for persona: ${persona}`);
     
     // Check and display service status using checkServicesStatus instead of running pm2 list directly
@@ -1513,11 +2304,11 @@ export async function stopServices(force = false) {
     // Use the ecosystem config if it exists
     if (fs.existsSync(ecosystem)) {
       console.log(`${force ? 'Removing' : 'Stopping'} all services using PM2 ecosystem config...`);
-      await spawnCommand(pm2Command, ['pm2', force ? 'delete' : 'stop', 'all', '--namespace', namespace]);
+      await executePM2Command([force ? 'delete' : 'stop', 'all', '--namespace', namespace]);
     } else {
       // Fallback to stopping all services manually by namespace
       console.log(`${force ? 'Removing' : 'Stopping'} all services manually by namespace...`);
-      await spawnCommand(pm2Command, ['pm2', force ? 'delete' : 'stop', 'all', '--namespace', namespace]);
+      await executePM2Command([force ? 'delete' : 'stop', 'all', '--namespace', namespace]);
     }
     
     console.log(`All services ${force ? 'removed' : 'stopped'} successfully.`);
@@ -1539,17 +2330,24 @@ export function getServiceList() {
     const namespace = getPM2Namespace();
     console.log(`Filtering PM2 services by namespace: ${namespace}`);
 
-    // Check that 'pm2Command' is safe before calling execCommand
-    if (!lookupCommandInfo(pm2Command)) {
-      throw new Error(`Command not allowed: ${pm2Command}`);
-    }
-
-    // Validate the arguments
-    const pm2Args = ['pm2', 'jlist', '--silent'];
-    for (const arg of pm2Args) {
-      if (!SAFE_ARG_REGEX.test(arg)) throw new Error(`Unsafe argument: ${arg}`);
+    // Fix PM2 command execution for Windows
+    let listResult;
+    if (isWindows) {
+      // On Windows, try to run PM2 directly using Node.js
+      const nodePath = fs.existsSync(path.join(NODE_DIR, 'node.exe')) ? path.join(NODE_DIR, 'node.exe') : 'node';
+      const pm2BinPath = path.join(WORKING_DIR, 'node_modules', 'pm2', 'bin', 'pm2');
+      
+      if (fs.existsSync(pm2BinPath)) {
+        // Use Node.js to run PM2 directly
+        listResult = execCommand([nodePath, pm2BinPath, 'jlist', '--silent']);
+      } else {
+        // Fallback to npx, but use cmd.exe as shell
+        listResult = execCommand(['cmd', '/c', 'npx', 'pm2', 'jlist', '--silent']);
+      }
+    } else {
+      // On Linux, use the original approach
+      listResult = execCommand([pm2Command, 'pm2', 'jlist', '--silent']);
     }
-    const listResult = execCommand([pm2Command, ...pm2Args]);
     
     if (!listResult.success) {
       const exitCode = listResult.code || 'unknown';
@@ -1574,9 +2372,15 @@ export function getServiceList() {
       const allProcesses = JSON.parse(listResult.output);
       console.log(`Found ${allProcesses.length} total PM2 processes`);
 
-      // For debugging
-      fs.writeFileSync('/tmp/pm2_all_processes.json', JSON.stringify(allProcesses, null, 2));
-      console.log('Saved all PM2 processes to /tmp/pm2_all_processes.json for debugging');
+      // For debugging - save to a cross-platform temp location
+      const tempDir = isWindows ? process.env.TEMP || 'C:\\temp' : '/tmp';
+      const debugFile = path.join(tempDir, 'pm2_all_processes.json');
+      try {
+        fs.writeFileSync(debugFile, JSON.stringify(allProcesses, null, 2));
+        console.log(`Saved all PM2 processes to ${debugFile} for debugging`);
+      } catch (err) {
+        console.warn('Failed to save debug file:', err.message);
+      }
 
       // Filter processes by namespace
       const fullServices = allProcesses.filter(process => {
@@ -1691,15 +2495,17 @@ export function checkServicesStatus() {
     
     // Save service details to a file for debugging
     try {
-      fs.writeFileSync('/tmp/service_status.json', JSON.stringify({
+      const tempDir = isWindows ? process.env.TEMP || 'C:\\temp' : '/tmp';
+      const statusFile = path.join(tempDir, 'service_status.json');
+      fs.writeFileSync(statusFile, JSON.stringify({
         success, 
         serviceCount, 
         serviceNames, 
         namespace
       }, null, 2));
-      console.log('Saved service status to /tmp/service_status.json for debugging');
+      console.log(`Saved service status to ${statusFile} for debugging`);
     } catch (err) {
-      console.warn('Failed to save service status to file:', err);
+      console.warn('Failed to save service status to file:', err.message);
     }
     
     if (serviceCount === 0) {
@@ -1794,44 +2600,49 @@ function getPM2Namespace() {
 }
 
 // Command line interface
-if (import.meta.url === `file://${__filename}`) {
-  const command = process.argv[2];
-  const personaArg = process.argv[3];
-  const persona = allowedPersonaMap[personaArg] || 'faculty';
-  const safePersona = getPersonaFromKey(persona);
-  const force = process.argv.includes('--force');
-  
-  // Update paths whenever the CLI is invoked directly
-  const { root } = resolvePaths({ persona });
-  
-  switch (command) {
-    case 'build':
-      buildPersona(safePersona, force);
-      break;
-    case 'create-package':
-      createDistPackage(safePersona, force);
-      break;
-    case 'setup-backend':
-      setupBackend(force);
-      break;
-    case 'start-backend':
-      startBackend();
-      break;
-    case 'setup-ollama':
-      setupOllama(force);
-      break;
-    case 'start-ollama':
-      startOllama();
-      break;
-    case 'start':
-      startServices(safePersona);
-      break;
-    case 'stop':
-      // Check for force flag (either as --force or -f)
-      const forceStop = process.argv.includes('--force') || process.argv.includes('-f') || process.env.FORCE === 'true';
-      stopServices(forceStop);
-      break;
-    case 'status':
+const normalizedFilename = __filename.replace(/\\/g, '/');
+const linuxMetaUrl = `file://${normalizedFilename}`
+
+if (import.meta.url === linuxMetaUrl || import.meta.url === `file:///${normalizedFilename}` ) {
+  async function runCLI() {
+    try {
+      const command = process.argv[2];
+      const personaArg = process.argv[3];
+      const persona = allowedPersonaMap[personaArg] || 'faculty';
+      const safePersona = getPersonaFromKey(persona);
+      const force = process.argv.includes('--force');
+      
+      // Update paths whenever the CLI is invoked directly
+      const { root } = resolvePaths({ persona });
+      
+      switch (command) {
+        case 'build':
+          await buildPersona(safePersona, force);
+          break;
+        case 'create-package':
+          await createDistPackage(safePersona, force);
+          break;
+        case 'setup-backend':
+          await setupBackend(force);
+          break;
+        case 'start-backend':
+          await startBackend();
+          break;
+        case 'setup-ollama':
+          await setupOllama(force);
+          break;
+        case 'start-ollama':
+          await startOllama();
+          break;
+        case 'start':
+          await startServices(safePersona);
+          break;
+        case 'stop':
+          // Check for force flag (either as --force or -f)
+          const forceStop = process.argv.includes('--force') || process.argv.includes('-f') || process.env.FORCE === 'true';
+          await stopServices(forceStop);
+          break;
+        case 'status':
       try {
         // Check for output format options
         const jsonFormat = process.argv.includes('--json') || process.argv.includes('-j');
@@ -2007,11 +2818,15 @@ if (import.meta.url === `file://${__filename}`) {
         }
       }
       break;
-    case 'uninstall':
-      uninstallServices();
-      break;
-    default:
-      console.log(`
+        case 'test':
+          console.log('Test command working');
+          break;
+        case 'uninstall':
+          // uninstallServices() - this function doesn't exist, so just log for now
+          console.log('Uninstall functionality not yet implemented');
+          break;
+        default:
+          console.log(`
 Usage: node utils.mjs <command> [persona] [--force] [options]
 
 Commands:
@@ -2019,8 +2834,8 @@ Commands:
   create-package <persona> Create a distribution package for a specific persona
   setup-backend            Setup backend environment
   start-backend             Start backend server
-  setup-ollama]      Setup Ollama 
-  start-ollama      Start Ollama 
+  setup-ollama             Setup Ollama 
+  start-ollama             Start Ollama 
   start <persona>          Start all services for a specific persona
   stop                     Stop all services
   status                   Check status of all services with configured namespace
@@ -2035,5 +2850,17 @@ Options:
   --human, -h              For 'status' command: Display human-readable output
                            Can be combined with --quiet to get clean human-readable output
 `);
+      }
+    } catch (error) {
+      console.error(`Error executing command: ${error.message}`);
+      console.error(`Stack trace: ${error.stack}`);
+      process.exit(1);
+    }
   }
+  
+  // Run the CLI
+  runCLI().catch((error) => {
+    console.error('Unhandled error in CLI:', error);
+    process.exit(1);
+  });
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/scripts/win/install.ps1 b/scripts/win/install.ps1
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7005955
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/win/install.ps1
@@ -0,0 +1,576 @@
+# Copyright (C) 2025 Intel Corporation
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+
+# Set error action preference to stop on any error
+$ErrorActionPreference = "Stop"
+
+# Add global error handler
+trap {
+    Write-Host "ERROR: An unexpected error occurred during installation:" -ForegroundColor Red
+    Write-Host $_.Exception.Message -ForegroundColor Red
+    Write-Host "Error occurred at line: $($_.InvocationInfo.ScriptLineNumber)" -ForegroundColor Red
+    Write-Host "Full error details:" -ForegroundColor Red
+    Write-Host $_.Exception.ToString() -ForegroundColor Red
+    exit 1
+}
+
+Write-Host "Installing application components..."
+
+# Default persona is faculty if not specified
+$Persona = if ($args[0]) { $args[0] } else { "faculty" }
+$ForceFlag = ""
+
+# Check if force flag is provided
+if ($args[1] -eq "--force") {
+    $ForceFlag = "--force"
+}
+
+# Check for development mode environment variable
+$DevMode = if ($env:DEV_MODE) { $env:DEV_MODE } else { "false" }
+if ($DevMode -eq "true") {
+    Write-Host "Development mode enabled - installing minimal dependencies for development"
+}
+
+# Get script directory and project root
+$ScriptDir = Split-Path -Parent $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Definition
+$ProjectRoot = Split-Path (Split-Path $ScriptDir -Parent) -Parent
+Set-Location $ProjectRoot
+
+# Function to find the dist package directory for a given persona
+function Find-DistPackage {
+    param($persona)
+    
+    $distDir = Join-Path $ProjectRoot "dist"
+    $packageName = ""
+    
+    # If we're running from the root repository and it's explicitly specified,
+    # we shouldn't use any existing distribution package
+    if ($script:IsRootRepo -eq $true -and $args[1] -eq "--from-root") {
+        return $null
+    }
+    
+    if (-not (Test-Path $distDir)) {
+        return $null
+    }
+    
+    if ($persona -eq "faculty") {
+        # For faculty persona, find directories that don't end with persona names
+        $packageName = Get-ChildItem $distDir -Directory | 
+            Where-Object { $_.Name -notmatch "-lecturer$" -and $_.Name -notmatch "-student$" -and $_.Name -ne "dist" } |
+            Sort-Object Name | Select-Object -Last 1
+    } else {
+        # For other personas, find directories that end with the persona name
+        $packageName = Get-ChildItem $distDir -Directory |
+            Where-Object { $_.Name -match "-$persona$" } |
+            Sort-Object Name | Select-Object -Last 1
+    }
+    
+    if ($packageName -and (Test-Path (Join-Path $packageName.FullName ".version"))) {
+        return $packageName.FullName
+    } else {
+        return $null
+    }
+}
+
+# Detect environment - repository or distribution package
+$IsDistPackage = $false
+$IsRootRepo = $false
+
+# Check if this is the root repository by looking for specific development directories
+if (Test-Path (Join-Path $ProjectRoot "frontend\src")) {
+    $IsRootRepo = $true
+    Write-Host "Detected root repository environment"
+}
+
+# Check if this is a distribution package by looking for the .version file
+if (Test-Path (Join-Path $ProjectRoot ".version")) {
+    $IsDistPackage = $true
+    $Version = Get-Content (Join-Path $ProjectRoot ".version")
+    Write-Host "Detected distribution package environment (version: $Version)"
+} else {
+    if ((Test-Path (Join-Path $ProjectRoot "thirdparty\node")) -and -not (Test-Path (Join-Path $ProjectRoot ".version"))) {
+        Write-Host "Detected repository environment (with Node.js installed)"
+    } else {
+        Write-Host "Detected repository environment"
+    }
+}
+
+# Create directory structure in project root
+$null = New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path (Join-Path $ProjectRoot "scripts")
+$null = New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path (Join-Path $ProjectRoot "thirdparty\node")
+$null = New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path (Join-Path $ProjectRoot "thirdparty\ollama")
+$null = New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path (Join-Path $ProjectRoot "thirdparty\jq")
+$null = New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path (Join-Path $ProjectRoot "thirdparty\pm2")
+$null = New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path (Join-Path $ProjectRoot "node_modules")
+
+# Create root .env file from template if it doesn't exist
+$EnvFile = Join-Path $ProjectRoot ".env"
+$EnvTemplate = Join-Path $ProjectRoot ".env.template"
+if (-not (Test-Path $EnvFile) -and (Test-Path $EnvTemplate)) {
+    Write-Host "Creating root .env file from template..."
+    Copy-Item $EnvTemplate $EnvFile
+    Write-Host "Root .env file created successfully."
+} elseif (-not (Test-Path $EnvFile) -and -not (Test-Path $EnvTemplate)) {
+    Write-Host "Warning: No .env.template found in root directory. Skipping .env creation."
+} else {
+    Write-Host "Root .env file already exists."
+}
+
+# Check for local Node.js installation
+$NodeDir = Join-Path $ProjectRoot "thirdparty\node"
+$NodeBin = Join-Path $NodeDir "node.exe"
+$NpmBin = Join-Path $NodeDir "npm.cmd"
+
+# If Node.js is not installed locally, download and install it
+if (-not (Test-Path $NodeBin)) {
+    Write-Host "Installing Node.js locally..."
+    
+    # Create Node.js directory
+    $null = New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path $NodeDir
+    
+    # Determine system architecture
+    $Arch = $env:PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE
+    if ($Arch -eq "AMD64") {
+        $NodeArch = "x64"
+    } elseif ($Arch -eq "ARM64") {
+        $NodeArch = "arm64"
+    } else {
+        Write-Host "Unsupported architecture: $Arch"
+        exit 1
+    }
+    
+    # Download and extract Node.js
+    $NodeVersion = "22.16.0"
+    $NodeZip = "node-v$NodeVersion-win-$NodeArch.zip"
+    $NodeUrl = "https://nodejs.org/dist/v$NodeVersion/$NodeZip"
+    $TempZip = Join-Path $env:TEMP $NodeZip
+    
+    Write-Host "Downloading Node.js from $NodeUrl..."
+    Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $NodeUrl -OutFile $TempZip
+    
+    Write-Host "Extracting Node.js..."
+    Expand-Archive -Path $TempZip -DestinationPath $env:TEMP -Force
+    $ExtractedDir = Join-Path $env:TEMP "node-v$NodeVersion-win-$NodeArch"
+    
+    # Use robocopy for better handling of long paths and deep directory structures
+    Write-Host "Copying Node.js files (this may take a moment)..."
+    $RobocopyArgs = @(
+        "`"$ExtractedDir`"",
+        "`"$NodeDir`"",
+        "/E",           # Copy subdirectories, including empty ones
+        "/R:3",         # Retry 3 times on failed copies
+        "/W:1",         # Wait 1 second between retries
+        "/NFL",         # No file list (reduce output)
+        "/NDL",         # No directory list
+        "/NJH",         # No job header
+        "/NJS",         # No job summary
+        "/NC",          # No class
+        "/NS",          # No size
+        "/NP"           # No progress
+    )
+    
+    $RobocopyResult = & robocopy @RobocopyArgs
+    $RobocopyExitCode = $LASTEXITCODE
+    
+    # Robocopy exit codes 0-7 are success, 8+ are errors
+    if ($RobocopyExitCode -ge 8) {
+        Write-Host "Warning: Some files may not have been copied correctly (robocopy exit code: $RobocopyExitCode)"
+        Write-Host "Attempting fallback copy method..."
+        
+        # Fallback to PowerShell copy with error handling
+        try {
+            Copy-Item -Path "$ExtractedDir\*" -Destination $NodeDir -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction Stop
+        } catch {
+            Write-Host "Error during Node.js installation: $($_.Exception.Message)"
+            Write-Host "Some files with very long paths may not have been copied."
+            Write-Host "Node.js should still function correctly for basic operations."
+        }
+    } else {
+        Write-Host "Node.js files copied successfully."
+    }
+    
+    Remove-Item $TempZip -Force
+    Remove-Item $ExtractedDir -Recurse -Force
+
+    Write-Host "Node.js installed locally at $NodeDir"
+} else {
+    Write-Host "Node.js already available at $NodeDir"
+}
+
+# Check for local jq installation
+$JqDir = Join-Path $ProjectRoot "thirdparty\jq"
+$JqBin = Join-Path $JqDir "jq.exe"
+
+# If jq is not installed locally, download and install it
+if (-not (Test-Path $JqBin)) {
+    Write-Host "Installing jq locally..."
+    
+    # Create jq directory
+    $null = New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path $JqDir
+    
+    # Determine system architecture
+    $Arch = $env:PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE
+    if ($Arch -eq "AMD64") {
+        $JqArch = "amd64"
+    } elseif ($Arch -eq "ARM64") {
+        $JqArch = "arm64"
+    } else {
+        Write-Host "Unsupported architecture: $Arch"
+        exit 1
+    }
+    
+    # Download jq
+    $JqVersion = "1.7"
+    $JqUrl = "https://github.com/jqlang/jq/releases/download/jq-$JqVersion/jq-windows-$JqArch.exe"
+    
+    Write-Host "Downloading jq from $JqUrl..."
+    Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $JqUrl -OutFile $JqBin
+    
+    Write-Host "jq installed locally at $JqBin"
+} else {
+    Write-Host "jq already available at $JqBin"
+}
+
+# Add Node.js to PATH so npm can find it
+$env:PATH = "$NodeDir;$env:PATH"
+
+# Install necessary dependencies based on environment
+if ($IsDistPackage -eq $false) {
+    # Repository environment - install all dependencies and build from source
+    Write-Host "Installing for repository environment..."
+    
+    # Create a package.json for script dependencies if it doesn't exist
+    $PackageJsonPath = Join-Path $ProjectRoot "package.json"
+    if (-not (Test-Path $PackageJsonPath)) {
+        Write-Host "Creating package.json for script dependencies..."
+        $PackageJson = @'
+{
+  "name": "ci-scripts",
+  "private": true,
+  "type": "module",
+  "dependencies": {
+    "fs-extra": "^11.3.0",
+    "archiver": "^7.0.1",
+    "commander": "^14.0.0",
+    "pm2": "^6.0.8"
+  }
+}
+'@
+        $PackageJson | Out-File -FilePath $PackageJsonPath -Encoding UTF8
+    }
+
+    # Install script dependencies if needed or forced
+    $NodeModulesPath = Join-Path $ProjectRoot "node_modules"
+    $FsExtraPath = Join-Path $NodeModulesPath "fs-extra"
+    
+    if ($ForceFlag -eq "--force" -or -not (Test-Path $NodeModulesPath) -or -not (Test-Path $FsExtraPath)) {
+        Write-Host "Installing script dependencies..."
+        & $NpmBin install --no-progress --no-color
+    } else {
+        Write-Host "Script dependencies already installed. Use --force to reinstall."
+    }
+
+    # Install frontend dependencies if needed or forced
+    Set-Location "frontend"
+    $FrontendNodeModules = Join-Path $ProjectRoot "frontend\node_modules"
+    if ($ForceFlag -eq "--force" -or -not (Test-Path $FrontendNodeModules)) {
+        Write-Host "Installing frontend dependencies..."
+        & $NpmBin install --no-progress --no-color
+    } else {
+        Write-Host "Frontend dependencies already installed. Use --force to reinstall."
+    }
+    
+    # Create .env file from .env.template if it doesn't exist
+    $FrontendEnv = ".env"
+    $FrontendEnvTemplate = ".env.template"
+    
+    if (-not (Test-Path $FrontendEnv) -and (Test-Path $FrontendEnvTemplate)) {
+        Write-Host "Creating frontend/.env file from template..."
+        Copy-Item $FrontendEnvTemplate $FrontendEnv
+
+        # Generate a random secret for Payload CMS
+        Write-Host "Generating Payload CMS secret"
+        $RNG = [System.Security.Cryptography.RandomNumberGenerator]::Create()
+        $RandomBytes = New-Object byte[] 32
+        $RNG.GetBytes($RandomBytes)
+        $PayloadSecret = [Convert]::ToBase64String($RandomBytes)
+        $RNG.Dispose()
+        
+        # Set PAYLOAD_SECRET only if it is empty (matches install.sh pattern)
+        $envContent = Get-Content $FrontendEnv
+        $envContent = $envContent -replace '^PAYLOAD_SECRET=$', ('PAYLOAD_SECRET="' + $PayloadSecret + '"')
+        $envContent | Set-Content $FrontendEnv
+
+        Write-Host "Frontend .env file created successfully."
+    } elseif (-not (Test-Path $FrontendEnv) -and -not (Test-Path $FrontendEnvTemplate)) {
+        Write-Host "Warning: No .env.template found in frontend directory. Skipping .env creation."
+    } else {
+        # If .env exists and PAYLOAD_SECRET is empty, update it
+        $envContent = Get-Content $FrontendEnv
+        if ($envContent -match '^PAYLOAD_SECRET=$') {
+            Write-Host "Updating PAYLOAD_SECRET in existing frontend .env file"
+            $RNG = [System.Security.Cryptography.RandomNumberGenerator]::Create()
+            $RandomBytes = New-Object byte[] 32
+            $RNG.GetBytes($RandomBytes)
+            $PayloadSecret = [Convert]::ToBase64String($RandomBytes)
+            $RNG.Dispose()
+            $envContent = $envContent -replace '^PAYLOAD_SECRET=$', ('PAYLOAD_SECRET="' + $PayloadSecret + '"')
+            $envContent | Set-Content $FrontendEnv
+            Write-Host "Updated PAYLOAD_SECRET in existing frontend .env file."
+        } else {
+            Write-Host "Frontend .env file already exists and PAYLOAD_SECRET is set."
+        }
+    }
+    
+    Set-Location ".."
+
+    # Skip build and distribution package creation in development mode
+    if ($DevMode -eq "true") {
+        # Add Node.js bin, jq, and PM2 to local path file for other scripts in development mode
+        Write-Host "Creating node_env.ps1 script for development mode..."
+        $NodeEnvContent = @"
+# node_env.ps1
+`$env:PATH = "$NodeDir;$JqDir;$(Join-Path $ProjectRoot 'node_modules\.bin');`$env:PATH"
+`$env:THIRDPARTY_DIR = "$(Join-Path $ProjectRoot 'thirdparty')"
+`$env:IS_DIST_PACKAGE = "false"
+`$env:DEV_MODE = "true"
+"@
+        $NodeEnvPath = Join-Path $ProjectRoot "node_env.ps1"
+        $NodeEnvContent | Out-File -FilePath $NodeEnvPath -Encoding UTF8
+        Write-Host "node_env.ps1 created successfully at: $NodeEnvPath"
+        
+        # Source the environment file to ensure paths are available for setup scripts
+        . $NodeEnvPath
+        
+        # Setup backend environment - ensure we're in the root directory
+        Set-Location $ProjectRoot
+        $ForceArg = if ($ForceFlag) { $ForceFlag } else { "" }
+        # Set environment variable for proper path resolution
+        $env:IS_DIST_PACKAGE = "false"
+        $env:DEV_MODE = "true"
+        try {
+            & $NodeBin (Join-Path $ProjectRoot "scripts\utils.mjs") "setup-backend" $ForceArg
+            if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
+                throw "Backend setup failed with exit code: $LASTEXITCODE"
+            }
+            Write-Host "Backend setup completed successfully."
+        } catch {
+            Write-Host "ERROR: Backend setup failed:" -ForegroundColor Red
+            Write-Host $_.Exception.Message -ForegroundColor Red
+            exit 1
+        }
+        
+        # Setup Ollama - ensure we're in the root directory
+        Set-Location $ProjectRoot
+        # Set environment variable for proper path resolution
+        $env:IS_DIST_PACKAGE = "false"
+        $env:DEV_MODE = "true"
+        try {
+            & $NodeBin (Join-Path $ProjectRoot "scripts\utils.mjs") "setup-ollama"
+            if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
+                throw "Ollama setup failed with exit code: $LASTEXITCODE"
+            }
+            Write-Host "Ollama setup completed successfully."
+        } catch {
+            Write-Host "ERROR: Ollama setup failed:" -ForegroundColor Red
+            Write-Host $_.Exception.Message -ForegroundColor Red
+            exit 1
+        }
+
+        Write-Host "Development environment installation completed."
+        Write-Host ""
+        Write-Host "To start development:"
+        Write-Host "1. Source the environment: . .\node_env.ps1"
+        Write-Host "2. Start Ollama with required environment variables:"
+        Write-Host "   cd thirdparty\ollama"
+        Write-Host "   # Set environment variables from .env file"
+        Write-Host "   .\ollama.exe serve"
+        Write-Host "3. In one terminal - Start frontend: cd frontend && npm run dev"
+        Write-Host "4. In another terminal - Start backend: cd backend && python main.py --debug"
+        exit 0
+    }
+
+    # If we're running from the root repo, build and create distribution package then exit
+    if ($IsRootRepo -eq $true) {
+        # Build the application
+        Write-Host "Building the application for persona: $Persona..."
+        & $NodeBin (Join-Path $ProjectRoot "scripts\utils.mjs") "build" $Persona $ForceFlag
+        
+        # Create distribution package
+        Write-Host "Creating distribution package for persona: $Persona..."
+        & $NodeBin (Join-Path $ProjectRoot "scripts\utils.mjs") "create-package" $Persona $ForceFlag
+        
+        # Exit after creating distribution package (like install.sh does)
+        exit 0
+    } else {
+        # For non-root repository environments, show guidance
+        Write-Host "Non-root repository environment detected."
+        Write-Host "Please run this script from the root repository directory to build and create distribution packages."
+        Write-Host "Or manually build the application first with:"
+        Write-Host "& `"$NodeBin`" `"$(Join-Path $ProjectRoot 'scripts\utils.mjs')`" build $Persona"
+        Write-Host "& `"$NodeBin`" `"$(Join-Path $ProjectRoot 'scripts\utils.mjs')`" create-package $Persona"
+        exit 1
+    }
+} else {
+    # Distribution package environment - already built, just install runtime dependencies
+    Write-Host "Installing for distribution package environment..."
+    
+    # Create a minimal package.json for runtime dependencies if it doesn't exist
+    $PackageJsonPath = Join-Path $ProjectRoot "package.json"
+    if (-not (Test-Path $PackageJsonPath)) {
+        Write-Host "Creating package.json for runtime dependencies..."
+        $PackageJson = @'
+{
+  "name": "ci-runtime",
+  "private": true,
+  "type": "module",
+  "dependencies": {
+    "fs-extra": "^11.3.0",
+    "archiver": "^7.0.1",
+    "commander": "^14.0.0",
+    "pm2": "^6.0.8"
+  }
+}
+'@
+        $PackageJson | Out-File -FilePath $PackageJsonPath -Encoding UTF8
+    }
+    
+    # Install minimal runtime dependencies if needed or forced
+    $NodeModulesPath = Join-Path $ProjectRoot "node_modules"
+    $FsExtraPath = Join-Path $NodeModulesPath "fs-extra"
+    
+    if ($ForceFlag -eq "--force" -or -not (Test-Path $NodeModulesPath) -or -not (Test-Path $FsExtraPath)) {
+        Write-Host "Installing runtime dependencies..."
+        & $NpmBin install --no-progress --no-color
+    } else {
+        Write-Host "Runtime dependencies already installed. Use --force to reinstall."
+    }
+    
+    # Generate PAYLOAD_SECRET for distribution package .env files
+    Write-Host "Setting up PayloadCMS secrets for distribution package..."
+    
+    # Check if this is a faculty distribution package (default persona)
+    $StandaloneEnvPath = Join-Path $ScriptDir "next-faculty\standalone\.env"
+    if (Test-Path $StandaloneEnvPath) {
+        $envContent = Get-Content $StandaloneEnvPath -Raw
+        if ($envContent -match 'PAYLOAD_SECRET=""' -or $envContent -match '^PAYLOAD_SECRET=$') {
+            Write-Host "Generating Payload CMS secret for next-faculty/standalone/.env"
+            $RNG = [System.Security.Cryptography.RandomNumberGenerator]::Create()
+            $RandomBytes = New-Object byte[] 32
+            $RNG.GetBytes($RandomBytes)
+            $PayloadSecret = [Convert]::ToBase64String($RandomBytes)
+            $RNG.Dispose()
+            
+            # Replace empty PAYLOAD_SECRET with generated secret
+            $envContent = $envContent -replace 'PAYLOAD_SECRET=""', ('PAYLOAD_SECRET="' + $PayloadSecret + '"')
+            $envContent = $envContent -replace '^PAYLOAD_SECRET=$', ('PAYLOAD_SECRET="' + $PayloadSecret + '"')
+            $envContent | Set-Content $StandaloneEnvPath -NoNewline
+            Write-Host "PAYLOAD_SECRET generated successfully for next-faculty/standalone/.env"
+        } else {
+            Write-Host "PAYLOAD_SECRET already set in next-faculty/standalone/.env"
+        }
+    }
+    
+    # Check for other persona distribution packages (lecturer, student)
+    $LecturerStandaloneEnvPath = Join-Path $ScriptDir "next-lecturer\standalone\.env"
+    if (Test-Path $LecturerStandaloneEnvPath) {
+        $envContent = Get-Content $LecturerStandaloneEnvPath -Raw
+        if ($envContent -match 'PAYLOAD_SECRET=""' -or $envContent -match '^PAYLOAD_SECRET=$') {
+            Write-Host "Generating Payload CMS secret for next-lecturer/standalone/.env"
+            $RNG = [System.Security.Cryptography.RandomNumberGenerator]::Create()
+            $RandomBytes = New-Object byte[] 32
+            $RNG.GetBytes($RandomBytes)
+            $PayloadSecret = [Convert]::ToBase64String($RandomBytes)
+            $RNG.Dispose()
+            
+            # Replace empty PAYLOAD_SECRET with generated secret
+            $envContent = $envContent -replace 'PAYLOAD_SECRET=""', ('PAYLOAD_SECRET="' + $PayloadSecret + '"')
+            $envContent = $envContent -replace '^PAYLOAD_SECRET=$', ('PAYLOAD_SECRET="' + $PayloadSecret + '"')
+            $envContent | Set-Content $LecturerStandaloneEnvPath -NoNewline
+            Write-Host "PAYLOAD_SECRET generated successfully for next-lecturer/standalone/.env"
+        } else {
+            Write-Host "PAYLOAD_SECRET already set in next-lecturer/standalone/.env"
+        }
+    }
+    
+    $StudentStandaloneEnvPath = Join-Path $ScriptDir "next-student\standalone\.env"
+    if (Test-Path $StudentStandaloneEnvPath) {
+        $envContent = Get-Content $StudentStandaloneEnvPath -Raw
+        if ($envContent -match 'PAYLOAD_SECRET=""' -or $envContent -match '^PAYLOAD_SECRET=$') {
+            Write-Host "Generating Payload CMS secret for next-student/standalone/.env"
+            $RNG = [System.Security.Cryptography.RandomNumberGenerator]::Create()
+            $RandomBytes = New-Object byte[] 32
+            $RNG.GetBytes($RandomBytes)
+            $PayloadSecret = [Convert]::ToBase64String($RandomBytes)
+            $RNG.Dispose()
+            
+            # Replace empty PAYLOAD_SECRET with generated secret
+            $envContent = $envContent -replace 'PAYLOAD_SECRET=""', ('PAYLOAD_SECRET="' + $PayloadSecret + '"')
+            $envContent = $envContent -replace '^PAYLOAD_SECRET=$', ('PAYLOAD_SECRET="' + $PayloadSecret + '"')
+            $envContent | Set-Content $StudentStandaloneEnvPath -NoNewline
+            Write-Host "PAYLOAD_SECRET generated successfully for next-student/standalone/.env"
+        } else {
+            Write-Host "PAYLOAD_SECRET already set in next-student/standalone/.env"
+        }
+    }
+    
+    # Setup backend environment
+    Write-Host "Setting up backend environment..."
+    $ForceArg = if ($ForceFlag) { $ForceFlag } else { "" }
+    # Set environment variable for proper path resolution
+    $env:IS_DIST_PACKAGE = "true"
+    $env:DEV_MODE = "false"
+    try {
+        & $NodeBin (Join-Path $ProjectRoot "scripts\utils.mjs") "setup-backend" $ForceArg
+        if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
+            throw "Backend setup failed with exit code: $LASTEXITCODE"
+        }
+        Write-Host "Backend setup completed successfully."
+    } catch {
+        Write-Host "ERROR: Backend setup failed:" -ForegroundColor Red
+        Write-Host $_.Exception.Message -ForegroundColor Red
+        exit 1
+    }
+    
+    # Setup Ollama
+    Write-Host "Setting up Ollama..."
+    # Set environment variable for proper path resolution
+    $env:IS_DIST_PACKAGE = "true"
+    $env:DEV_MODE = "false"
+    try {
+        & $NodeBin (Join-Path $ProjectRoot "scripts\utils.mjs") "setup-ollama"
+        if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
+            throw "Ollama setup failed with exit code: $LASTEXITCODE"
+        }
+        Write-Host "Ollama setup completed successfully."
+    } catch {
+        Write-Host "ERROR: Ollama setup failed:" -ForegroundColor Red
+        Write-Host $_.Exception.Message -ForegroundColor Red
+        exit 1
+    }
+    
+    # Add Node.js bin, jq, and PM2 to local path file for other scripts
+    Write-Host "Creating node_env.ps1 script for distribution package environment..."
+    $NodeEnvContent = @"
+# node_env.ps1
+`$env:PATH = "$NodeDir;$JqDir;$(Join-Path $ProjectRoot 'node_modules\.bin');`$env:PATH"
+`$env:THIRDPARTY_DIR = "$(Join-Path $ProjectRoot 'thirdparty')"
+`$env:IS_DIST_PACKAGE = "true"
+`$env:DEV_MODE = "false"
+"@
+    $NodeEnvPath = Join-Path $ProjectRoot "node_env.ps1"
+    $NodeEnvContent | Out-File -FilePath $NodeEnvPath -Encoding UTF8
+    Write-Host "node_env.ps1 created successfully at: $NodeEnvPath"
+
+    Write-Host "Distribution package environment setup completed."
+}
+
+Write-Host "Installation completed successfully"
+Write-Host ""
+Write-Host "To complete the installation, double click or run the following command in PowerShell terminal (without administrator privileges):"
+Write-Host "-----------------------------------------------------------------------"
+Write-Host ".\run.ps1"
+Write-Host ""
+
+# Explicit successful exit
+exit 0
diff --git a/scripts/win/run.ps1 b/scripts/win/run.ps1
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4290972
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/win/run.ps1
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+# Copyright (C) 2025 Intel Corporation
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+
+Write-Host "Starting the application..."
+
+# Default persona is faculty if not specified, but auto-detect from directory structure
+$Persona = if ($args[0]) { 
+    $args[0] 
+} else { 
+    # Auto-detect persona from next-* directories
+    $NextDirs = Get-ChildItem -Directory -Name "next-*" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+    if ($NextDirs) {
+        $DetectedPersona = $NextDirs[0] -replace "^next-", ""
+        Write-Host "Auto-detected persona from directory structure: $DetectedPersona"
+        $DetectedPersona
+    } else {
+        # Try to detect from package name patterns in current directory
+        $CurrentDir = Split-Path -Leaf (Get-Location)
+        if ($CurrentDir -match "expert-advisor") {
+            Write-Host "Auto-detected lecturer persona from package name"
+            "lecturer"
+        } elseif ($CurrentDir -match "learning-companion") {
+            Write-Host "Auto-detected student persona from package name"
+            "student"
+        } elseif ($CurrentDir -match "curriculum-builder") {
+            Write-Host "Auto-detected faculty persona from package name"
+            "faculty"
+        } else {
+            Write-Host "No persona indicators found, defaulting to faculty"
+            "faculty"
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+# Get script directory and project root
+$ScriptDir = Split-Path -Parent $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Definition
+$ProjectRoot = Split-Path (Split-Path $ScriptDir -Parent) -Parent
+Set-Location $ProjectRoot
+
+# Source local Node.js environment if it exists
+$NodeEnvScript = Join-Path $ProjectRoot "node_env.ps1"
+if (Test-Path $NodeEnvScript) {
+    . $NodeEnvScript
+} else {
+    Write-Host "Error: node_env.ps1 not found. Please run the install script first."
+    exit 1
+}
+
+# Use local Node.js
+$NodeBin = Join-Path $ProjectRoot "thirdparty\node\node.exe"
+if (Test-Path $NodeBin) {
+    & $NodeBin "scripts\utils.mjs" "start" $Persona
+} else {
+    Write-Host "Error: Local Node.js installation not found. Please run the install script first."
+    exit 1
+}
+
+Write-Host "Application started successfully for persona: $Persona"
+Write-Host ""
+Write-Host "Access the web interface at:"
+Write-Host "--------------------------------------------------------"
+Write-Host "http://localhost:8080"
+Write-Host ""
+Write-Host "To stop the application, run the following command:"
+Write-Host "--------------------------------------------------------"
+Write-Host ".\stop.ps1"
+Write-Host ""
+Write-Host "To uninstall the application, run the following command:"
+Write-Host "--------------------------------------------------------"
+Write-Host ".\uninstall.ps1"
+Write-Host ""
diff --git a/scripts/win/setup.ps1 b/scripts/win/setup.ps1
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1587582
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/win/setup.ps1
@@ -0,0 +1,146 @@
+# Copyright (C) 2025 Intel Corporation
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+
+Write-Host "Setting up system-level dependencies (requires administrator privileges)..."
+
+# Function to check if running as administrator
+function Test-Administrator {
+    $currentUser = [Security.Principal.WindowsIdentity]::GetCurrent()
+    $principal = New-Object Security.Principal.WindowsPrincipal($currentUser)
+    return $principal.IsInRole([Security.Principal.WindowsBuiltInRole]::Administrator)
+}
+
+# Install winget if not available
+function Install-Winget {
+    Write-Host "Checking if winget is available..."
+
+    try {
+        $wingetVersion = winget --version 2>$null
+        if ($LASTEXITCODE -eq 0) {
+            Write-Host "winget is already available: $wingetVersion"
+            return
+        }
+    } catch {
+        # winget not found, continue with installation
+    }
+    
+    Write-Host "Installing winget (App Installer)..."
+    try {
+        # Install App Installer package which includes winget
+        Add-AppxPackage -RegisterByFamilyName -MainPackage Microsoft.DesktopAppInstaller_8wekyb3d8bbwe
+        Write-Host "winget installed successfully."
+    } catch {
+        Write-Warning "Failed to install winget automatically. Please install manually from Microsoft Store (App Installer)."
+    }
+}
+
+# Install Python 3.12 using winget
+function Install-Python {
+    Write-Host "Checking if Python 3.12 or higher is installed..."
+
+    try {
+        $pythonVersion = python --version 2>$null
+        if ($LASTEXITCODE -eq 0) {
+            if ($pythonVersion -match "Python (\d+)\.(\d+)") {
+                $major = [int]$matches[1]
+                $minor = [int]$matches[2]
+                if ($major -gt 3 -or ($major -eq 3 -and $minor -ge 12)) {
+                    Write-Host "Python $major.$minor is already installed: $pythonVersion"
+                    return
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        Write-Host "Installing Python 3.12..."
+        winget install --id Python.Python.3.12 --silent --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements
+        if ($LASTEXITCODE -eq 0) {
+            Write-Host "Python 3.12 installed successfully."
+        } else {
+            Write-Warning "Failed to install Python 3.12 via winget. Please install manually from python.org"
+        }
+    } catch {
+        Write-Host "Installing Python 3.12..."
+        try {
+            winget install --id Python.Python.3.12 --silent --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements
+            if ($LASTEXITCODE -eq 0) {
+                Write-Host "Python 3.12 installed successfully."
+            } else {
+                Write-Warning "Failed to install Python 3.12 via winget. Please install manually from python.org"
+            }
+        } catch {
+            Write-Warning "Failed to install Python 3.12. Please install manually from python.org"
+        }
+    }
+
+    # Create python3 alias using symbolic link
+    Write-Host "Creating python3 alias..."
+    try {
+        # Get the Python installation path
+        $pythonPath = (Get-Command python -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue).Source
+        if ($pythonPath) {
+            $python3SymlinkPath = "$env:USERPROFILE\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps\python3.exe"
+
+            # Create symbolic link if it doesn't exist
+            if (-not (Test-Path $python3SymlinkPath)) {
+                New-Item -ItemType SymbolicLink -Path $python3SymlinkPath -Target $pythonPath -Force
+                Write-Host "Created python3.exe symbolic link successfully."
+            } else {
+                Write-Host "python3.exe symbolic link already exists."
+            }
+        } else {
+            Write-Warning "Could not find python.exe to create python3 alias."
+        }
+    } catch {
+        Write-Warning "Could not create python3 alias. You may need to use 'python' instead of 'python3'."
+    }
+}
+
+# Enable long path support
+function Enable-LongPaths {
+    Write-Host "Enabling long path support..."
+    try {
+        $regPath = "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem"
+        $regKey = "LongPathsEnabled"
+        $regValue = 1
+
+        Set-ItemProperty -Path $regPath -Name $regKey -Value $regValue -Force
+        Write-Host "Long path support enabled."
+    } catch {
+        Write-Warning "Failed to enable long path support. This may cause issues with deep directory structures."
+    }
+}
+
+# Detect environment - repository or distribution package
+$ScriptDir = Split-Path -Parent $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Definition
+$ProjectRoot = Split-Path (Split-Path $ScriptDir -Parent) -Parent
+if (Test-Path (Join-Path $ProjectRoot ".version")) {
+    # This is a distribution package
+    $Version = Get-Content (Join-Path $ProjectRoot ".version")
+    Write-Host "Detected distribution package environment (version: $Version)"
+} else {
+    Write-Host "Detected repository environment"
+}
+
+# Check if running as administrator
+if (-not (Test-Administrator)) {
+    Write-Host "This script requires administrator privileges. Please run as administrator."
+    Write-Host "Right-click on PowerShell and select 'Run as administrator', then run this script again."
+    exit 1
+}
+
+# Enable PowerShell script execution if needed
+$executionPolicy = Get-ExecutionPolicy
+if ($executionPolicy -eq "Restricted") {
+    Write-Host "Enabling PowerShell script execution..."
+    Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope LocalMachine -Force
+}
+
+Enable-LongPaths
+Install-Winget
+Install-Python
+
+Write-Host "System-level setup completed successfully."
+Write-Host ""
+Write-Host "To complete the installation, double click or run the following command in PowerShell terminal (without administrator privileges):"
+Write-Host "-----------------------------------------------------------------------"
+Write-Host ".\install.ps1"
+Write-Host ""
diff --git a/scripts/win/stop.ps1 b/scripts/win/stop.ps1
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..964652d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/win/stop.ps1
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+# Copyright (C) 2025 Intel Corporation
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+
+Write-Host "Stopping the application..."
+
+# Get script directory and project root
+$ScriptDir = Split-Path -Parent $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Definition
+$ProjectRoot = Split-Path (Split-Path $ScriptDir -Parent) -Parent
+Set-Location $ProjectRoot
+
+# Source local Node.js environment if it exists
+$NodeEnvScript = Join-Path $ProjectRoot "node_env.ps1"
+if (Test-Path $NodeEnvScript) {
+    . $NodeEnvScript
+} else {
+    Write-Host "Error: node_env.ps1 not found. Please run the install script first."
+    exit 1
+}
+
+# Check if FORCE environment variable is set (to completely remove services instead of just stopping them)
+$ForceFlag = ""
+if ($env:FORCE -eq "true") {
+    Write-Host "FORCE flag detected. Services will be completely removed instead of just stopped."
+    $ForceFlag = "--force"
+}
+
+# Use local Node.js
+$NodeBin = Join-Path $ProjectRoot "thirdparty\node\node.exe"
+if (Test-Path $NodeBin) {
+    if ($ForceFlag) {
+        & $NodeBin "scripts\utils.mjs" "stop" $ForceFlag
+    } else {
+        & $NodeBin "scripts\utils.mjs" "stop"
+    }
+} else {
+    Write-Host "Error: Local Node.js installation not found. Please run the install script first."
+    exit 1
+}
+
+if ($ForceFlag) {
+    Write-Host "Application removed successfully"
+} else {
+    Write-Host "Application stopped successfully"
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/scripts/win/uninstall.ps1 b/scripts/win/uninstall.ps1
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7882a5e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/win/uninstall.ps1
@@ -0,0 +1,318 @@
+# Copyright (C) 2025 Intel Corporation
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+
+Write-Host "Uninstalling the application..."
+
+# Navigate to project root
+$ScriptDir = Split-Path -Parent $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Definition
+$ProjectRoot = Split-Path (Split-Path $ScriptDir -Parent) -Parent
+Set-Location $ProjectRoot
+
+# Source local Node.js environment if it exists
+$NodeEnvScript = Join-Path $ScriptDir "node_env.ps1"
+if (Test-Path $NodeEnvScript) {
+    . $NodeEnvScript
+}
+
+# Function to safely remove directories with long paths
+function Remove-DirectorySafely {
+    param($path)
+    
+    if (-not (Test-Path $path)) {
+        return
+    }
+    
+    try {
+        # First try the standard removal
+        Remove-Item $path -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction Stop
+    } catch {
+        # If that fails, try using robocopy to create an empty directory and mirror it
+        # This is a Windows-specific technique for handling long paths
+        Write-Host "Standard removal failed for $path, trying alternative method..."
+        
+        try {
+            # Create a temporary empty directory
+            $tempDir = Join-Path $env:TEMP "empty_$(Get-Random)"
+            New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $tempDir -Force | Out-Null
+            
+            # Use robocopy to mirror the empty directory over the target (effectively deleting it)
+            $null = & robocopy $tempDir $path /MIR /R:0 /W:0 /NP /NFL /NDL /NJH /NJS 2>$null
+            
+            # Remove the now-empty target directory
+            Remove-Item $path -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+            
+            # Clean up the temporary directory
+            Remove-Item $tempDir -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+            
+            Write-Host "Successfully removed $path using alternative method"
+        } catch {
+            Write-Host "Warning: Could not fully remove $path. Some files may remain due to path length limitations."
+            Write-Host "You may need to manually delete this directory or use a tool like 'rimraf' or 'rd /s /q'"
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+# Function to find the distribution package directory for a given persona
+function Find-DistPackage {
+    param($persona)
+    
+    $distDir = Join-Path $RepoDir "dist"
+    $packageName = ""
+    
+    if (-not (Test-Path $distDir)) {
+        return $null
+    }
+    
+    if ($persona -eq "faculty") {
+        # For faculty persona, find directories that don't end with persona names
+        $packageName = Get-ChildItem $distDir -Directory | 
+            Where-Object { $_.Name -notmatch "-lecturer$" -and $_.Name -notmatch "-student$" -and $_.Name -ne "dist" } |
+            Sort-Object Name | Select-Object -Last 1
+    } else {
+        # For other personas, find directories that end with the persona name
+        $packageName = Get-ChildItem $distDir -Directory |
+            Where-Object { $_.Name -match "-$persona$" } |
+            Sort-Object Name | Select-Object -Last 1
+    }
+    
+    if ($packageName -and (Test-Path (Join-Path $packageName.FullName ".version"))) {
+        return $packageName.FullName
+    } else {
+        return $null
+    }
+}
+
+# Detect environment - repository or distribution package
+$IsDistPackage = $false
+if (Test-Path (Join-Path $ProjectRoot ".version")) {
+    # This is a distribution package
+    $IsDistPackage = $true
+    $Version = Get-Content (Join-Path $ProjectRoot ".version")
+    Write-Host "Detected distribution package environment (version: $Version)"
+} else {
+    Write-Host "Detected repository environment"
+    
+    # Default persona is faculty if not specified
+    $Persona = if ($args[0]) { $args[0] } else { "faculty" }
+}
+
+# Store original repository directory
+$RepoDir = $ProjectRoot
+    
+    # When running from repository, always use repository scripts
+    if (Test-Path (Join-Path $RepoDir ".git")) {
+        Write-Host "Repository environment detected. Will use repository scripts for uninstallation."
+        
+        # Check if dist package exists (for informational purposes only)
+        $DistPackage = Find-DistPackage $Persona
+        
+        if ($DistPackage -and (Test-Path (Join-Path $DistPackage ".version"))) {
+            Write-Host "Found dist package at: $DistPackage (but will use repository scripts for uninstallation)"
+        } else {
+            Write-Host "No valid dist package found. Will use repository scripts for uninstallation."
+        }
+        
+        # Keep RepoDir pointing to the repository root
+    } else {
+        Write-Host "ERROR: Not in a repository or dist package environment."
+        Write-Host "Please run .\install.ps1 $Persona first to create a dist package."
+        exit 1
+    }
+# }
+
+# Source local Node.js environment if it exists (again after environment detection)
+$NodeEnvScript = Join-Path $ProjectRoot "node_env.ps1"
+if (Test-Path $NodeEnvScript) {
+    . $NodeEnvScript
+}
+
+# Set environment variable for utils.mjs
+$env:IS_DIST_PACKAGE = $IsDistPackage.ToString().ToLower()
+
+# Determine which utils.mjs to use - if we're running from repository but targeting
+# a distribution package, we still want to use the utils.mjs from the repository
+$UtilsScript = "scripts\utils.mjs"
+if ($IsDistPackage -eq $false -and $RepoDir) {
+    $UtilsPath = Join-Path $RepoDir $UtilsScript
+} else {
+    $UtilsPath = Join-Path $ProjectRoot $UtilsScript
+}
+
+# Try to use utils.mjs if Node.js is available
+if ($IsDistPackage -eq $true) {
+    $NodeBin = Join-Path $ProjectRoot "thirdparty\node\node.exe"
+} else {
+    $NodeBin = Join-Path $RepoDir "thirdparty\node\node.exe"
+}
+
+# First check if required modules are installed
+if ((Test-Path $NodeBin) -and (Test-Path $UtilsPath)) {
+    Write-Host "Found local Node.js binary and utils.mjs script..."
+    
+    # Try to run the script with a simple check
+    try {
+        & $NodeBin -e "process.exit(0);" 2>$null
+        if ($LASTEXITCODE -eq 0) {
+            Write-Host "Node.js is working. Attempting to use utils.mjs to stop services..."
+            # Run the actual command but suppress output unless there's an error
+            & $NodeBin $UtilsPath "uninstall" 2>$null
+            if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
+                Write-Host "Failed to run utils.mjs (missing modules like fs-extra). Skipping PM2 process management."
+            }
+        } else {
+            Write-Host "Node.js binary found but not working properly. Skipping PM2 process management."
+        }
+    } catch {
+        Write-Host "Node.js binary found but not working properly. Skipping PM2 process management."
+    }
+} else {
+    # Skip PM2 process management if utils.mjs or Node.js is not available
+    Write-Host "Local Node.js or utils.mjs not found. Skipping PM2 process management."
+    Write-Host "Please reinstall the application first if you want to properly uninstall all services."
+}
+
+# Check if components should be removed
+$RemoveComponents = $false
+$SkipTestLogs = $false
+
+# Check if we should skip removing test logs
+if ($env:SKIP_REMOVE_TEST_LOGS) {
+    Write-Host "Will skip removing test logs as requested via SKIP_REMOVE_TEST_LOGS"
+    $SkipTestLogs = $true
+}
+
+# Skip component removal if SKIP_REMOVE_COMPONENTS is set
+if ($env:SKIP_REMOVE_COMPONENTS) {
+    Write-Host "Skipping component removal as requested via SKIP_REMOVE_COMPONENTS"
+} elseif ($env:FORCE_REMOVE_COMPONENTS) {
+    # Force component removal for automated testing
+    Write-Host "Forcing component removal as requested via FORCE_REMOVE_COMPONENTS"
+    $RemoveComponents = $true
+} else {
+    # Ask if the user wants to remove installed components
+    $answer = Read-Host "Do you want to remove all installed components? (y/n)"
+    if ($answer -match "^[Yy]") {
+        $RemoveComponents = $true
+    }
+}
+
+# Kill running Node.js, PM2, and Ollama processes before removal
+Write-Host "Stopping any running Node.js, PM2, and Ollama processes..."
+try {
+    $nodeProcs = Get-Process -Name node -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+    if ($nodeProcs) {
+        Write-Host "Killing node.exe processes..."
+        $nodeProcs | ForEach-Object { $_.Kill() }
+    }
+} catch {}
+try {
+    $pm2Procs = Get-Process -Name pm2 -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+    if ($pm2Procs) {
+        Write-Host "Killing pm2 processes..."
+        $pm2Procs | ForEach-Object { $_.Kill() }
+    }
+} catch {}
+try {
+    $ollamaProcs = Get-Process | Where-Object { $_.Name -like '*ollama*' }
+    if ($ollamaProcs) {
+        Write-Host "Killing all processes with 'ollama' in their name..."
+        $ollamaProcs | ForEach-Object { $_.Kill() }
+    }
+} catch {}
+# try {
+#     $ollamaLibProcs = Get-Process -Name ollama-lib,ollama-lib.exe -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+#     if ($ollamaLibProcs) {
+#         Write-Host "Killing ollama-lib.exe processes..."
+#         $ollamaLibProcs | ForEach-Object { $_.Kill() }
+#     }
+# } catch {}
+
+# Remove components if requested
+if ($RemoveComponents -eq $true) {
+    Write-Host "Removing installed components..."
+    
+    # Remove backend virtual environment
+    $VenvPath = "backend\venv"
+    if (Test-Path $VenvPath) {
+        Write-Host "Removing backend virtual environment..."
+        Remove-DirectorySafely $VenvPath
+    }
+    
+    # Remove frontend build and node_modules
+    $NextPath = "frontend\.next"
+    if (Test-Path $NextPath) {
+        Write-Host "Removing frontend build..."
+        Remove-DirectorySafely $NextPath
+    }
+    
+    # Remove all next-<persona> build directories in frontend folder
+    if (Test-Path "frontend") {
+        $nextDirs = Get-ChildItem "frontend" -Directory | Where-Object { $_.Name -match "^next-" }
+        foreach ($nextDir in $nextDirs) {
+            Write-Host "Removing $($nextDir.FullName) build directory..."
+            Remove-DirectorySafely $nextDir.FullName
+        }
+    }
+    
+    $FrontendNodeModules = "frontend\node_modules"
+    if (Test-Path $FrontendNodeModules) {
+        Write-Host "Removing frontend node_modules..."
+        Remove-DirectorySafely $FrontendNodeModules
+    }
+    
+    # Remove root node_modules directory
+    if (Test-Path "node_modules") {
+        Write-Host "Removing root node_modules..."
+        Remove-DirectorySafely "node_modules"
+    }
+    
+    # Remove thirdparty directory (includes Node.js and Ollama)
+    if (Test-Path "thirdparty") {
+        Write-Host "Removing thirdparty directory (Node.js, Ollama, etc.)..."
+        Remove-DirectorySafely "thirdparty"
+    }
+    
+    # Remove data directory
+    if (Test-Path "data") {
+        Write-Host "Removing data directory..."
+        Remove-DirectorySafely "data"
+    }
+    
+    # Remove test logs directory (unless explicitly told to skip it)
+    if ((Test-Path "tests\logs") -and ($SkipTestLogs -ne $true)) {
+        Write-Host "Removing test logs directory..."
+        Remove-DirectorySafely "tests\logs"
+    } elseif ((Test-Path "tests\logs") -and ($SkipTestLogs -eq $true)) {
+        Write-Host "Skipping removal of test logs directory as requested..."
+    }
+    
+    # Remove node_env.ps1 script
+    if (Test-Path "node_env.ps1") {
+        Write-Host "Removing node_env.ps1 script..."
+        Remove-Item "node_env.ps1" -Force
+    }
+    
+    # Remove package.json and package-lock.json
+    if (Test-Path "package.json") {
+        Write-Host "Removing package.json..."
+        Remove-Item "package.json" -Force
+    }
+    
+    if (Test-Path "package-lock.json") {
+        Write-Host "Removing package-lock.json..."
+        Remove-Item "package-lock.json" -Force
+    }
+    
+    # Remove dist packages - make sure to use the repository directory if we're in repo mode
+    if (($IsDistPackage -eq $false) -and $RepoDir -and (Test-Path (Join-Path $RepoDir "dist"))) {
+        Write-Host "Removing dist packages from repository..."
+        Remove-DirectorySafely (Join-Path $RepoDir "dist")
+    } elseif (Test-Path "dist") {
+        Write-Host "Removing dist packages..."
+        Remove-DirectorySafely "dist"
+    }
+    
+    Write-Host "All components removed successfully."
+}
+
+Write-Host "Uninstallation completed successfully"
diff --git a/setup_win.bat b/setup_win.bat
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3ae53d7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/setup_win.bat
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+REM Copyright (C) 2025 Intel Corporation
+REM SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+
+@echo off
+setlocal enabledelayedexpansion
+REM Simple setup script - runs setup.ps1 as administrator
+set SCRIPT_DIR=%~dp0
+
+echo This script will install system level dependencies:
+echo 1. Winget
+echo 2. Python 3.12 (if lower or not already installed)
+REM Check for distribution package powershell\setup.ps1
+set SETUP_SCRIPT=%SCRIPT_DIR%scripts\win\setup.ps1
+if exist "%SCRIPT_DIR%dist\" (
+    for /f "delims=" %%i in ('dir "%SCRIPT_DIR%dist\university-curriculum-enabling-tool-*" /b /ad 2^>nul') do (
+        set DIST_PACKAGE=%%i
+    )
+    if defined DIST_PACKAGE (
+        if exist "%SCRIPT_DIR%dist\%DIST_PACKAGE%\powershell\setup.ps1" (
+            set SETUP_SCRIPT=%SCRIPT_DIR%dist\%DIST_PACKAGE%\powershell\setup.ps1
+            echo Using distribution package: %%i
+        )
+    )
+)
+echo Running setup.ps1 as administrator...
+powershell -Command "Start-Process PowerShell -Verb RunAs -ArgumentList '-NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File \"%SETUP_SCRIPT%\"' -Wait"
+
+if %ERRORLEVEL% EQU 0 (
+    echo Setup completed successfully. Please double click install.bat to install the application.
+    timeout /t 2 /nobreak >nul
+) else (
+    echo Setup failed with error code %ERRORLEVEL%
+    echo Press Enter to close this window...
+    pause >nul
+    exit /b %ERRORLEVEL%
+)
+
diff --git a/stop_win.bat b/stop_win.bat
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b339d6d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/stop_win.bat
@@ -0,0 +1,161 @@
+REM Copyright (C) 2025 Intel Corporation
+REM SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+
+@echo off
+setlocal enabledelayedexpansion
+
+REM Initialize variables
+set SCRIPT_DIR=%~dp0
+set WORKING_DIR=%SCRIPT_DIR%
+set DIST_PACKAGE=
+set StopResult=0
+set ForceFlag=
+
+echo ================================================================
+echo  UNIVERSITY CURRICULUM ENABLING TOOL - STOP SCRIPT
+echo ================================================================
+echo.
+
+REM Detect distribution package or project root
+echo [INFO] Detecting installation type...
+if exist "%SCRIPT_DIR%dist\" (
+    for /f "delims=" %%i in ('dir "%SCRIPT_DIR%dist\university-curriculum-enabling-tool-*" /b /ad 2^>nul') do (
+        set DIST_PACKAGE=%%i
+    )
+    if defined DIST_PACKAGE (
+        if exist "%SCRIPT_DIR%dist\!DIST_PACKAGE!\node_env.ps1" (
+            set WORKING_DIR=%SCRIPT_DIR%dist\!DIST_PACKAGE!
+            echo [INFO] Using distribution package: !DIST_PACKAGE!
+        ) else (
+            echo [INFO] Distribution package found but incomplete: !DIST_PACKAGE!
+        )
+    ) else (
+        echo [INFO] No distribution package found in dist folder
+    )
+) else (
+    echo [INFO] No dist folder found
+)
+
+if not defined DIST_PACKAGE (
+    echo [INFO] Using project root installation
+)
+
+echo [INFO] Working directory: !WORKING_DIR!
+echo.
+
+REM Change to working directory
+echo [INFO] Changing to working directory...
+cd /d "!WORKING_DIR!" || (
+    echo [ERROR] Failed to change to working directory: !WORKING_DIR!
+    set StopResult=1
+    goto :finish
+)
+
+REM Check for FORCE flag
+if /I "%FORCE%"=="true" set ForceFlag=--force
+if /I "%1"=="--force" set ForceFlag=--force
+if defined ForceFlag (
+    echo [INFO] FORCE flag detected - services will be completely removed
+) else (
+    echo [INFO] Normal stop mode - services will be stopped
+)
+
+REM Validate environment
+echo [INFO] Validating environment...
+if not exist "node_env.ps1" (
+    echo [ERROR] node_env.ps1 not found in !WORKING_DIR!
+    echo [ERROR] Please run the install script first
+    set StopResult=1
+    goto :finish
+)
+
+REM Source environment variables
+echo [INFO] Loading Node.js environment...
+for /f "usebackq tokens=*" %%E in (`powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File node_env.ps1 2^>nul ^| findstr /r /c:"^set "`) do (
+    %%E
+)
+
+REM Validate Node.js installation
+set NodeBin=!WORKING_DIR!\thirdparty\node\node.exe
+echo [INFO] Checking Node.js at: !NodeBin!
+if not exist "!NodeBin!" (
+    echo [ERROR] Local Node.js installation not found
+    echo [ERROR] Expected path: !NodeBin!
+    echo [ERROR] Please run the install script first
+    set StopResult=1
+    goto :finish
+)
+
+REM Execute stop command
+echo.
+echo [INFO] Attempting to stop application services...
+if exist "scripts\win\stop.ps1" (
+    powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "scripts\win\stop.ps1" %* >nul 2>&1
+    set StopResult=%ERRORLEVEL%
+) else if defined ForceFlag (
+    echo [INFO] Executing: "!NodeBin!" scripts\utils.mjs stop --force
+    "!NodeBin!" scripts\utils.mjs stop --force >nul 2>&1
+    set StopResult=!ERRORLEVEL!
+    if !StopResult! EQU 0 (
+        echo [SUCCESS] Application services removed successfully
+    ) else (
+        echo [ERROR] Application removal failed with error code: !StopResult!
+    )
+) else (
+    echo [INFO] Executing: "!NodeBin!" scripts\utils.mjs stop
+    "!NodeBin!" scripts\utils.mjs stop >nul 2>&1
+    set StopResult=!ERRORLEVEL!
+    if !StopResult! EQU 0 (
+        echo [SUCCESS] Application services stopped successfully
+    ) else (
+        echo [ERROR] Application stop failed with error code: !StopResult!
+    )
+)
+
+REM Final cleanup
+echo.
+echo [INFO] Freeing processes on application ports...
+for %%p in (8080 8016 11434) do (
+    for /f "tokens=5" %%a in ('netstat -ano 2^>nul ^| findstr ":%%p "') do (
+        taskkill /f /pid %%a >nul 2>&1
+    )
+)
+echo [INFO] Final cleanup completed
+
+:finish
+echo.
+echo ================================================================
+if !StopResult! EQU 0 (
+    echo  APPLICATION STOPPED SUCCESSFULLY
+    echo ================================================================
+    echo.
+    echo The application has been stopped successfully.
+    if defined ForceFlag (
+        echo All services have been completely removed.
+    ) else (
+        echo All services have been stopped.
+    )
+    echo.
+    echo Please manually close any remaining command prompt windows
+    echo to complete the application shutdown process.
+) else (
+    echo  APPLICATION STOP FAILED
+    echo ================================================================
+    echo.
+    echo An error occurred while stopping the application.
+    echo Error code: !StopResult!
+    echo.
+    echo Please check the error messages above and try again.
+    echo If the problem persists, you may need to:
+    echo   1. Run the install script to fix the environment
+    echo   2. Manually terminate any running processes
+    echo   3. Use the --force flag: stop.bat --force
+)
+echo.
+echo ================================================================
+echo Press Enter to close this window...
+echo ================================================================
+pause >nul
+
+REM Final cleanup (always executed)
+if exist "%SCRIPT_DIR%run.lock" del /f /q "%SCRIPT_DIR%run.lock" >nul 2>&1
diff --git a/uninstall_win.bat b/uninstall_win.bat
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0375ccd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/uninstall_win.bat
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+REM Copyright (C) 2025 Intel Corporation
+REM SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+
+@echo off
+REM Run uninstall.ps1 using PowerShell without administrator privileges
+set SCRIPT_DIR=%~dp0
+
+REM Check if we should run from distributed package or project root
+set UNINSTALL_SCRIPT="%SCRIPT_DIR%scripts\win\uninstall.ps1"
+
+REM Look for distribution package in dist folder
+if exist "%SCRIPT_DIR%dist\" (
+    REM Find the latest distribution package (university-curriculum-enabling-tool-*)
+    for /f "delims=" %%i in ('dir "%SCRIPT_DIR%dist\university-curriculum-enabling-tool-*" /b /ad 2^>nul') do (
+        set DIST_PACKAGE=%%i
+    )
+
+    REM If distribution package exists and has scripts\win\uninstall.ps1, use it
+    if defined DIST_PACKAGE (
+        if exist "%SCRIPT_DIR%dist\%DIST_PACKAGE%\scripts\win\uninstall.ps1" (
+            set UNINSTALL_SCRIPT="%SCRIPT_DIR%dist\%DIST_PACKAGE%\scripts\win\uninstall.ps1"
+            echo Using distribution package: %DIST_PACKAGE%
+        )
+    )
+)
+
+if not defined DIST_PACKAGE (
+    echo Using project root installation
+)
+
+echo Uninstalling the application...
+powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File %UNINSTALL_SCRIPT% %*
+
+REM Check if uninstall.ps1 succeeded (exit code 0)
+if %ERRORLEVEL% EQU 0 (
+    echo Application uninstalled successfully!
+) else (
+    echo Uninstallation failed with error code %ERRORLEVEL%
+    echo Press any key to close this window...
+    pause >nul
+    exit /b %ERRORLEVEL%
+)