diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f605e4062
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitattributes
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+# Windows script files must check out with CRLF regardless of the cloner's
+# core.autocrlf setting. cmd.exe can misparse a multi-line parenthesized block
+# (`if errorlevel 1 ( ... )`) in a .bat stored with LF endings, and the failure
+# looks like a syntax error rather than a line-ending problem.
+*.bat text eol=crlf
+*.ps1 text eol=crlf
diff --git a/software/main_hcs.bat b/software/main_hcs.bat
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e5a7ecc5b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/software/main_hcs.bat
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+@echo off
+REM Launch Squid HCS on Windows, via the virtualenv that setup_windows.ps1 builds.
+REM
+REM This exists so a startup failure stays readable: a shortcut pointed straight at
+REM python.exe closes its console the instant the process dies, so a bad config or a
+REM missing camera driver would flash past unreadable. It is the counterpart of
+REM Terminal=true in the .desktop entry setup_22.04.sh writes on Ubuntu.
+REM
+REM Usage:  main_hcs.bat [args...]      e.g.  main_hcs.bat --simulation
+
+setlocal
+
+REM control/_def.py resolves "configuration*.ini" and cache\ relative to the working
+REM directory, so run from the software root no matter where this was invoked from.
+cd /d "%~dp0"
+
+if not exist ".venv\Scripts\python.exe" (
+    echo.
+    echo ERROR: no virtualenv found at "%~dp0.venv".
+    echo Run setup_windows.ps1 first:
+    echo.
+    echo     powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File setup_windows.ps1
+    echo.
+    pause
+    exit /b 1
+)
+
+".venv\Scripts\python.exe" main_hcs.py %*
+
+if errorlevel 1 (
+    echo.
+    echo Squid exited with error code %errorlevel%.
+    pause
+)
+
+endlocal
diff --git a/software/setup_windows.ps1 b/software/setup_windows.ps1
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c54179c19
--- /dev/null
+++ b/software/setup_windows.ps1
@@ -0,0 +1,304 @@
+<#
+.SYNOPSIS
+    Set up the Squid HCS software on Windows 10/11 (x64).
+
+.DESCRIPTION
+    The Windows counterpart to setup_22.04.sh. Installs Git and Python, clones the
+    repo, builds a virtualenv with the pinned PyQt6 + napari stack, seeds the
+    machine configuration, and creates Desktop shortcuts.
+
+    Differences from the Ubuntu script, all forced by the platform:
+
+      * A virtualenv is used instead of a system-wide pip install. Windows has no
+        distro Python to keep clean, and an isolated env is the only way to
+        guarantee exactly one Qt binding is present.
+      * apt / udev / dialout / apt-mark steps have no Windows equivalent and are
+        dropped. Serial ports need no group membership here.
+      * Camera drivers are vendor installers rather than bundled .run files.
+        ToupTek needs nothing (see below); Daheng needs the Galaxy SDK.
+
+.PARAMETER RepoPath
+    Where the repo lives (or will be cloned). Defaults to <Desktop>\Squid.
+
+.PARAMETER SkipPrereqs
+    Skip installing Git/Python via winget. Use when they are already present or
+    managed some other way.
+
+.EXAMPLE
+    powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File setup_windows.ps1
+
+.EXAMPLE
+    powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File setup_windows.ps1 -RepoPath D:\Squid
+#>
+
+[CmdletBinding()]
+param(
+    [string] $RepoPath = (Join-Path ([Environment]::GetFolderPath('Desktop')) 'Squid'),
+    [switch] $SkipPrereqs
+)
+
+# Equivalent of `set -eo pipefail`: stop on the first error rather than limping on
+# with a half-built environment.
+$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
+$ProgressPreference = 'SilentlyContinue'  # keeps winget/pip progress bars out of logs
+
+$RepoHttp = 'https://github.com/Cephla-Lab/Squid.git'
+$PythonVersionId = 'Python.Python.3.12'  # 3.12 is the tested interpreter
+
+function Write-Step { param([string] $Message) Write-Host "`n==> $Message" -ForegroundColor Cyan }
+function Write-Note { param([string] $Message) Write-Host "    $Message" -ForegroundColor DarkGray }
+function Write-Warn { param([string] $Message) Write-Host "    WARNING: $Message" -ForegroundColor Yellow }
+
+function Update-PathFromRegistry {
+    # winget writes the new PATH to the registry, but the running process keeps the
+    # environment it started with. Without this refresh, git.exe and py.exe installed
+    # a moment ago are still not callable from this script.
+    $env:PATH = [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable('PATH', 'Machine') + ';' +
+                [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable('PATH', 'User')
+}
+
+function Invoke-Pip {
+    # pip failures must be fatal: a partially-resolved environment is worse than none,
+    # and PowerShell does not treat a nonzero native exit code as a terminating error.
+    param([string] $VenvPython, [string[]] $PipArgs, [string] $What)
+    Write-Note "pip install $What"
+    & $VenvPython -m pip install --disable-pip-version-check @PipArgs
+    if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
+        throw "pip install failed ($What). Exit code $LASTEXITCODE."
+    }
+}
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# 1. Prerequisites: Git and Python
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+if (-not $SkipPrereqs) {
+    Write-Step 'Installing prerequisites (Git, Python 3.12)'
+
+    if (-not (Get-Command winget -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)) {
+        throw 'winget not found. Install "App Installer" from the Microsoft Store, or re-run with -SkipPrereqs after installing Git and Python 3.12 manually.'
+    }
+
+    foreach ($pkg in @('Git.Git', $PythonVersionId)) {
+        Write-Note "winget install $pkg"
+        winget install --id $pkg --exact --source winget --silent `
+            --accept-source-agreements --accept-package-agreements --disable-interactivity
+        # winget exits nonzero when a package is already installed; that is not an error.
+    }
+    Update-PathFromRegistry
+}
+else {
+    Update-PathFromRegistry
+}
+
+# control/utils.py imports GitPython at module scope, and GitPython raises ImportError
+# at import time if it cannot find a git executable. So git on PATH is a hard runtime
+# requirement, not just a requirement of this installer.
+if (-not (Get-Command git -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)) {
+    throw 'git is not on PATH. Squid imports GitPython at startup, which fails without it. Open a new terminal (so PATH is refreshed) and re-run.'
+}
+
+$PyLauncher = Get-Command py -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+if (-not $PyLauncher) {
+    throw 'The py launcher was not found. Install Python 3.12 from python.org (with "Add to PATH"), then re-run with -SkipPrereqs.'
+}
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# 2. The repo, including submodules
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+Write-Step "Fetching the repo into '$RepoPath'"
+
+if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $RepoPath)) {
+    $parent = Split-Path -Parent $RepoPath
+    if ($parent -and -not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $parent)) {
+        New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path $parent | Out-Null
+    }
+    # --recursive matters: control/ndviewer_light and fluidics_v2 are submodules, and a
+    # plain clone leaves them as empty directories.
+    git clone --recursive $RepoHttp $RepoPath
+}
+else {
+    Push-Location $RepoPath
+    Write-Note "Using existing repo at HEAD=$(git rev-parse HEAD)"
+    # Brings submodules up to the commits this checkout records, and fills them in if an
+    # earlier clone omitted --recursive. Note this discards uncommitted submodule work,
+    # checking each one out at the recorded SHA in detached HEAD.
+    git submodule update --init --recursive
+    Pop-Location
+}
+
+$SoftwareRoot = Join-Path $RepoPath 'software'
+if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $SoftwareRoot)) {
+    throw "Expected '$SoftwareRoot' to exist. Is '$RepoPath' really a Squid checkout?"
+}
+
+Push-Location $SoftwareRoot
+try {
+    New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path (Join-Path $SoftwareRoot 'cache') | Out-Null
+
+    # -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+    # 3. Virtualenv
+    # -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+    Write-Step 'Creating the virtualenv'
+    $VenvPython = Join-Path $SoftwareRoot '.venv\Scripts\python.exe'
+
+    if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $VenvPython)) {
+        & py -3.12 -m venv (Join-Path $SoftwareRoot '.venv')
+        if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) { throw "Failed to create the virtualenv. Exit code $LASTEXITCODE." }
+    }
+    else {
+        Write-Note 'Reusing the existing .venv'
+    }
+
+    Invoke-Pip $VenvPython @('--upgrade', 'pip', 'setuptools', 'wheel') 'pip, setuptools, wheel'
+
+    # -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+    # 4. Qt binding
+    # -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+    # Exactly ONE Qt binding may be present: PyQt5 and PyQt6 together break
+    # napari/vispy OpenGL rendering (blank canvases, "Cannot SIZE object N because it
+    # does not exist"). The venv gives us that guarantee for free.
+    #
+    # Pinned to the tested combination. napari 0.7.1 blocklists PyQt6-Qt6 6.11.0 and
+    # 6.11.1 (dock-widget and resizing bugs, napari/napari#9052), which is why Qt is
+    # 6.11.2; the napari[pyqt6] extra below makes pip re-check these pins, so bump
+    # them together.
+    Write-Step 'Installing the Qt binding (PyQt6)'
+    Invoke-Pip $VenvPython @('PyQt6==6.11.0', 'PyQt6-Qt6==6.11.2', 'PyQt6-sip==13.12.0') 'PyQt6 6.11.0 / Qt 6.11.2'
+
+    # -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+    # 5. Python dependencies
+    # -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+    Write-Step 'Installing Python dependencies'
+
+    Invoke-Pip $VenvPython @(
+        'pyqtgraph', 'qtpy', 'pyserial', 'pandas', 'imageio', 'crc==1.3.0',
+        'lxml', 'numpy', 'tifffile', 'scipy', 'pyreadline3'
+    ) 'base libraries'
+
+    Invoke-Pip $VenvPython @('opencv-python-headless', 'opencv-contrib-python-headless') 'OpenCV (headless)'
+
+    # napari is pinned to a tested release because patch releases move its vispy/Qt
+    # constraints. tensorstore is required by control/ndviewer_light and by
+    # tests/control/core/test_zarr_writer.py, which opens with
+    # pytest.importorskip("tensorstore").
+    #
+    # aicsimageio and basicpy are intentionally absent. basicpy pins scipy<1.13 and
+    # scipy 1.12 has no NumPy-2 wheel, so including it drags the environment back to
+    # numpy 1.26 and breaks napari's scipy>=1.14 and opencv 5.x's numpy>=2. Their only
+    # consumer is control/stitcher.py, which nothing in the application imports;
+    # stitching lives in the separate Cephla-Lab/image-stitcher repo. Install them
+    # into a separate venv if you need that module.
+    Invoke-Pip $VenvPython @(
+        'napari[pyqt6]==0.7.1', 'scikit-image', 'dask_image', 'ome_zarr', 'tensorstore',
+        'pytest', 'pytest-qt', 'gitpython', 'matplotlib', 'pydantic_xml', 'pyvisa',
+        'hidapi', 'filelock', 'lxml_html_clean', 'psutil', 'mcp', 'ndv'
+    ) 'napari 0.7.1 and the rest of the stack'
+
+    # Optional: PI V-308 / C-414 focus stage (USE_PI_FOCUS_STAGE). squid.stage.pi
+    # imports it lazily and only needs it to talk to real hardware, so a failure here
+    # must not abort the install.
+    Write-Note 'pip install pipython (optional)'
+    & $VenvPython -m pip install --disable-pip-version-check pipython
+    if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
+        Write-Warn 'pipython install failed; continuing (only needed for USE_PI_FOCUS_STAGE).'
+    }
+
+    Write-Step 'Verifying the environment'
+    & $VenvPython -m pip check
+    if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) { Write-Warn 'pip check reported broken requirements (see above).' }
+
+    # Kept to a single line: a multi-line script handed to `python -c` gets re-parsed by
+    # PowerShell's native-argument handling and arrives at the interpreter mangled.
+    & $VenvPython -c "import qtpy, napari, numpy, cv2; from qtpy import QtCore; print('  qtpy binding :', qtpy.API_NAME); print('  Qt           :', QtCore.__version__); print('  napari       :', napari.__version__); print('  numpy        :', numpy.__version__); print('  opencv       :', cv2.__version__)"
+    if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) { throw 'The installed stack failed to import. See the traceback above.' }
+
+    # -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+    # 6. Machine configuration
+    # -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+    Write-Step 'Seeding machine configuration'
+
+    $IlluminationExample = Join-Path $SoftwareRoot 'machine_configs\illumination_channel_config.yaml.example'
+    $IlluminationConfig = Join-Path $SoftwareRoot 'machine_configs\illumination_channel_config.yaml'
+    if ((Test-Path -LiteralPath $IlluminationExample) -and -not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $IlluminationConfig)) {
+        Copy-Item -LiteralPath $IlluminationExample -Destination $IlluminationConfig
+        Write-Note 'Created machine_configs\illumination_channel_config.yaml from the example.'
+        Write-Warn 'EDIT IT: the example assumes 405/488/561/638/730 laser lines and a stock LED matrix. The GUI degrades and channels are missing if it does not match your engine.'
+    }
+    else {
+        Write-Note 'illumination_channel_config.yaml already present; leaving it alone.'
+    }
+
+    # _def.py globs "configuration*.ini" in the software root and silently takes the
+    # first match, so more than one is a real hazard. Which one is right depends on the
+    # instrument, so this is left to the operator rather than guessed.
+    $ConfigsInRoot = @(Get-ChildItem -LiteralPath $SoftwareRoot -Filter 'configuration*.ini' -File -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)
+    if ($ConfigsInRoot.Count -eq 0) {
+        Write-Warn 'No configuration*.ini in the software root. Squid needs exactly one. Copy the file matching your instrument:'
+        Get-ChildItem -LiteralPath (Join-Path $SoftwareRoot 'configurations') -Filter '*.ini' -File |
+            ForEach-Object { Write-Host "      configurations\$($_.Name)" -ForegroundColor DarkGray }
+    }
+    elseif ($ConfigsInRoot.Count -gt 1) {
+        Write-Warn "Found $($ConfigsInRoot.Count) configuration*.ini files in the software root. Squid takes whichever the glob returns first - delete all but the one you want:"
+        $ConfigsInRoot | ForEach-Object { Write-Host "      $($_.Name)" -ForegroundColor DarkGray }
+    }
+    else {
+        Write-Note "Using configuration: $($ConfigsInRoot[0].Name)"
+    }
+
+    # -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+    # 7. Desktop shortcuts
+    # -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+    Write-Step 'Creating Desktop shortcuts'
+
+    $Launcher = Join-Path $SoftwareRoot 'main_hcs.bat'
+    $IconPath = Join-Path $SoftwareRoot 'icon\cephla_logo.ico'
+    $Desktop = [Environment]::GetFolderPath('Desktop')
+    $WScript = New-Object -ComObject WScript.Shell
+
+    foreach ($sc in @(
+            @{ Name = 'Squid'; Args = ''; Desc = 'Squid HCS - real hardware' },
+            @{ Name = 'Squid (simulation)'; Args = '--simulation'; Desc = 'Squid HCS - simulated hardware' }
+        )) {
+        $lnk = $WScript.CreateShortcut((Join-Path $Desktop "$($sc.Name).lnk"))
+        $lnk.TargetPath = $Launcher
+        $lnk.Arguments = $sc.Args
+        $lnk.WorkingDirectory = $SoftwareRoot
+        $lnk.Description = $sc.Desc
+        if (Test-Path -LiteralPath $IconPath) { $lnk.IconLocation = $IconPath }
+        $lnk.Save()
+        Write-Note "$Desktop\$($sc.Name).lnk"
+    }
+}
+finally {
+    Pop-Location
+}
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# 8. What is left for the operator
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+Write-Step 'Setup complete. Remaining manual steps:'
+
+Write-Host @"
+
+  Camera drivers
+    ToupTek   nothing to install - the x64 toupcam.dll ships in the repo under
+              'drivers and libraries\toupcam\windows\x64' and control/toupcam.py
+              loads it from there directly.
+    Daheng    install the Galaxy SDK for Windows (provides GxIAPI.dll, which
+              control/gxipy loads by name), then REBOOT. Required for the laser
+              autofocus camera. The installer is linked from the repo README.
+    Others    Hamamatsu (DCAM-API), Photometrics (PVCAM + pyvcam), Tucsen
+              (TUCam.dll under software\lib\x64), FLIR (Spinnaker + PySpin),
+              iDS (ids_peak), Andor (pyAndorSDK3) each need their vendor SDK.
+
+  Configuration
+    Confirm exactly one configuration*.ini sits in '$SoftwareRoot'
+    and that machine_configs\illumination_channel_config.yaml matches your
+    laser engine.
+
+  Launching
+    Use the Desktop shortcuts, or from '$SoftwareRoot':
+      main_hcs.bat              # real hardware
+      main_hcs.bat --simulation # no hardware required
+
+"@ -ForegroundColor Gray