diff --git a/windows/deploy_windows.ps1 b/windows/deploy_windows.ps1
index 487e02f9fb..ce03945165 100644
--- a/windows/deploy_windows.ps1
+++ b/windows/deploy_windows.ps1
@@ -13,7 +13,11 @@ param (
     # updates. Verify .github/workflows/bump-dependencies.yaml when changing those manually:
     [string] $AsioSDKUrl = "https://download.steinberg.net/sdk_downloads/ASIO-SDK_2.3.4_2025-10-15.zip",
     [string] $NsisUrl = "https://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/nsis/NSIS%203/3.12/nsis-3.12.zip",
-    [string] $BuildOption = ""
+    [string] $BuildOption = "",
+    # Toggles for debugging and targeted builds
+    [switch] $DebugMode,
+    [switch] $Skip64Bit,
+    [switch] $Skip32Bit
 )
 
 # Fail early on all errors
@@ -33,18 +37,73 @@ $DeployPath = "$RootPath\deploy"
 $WindowsPath ="$RootPath\windows"
 $AppName = "Jamulus"
 
+Function Write-Log
+{
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory=$true)]
+        [AllowNull()]
+        [AllowEmptyString()]
+        [string] $Message,
+        [ValidateSet("INFO","WARN","ERROR","STEP","DEBUG")]
+        [string] $Level = "INFO"
+    )
+
+    if ($null -eq $Message) { $Message = "" }
+    $Stamp = (Get-Date).ToString("yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss")
+    $Log = "[$Stamp] [$Level] $Message"
+
+    switch ($Level) {
+        "INFO"  { Write-Host $Log }
+        "STEP"  { Write-Host "`n>>> [$Stamp] $Message" -ForegroundColor Cyan }
+        "WARN"  { Write-Host $Log -ForegroundColor Yellow }
+        "ERROR" { Write-Host $Log -ForegroundColor Red }
+        "DEBUG" { if ($DebugMode) { Write-Host $Log -ForegroundColor DarkGray } }
+    }
+}
+
 # Execute native command with errorlevel handling
-Function Invoke-Native-Command {
+Function Invoke-Native-Command
+{
     param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory=$true)]
         [string] $Command,
-        [string[]] $Arguments
+        [string[]] $Arguments,
+        [switch] $SuppressStdErr
     )
 
-    & "$Command" @Arguments
+    Write-Log "Executing: $Command $($Arguments -join ' ')" "DEBUG"
+    $Out = [Collections.Generic.List[string]]::new()
+
+    $PrevEA = $ErrorActionPreference
+    $ErrorActionPreference = "Continue"
+
+    try
+    {
+        & $Command @Arguments 2>&1 | ForEach-Object {
+            $IsErr = $_ -is [Management.Automation.ErrorRecord]
+            if ($IsErr -and $SuppressStdErr) { return }
+
+            $Line = if ($IsErr) { $_.TargetObject -as [string] } else { $_.ToString() }
+            if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($Line)) { return }
+
+            $Out.Add($Line)
+            $Color = if ($IsErr -and $DebugMode) { "DarkYellow" } else { "DarkGray" }
+            if ($DebugMode -or -not $IsErr) { Write-Host "    $Line" -ForegroundColor $Color }
+        }
+    }
+    finally
+    {
+        $ErrorActionPreference = $PrevEA
+    }
 
     if ($LastExitCode -Ne 0)
     {
-        Throw "Native command $Command returned with exit code $LastExitCode"
+        $Err = "Native command $Command returned with exit code $LastExitCode"
+        Write-Log $Err "ERROR"
+        if (-not $DebugMode) {
+            $Out.ForEach({ Write-Log $_ "ERROR" })
+        }
+        Throw $Err
     }
 }
 
@@ -54,12 +113,13 @@ Function Clean-Build-Environment
     if (Test-Path -Path $BuildPath) { Remove-Item -Path $BuildPath -Recurse -Force }
     if (Test-Path -Path $DeployPath) { Remove-Item -Path $DeployPath -Recurse -Force }
 
-    New-Item -Path $BuildPath -ItemType Directory
-    New-Item -Path $DeployPath -ItemType Directory
+    New-Item -Path $BuildPath -ItemType Directory | Out-Null
+    New-Item -Path $DeployPath -ItemType Directory | Out-Null
 }
 
 # For sourceforge links we need to get the correct mirror (especially NISIS) Thanks: https://www.powershellmagazine.com/2013/01/29/pstip-retrieve-a-redirected-url/
-Function Get-RedirectedUrl {
+Function Get-RedirectedUrl
+{
     param(
         [Parameter(Mandatory=$true)]
         [string] $url
@@ -68,16 +128,21 @@ Function Get-RedirectedUrl {
     $numAttempts = 10
     $sleepTime = 10
     $maxSleepTime = 80
-    for ($attempt = 1; $attempt -le $numAttempts; $attempt++) {
-        try {
+    for ($attempt = 1; $attempt -le $numAttempts; $attempt++)
+    {
+        try
+        {
             $request = [System.Net.WebRequest]::Create($url)
             $request.AllowAutoRedirect=$true
             $response=$request.GetResponse()
-            $response.ResponseUri.AbsoluteUri
+            $redirect = $response.ResponseUri.AbsoluteUri
             $response.Close()
-            return
-        } catch {
-            if ($attempt -lt $numAttempts) {
+            return $redirect
+        }
+        catch
+        {
+            if ($attempt -lt $numAttempts)
+            {
                 Write-Warning "Caught error: $_"
                 Write-Warning "Get-RedirectedUrl: Fetch attempt #${attempt}/${numAttempts} for $url failed, trying again in ${sleepTime}s"
                 Start-Sleep -Seconds $sleepTime
@@ -90,35 +155,6 @@ Function Get-RedirectedUrl {
     }
 }
 
-function Initialize-Module-Here ($m) { # see https://stackoverflow.com/a/51692402
-
-    # If module is imported say that and do nothing
-    if (Get-Module | Where-Object {$_.Name -eq $m}) {
-        Write-Output "Module $m is already imported."
-    }
-    else {
-
-        # If module is not imported, but available on disk then import
-        if (Get-Module -ListAvailable | Where-Object {$_.Name -eq $m}) {
-            Import-Module $m
-        }
-        else {
-
-            # If module is not imported, not available on disk, but is in online gallery then install and import
-            if (Find-Module -Name $m | Where-Object {$_.Name -eq $m}) {
-                Install-Module -Name $m -Force -Verbose -Scope CurrentUser
-                Import-Module $m
-            }
-            else {
-
-                # If module is not imported, not available and not in online gallery then abort
-                Write-Output "Module $m not imported, not available and not in online gallery, exiting."
-                EXIT 1
-            }
-        }
-    }
-}
-
 # Download and uncompress dependency in ZIP format
 Function Install-Dependency
 {
@@ -131,7 +167,7 @@ Function Install-Dependency
 
     if (Test-Path -Path "$WindowsPath\$Destination")
     {
-        echo "Using ${WindowsPath}\${Destination} from previous run (e.g. actions/cache)"
+        Write-Log "Using ${WindowsPath}\${Destination} from previous run (e.g. actions/cache)" "INFO"
         return
     }
 
@@ -140,17 +176,19 @@ Function Install-Dependency
     $TempGuid = [System.Guid]::NewGuid()
     # Create a unique empty directory to unpack into
     $TempDir = (Join-Path $TempPath $TempGuid)
-    New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $TempDir
+    New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $TempDir | Out-Null
 
     if ($Uri -Match "downloads.sourceforge.net")
     {
-      $Uri = Get-RedirectedUrl -URL $Uri
+        $Uri = Get-RedirectedUrl -url $Uri
     }
 
+    Write-Log "Downloading $Uri..." "INFO"
     Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $Uri -OutFile $TempFileName
-    echo $TempFileName
+
+    Write-Log "Extracting to $WindowsPath\$Destination..." "INFO"
     Expand-Archive -Path $TempFileName -DestinationPath $TempDir -Force
-    echo $WindowsPath\$Destination
+
     # Because we unpacked into a new directory, we can use * for the directory in the archive,
     # so that we do not need to know the directory name the archive was packed from.
     Move-Item -Path "$TempDir\*" -Destination "$WindowsPath\$Destination" -Force
@@ -158,20 +196,22 @@ Function Install-Dependency
     Remove-Item -Path $TempFileName -Force
 }
 
-# Install VSSetup (Visual Studio detection), ASIO SDK and NSIS Installer
+# Install ASIO SDK and NSIS Installer
 Function Install-Dependencies
 {
-    if (-not (Get-PackageProvider -Name nuget).Name -eq "nuget") {
-      Install-PackageProvider -Name "Nuget" -Scope CurrentUser -Force
-    }
-    Initialize-Module-Here -m "VSSetup"
+    Write-Log "Installing Dependencies..." "STEP"
     Install-Dependency -Uri $NsisUrl -Destination "..\libs\NSIS\NSIS-source"
 
-    if ($BuildOption -Notmatch "jack") {
+    if ($BuildOption -Notmatch "jack")
+    {
         # Don't download ASIO SDK on Jamulus JACK builds to save
         # resources and to be extra-sure license-wise.
         Install-Dependency -Uri $AsioSDKUrl -Destination "..\libs\ASIOSDK2"
     }
+    else
+    {
+        Write-Log "Skipping ASIO SDK (JACK build detected)." "INFO"
+    }
 }
 
 # Setup environment variables and build tool paths
@@ -182,12 +222,25 @@ Function Initialize-Build-Environment
         [string] $BuildArch
     )
 
-    # Look for Visual Studio/Build Tools 2017 or later (version 15.0 or above)
-    $VsInstallPath = Get-VSSetupInstance | `
-        Select-VSSetupInstance -Product "*" -Version "15.0" -Latest | `
-        Select-Object -ExpandProperty "InstallationPath"
+    # Use native vswhere.exe to find VS2017+ installations with C++ build tools
+    $vswhere = "${env:ProgramFiles(x86)}\Microsoft Visual Studio\Installer\vswhere.exe"
+    if (-not (Test-Path -Path $vswhere))
+    {
+        Throw "vswhere.exe not found. Visual Studio 2017 or above is required."
+    }
+
+    $VsInstallPath = & $vswhere -latest -products * -requires Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.VC.Tools.x86.x64 -property installationPath
+    $VsVer = & $vswhere -latest -products * -requires Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.VC.Tools.x86.x64 -property installationVersion
 
-    if ($VsInstallPath -Eq "") { $VsInstallPath = "<N/A>" }
+    if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($VsInstallPath))
+    {
+        Throw "Could not locate a Visual Studio installation with C++ build tools."
+    }
+
+    # Dynamically determine the correct Platform Toolset based on VS version to avoid hardcoded MSBuild failures
+    if ($VsVer -match "^17\.") { Set-Item Env:VsPlatformToolset "v143" }
+    elseif ($VsVer -match "^16\.") { Set-Item Env:VsPlatformToolset "v142" }
+    else { Set-Item Env:VsPlatformToolset "v141" }
 
     if ($BuildArch -Eq "x86_64")
     {
@@ -227,6 +280,39 @@ Function Initialize-Build-Environment
     Remove-Item -Path $EnvDump -Force
 }
 
+# Resolve Qt path by falling back to Registry lookups if the default path is missing
+Function Resolve-Qt-Path
+{
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory=$true)]
+        [string] $DefaultPath
+    )
+
+    if (Test-Path -Path $DefaultPath) { return $DefaultPath }
+
+    Write-Log "Qt path '$DefaultPath' not found. Searching registry..." "DEBUG"
+    $QtVer = Split-Path $DefaultPath -Leaf
+    $RegPaths = "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*",
+                "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*",
+                "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*"
+
+    foreach ($Reg in $RegPaths)
+    {
+        $Installs = Get-ItemProperty $Reg -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Where-Object { $_.DisplayName -match "Qt" -and $_.InstallLocation }
+        foreach ($Inst in $Installs)
+        {
+            $TryPath = Join-Path $Inst.InstallLocation $QtVer
+            if (Test-Path -Path $TryPath)
+            {
+                Write-Log "Discovered Qt at: $TryPath" "INFO"
+                return $TryPath
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    return $DefaultPath
+}
+
 # Setup Qt environment variables and build tool paths
 Function Initialize-Qt-Build-Environment
 {
@@ -243,6 +329,29 @@ Function Initialize-Qt-Build-Environment
     Set-Item Env:QtQmakePath "$QtMsvcSpecPath\qmake.exe"
     Set-Item Env:QtWinDeployPath "$QtMsvcSpecPath\windeployqt.exe"
 
+    if (Get-Command "jom.exe" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)
+    {
+        Set-Item Env:QtJomPath "jom.exe"
+    }
+    else
+    {
+        $QtRoot = Split-Path $QtInstallPath -Parent
+        $JomExes = "$QtRoot\Tools\QtCreator\bin\jom\jom.exe",
+                   "$QtRoot\Tools\jom\jom.exe",
+                   "C:\Qt\Tools\QtCreator\bin\jom\jom.exe",
+                   "D:\Qt\Tools\QtCreator\bin\jom\jom.exe"
+
+        $FoundJom = $JomExes | Where-Object { Test-Path -Path $_ } | Select-Object -First 1
+        if ($FoundJom)
+        {
+            Set-Item Env:QtJomPath $FoundJom
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            Set-Item Env:QtJomPath ""
+        }
+    }
+
     "**********************************************************************"
     "Using Qt binaries for Visual C++ located at"
     $QtMsvcSpecPath
@@ -267,27 +376,40 @@ Function Build-App
         [string] $BuildArch
     )
 
+    $QmkCfg = "CONFIG+=$BuildConfig $BuildArch $BuildOption"
+    if (-not $DebugMode) { $QmkCfg += " silent" }
+
     Invoke-Native-Command -Command "$Env:QtQmakePath" `
-        -Arguments ("$RootPath\$AppName.pro", "CONFIG+=$BuildConfig $BuildArch $BuildOption", `
-        "-o", "$BuildPath\Makefile")
+        -Arguments ("$RootPath\$AppName.pro", $QmkCfg, "-o", "$BuildPath\Makefile")
 
     Set-Location -Path $BuildPath
-    if (Get-Command "jom.exe" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)
+
+    $MkArgs = @("/NOLOGO", $BuildConfig)
+    if (-not $DebugMode) { $MkArgs += "/S" }
+
+    if ($Env:QtJomPath)
     {
-        echo "Building with jom /J ${Env:NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS}"
-        Invoke-Native-Command -Command "jom" -Arguments ("/J", "${Env:NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS}", "$BuildConfig")
+        $Cores = [Math]::Max(1, [Math]::Floor([int]$Env:NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS / 2))
+        Write-Log "Building with jom /J $Cores (half of $Env:NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS cores)" "INFO"
+        Invoke-Native-Command -Command "$Env:QtJomPath" -Arguments (@("/J", "$Cores") + $MkArgs)
     }
     else
     {
-        echo "Building with nmake (install Qt jom if you want parallel builds)"
-        Invoke-Native-Command -Command "nmake" -Arguments ("$BuildConfig")
+        Write-Log "Building with nmake (sequential)" "WARN"
+        Invoke-Native-Command -Command "nmake" -Arguments $MkArgs
     }
+
     Invoke-Native-Command -Command "$Env:QtWinDeployPath" `
-        -Arguments ("--$BuildConfig", "--compiler-runtime", "--dir=$DeployPath\$BuildArch",
+        -Arguments ("--$BuildConfig", "--compiler-runtime", "--dir=$DeployPath\$BuildArch", `
         "$BuildPath\$BuildConfig\$AppName.exe")
 
     Move-Item -Path "$BuildPath\$BuildConfig\$AppName.exe" -Destination "$DeployPath\$BuildArch" -Force
-    Invoke-Native-Command -Command "nmake" -Arguments ("clean")
+
+    # Updated clean args to prevent recompiling the app during the clean phase
+    $CleanArgs = @("clean", "/NOLOGO")
+    if (-not $DebugMode) { $CleanArgs += "/S" }
+    Invoke-Native-Command -Command "nmake" -Arguments $CleanArgs -SuppressStdErr
+
     Set-Location -Path $RootPath
 }
 
@@ -296,19 +418,25 @@ function Build-App-Variants
 {
     foreach ($_ in ("x86_64", "x86"))
     {
+        if (($_ -eq "x86_64" -and $Skip64Bit) -or ($_ -eq "x86" -and $Skip32Bit)) { continue }
+
         $OriginalEnv = Get-ChildItem Env:
         if ($_ -eq "x86")
         {
             Initialize-Build-Environment -BuildArch $_
-            Initialize-Qt-Build-Environment -QtInstallPath $QtInstallPath32 -QtCompile $QtCompile32
+            Initialize-Qt-Build-Environment -QtInstallPath (Resolve-Qt-Path -DefaultPath $QtInstallPath32) -QtCompile $QtCompile32
         }
         else
         {
             Initialize-Build-Environment -BuildArch $_
-            Initialize-Qt-Build-Environment -QtInstallPath $QtInstallPath64 -QtCompile $QtCompile64
+            Initialize-Qt-Build-Environment -QtInstallPath (Resolve-Qt-Path -DefaultPath $QtInstallPath64) -QtCompile $QtCompile64
         }
         Build-App -BuildConfig "release" -BuildArch $_
         $OriginalEnv | % { Set-Item "Env:$($_.Name)" $_.Value }
+
+        # Wipe the build directory so the next architecture starts entirely fresh
+        if (Test-Path -Path $BuildPath) { Remove-Item -Path $BuildPath -Recurse -Force }
+        New-Item -Path $BuildPath -ItemType Directory | Out-Null
     }
 }
 
@@ -319,6 +447,15 @@ Function Build-Installer
         [string] $BuildOption
     )
 
+    # --- SAFETY GATE: Do not build if no executables were generated ---
+    $Has64 = Test-Path -Path "$DeployPath\x86_64\$AppName.exe"
+    $Has32 = Test-Path -Path "$DeployPath\x86\$AppName.exe"
+
+    if (-not $Has64 -and -not $Has32)
+    {
+        Throw "Installer build aborted: No application binaries found."
+    }
+
     foreach ($_ in Get-Content -Path "$RootPath\$AppName.pro")
     {
         if ($_ -Match "^VERSION *= *(.*)$")
@@ -328,39 +465,40 @@ Function Build-Installer
         }
     }
 
+    $NsisVerb = if ($DebugMode) { "/v4" } else { "/v2" }
+
     if ($BuildOption -ne "")
     {
         Invoke-Native-Command -Command "$RootPath\libs\NSIS\NSIS-source\makensis" `
-            -Arguments ("/v4", "/DAPP_NAME=$AppName", "/DAPP_VERSION=$AppVersion", `
+            -Arguments (@($NsisVerb, "/DAPP_NAME=$AppName", "/DAPP_VERSION=$AppVersion", `
             "/DROOT_PATH=$RootPath", "/DWINDOWS_PATH=$WindowsPath", "/DDEPLOY_PATH=$DeployPath", `
-            "/DBUILD_OPTION=$BuildOption", `
-            "$WindowsPath\installer.nsi")
+            "/DBUILD_OPTION=$BuildOption") + "$WindowsPath\installer.nsi")
     }
     else
     {
         Invoke-Native-Command -Command "$RootPath\libs\NSIS\NSIS-source\makensis" `
-            -Arguments ("/v4", "/DAPP_NAME=$AppName", "/DAPP_VERSION=$AppVersion", `
-            "/DROOT_PATH=$RootPath", "/DWINDOWS_PATH=$WindowsPath", "/DDEPLOY_PATH=$DeployPath", `
-            "$WindowsPath\installer.nsi")
+            -Arguments (@($NsisVerb, "/DAPP_NAME=$AppName", "/DAPP_VERSION=$AppVersion", `
+            "/DROOT_PATH=$RootPath", "/DWINDOWS_PATH=$WindowsPath", "/DDEPLOY_PATH=$DeployPath") + "$WindowsPath\installer.nsi")
     }
 }
 
 # Build and copy NS-Process dll
 Function Build-NSProcess
 {
-    if (!(Test-Path -path "$RootPath\libs\NSIS\nsProcess.dll")) {
-
-        echo "Building nsProcess..."
+    if (!(Test-Path -path "$RootPath\libs\NSIS\nsProcess.dll"))
+    {
+        Write-Log "Building nsProcess..." "INFO"
 
         $OriginalEnv = Get-ChildItem Env:
         Initialize-Build-Environment -BuildArch "x86"
 
         Invoke-Native-Command -Command "msbuild" `
             -Arguments ("$RootPath\libs\NSIS\nsProcess\nsProcess.sln", '/p:Configuration="Release UNICODE"', `
-            "/p:Platform=Win32")
+            "/p:Platform=Win32", "/p:PlatformToolset=$Env:VsPlatformToolset")
 
         Move-Item -Path "$RootPath\libs\NSIS\nsProcess\Release\nsProcess.dll" -Destination "$RootPath\libs\NSIS\nsProcess.dll" -Force
         Remove-Item -Path "$RootPath\libs\NSIS\nsProcess\Release\" -Force -Recurse
+
         $OriginalEnv | % { Set-Item "Env:$($_.Name)" $_.Value }
     }
 }
@@ -370,3 +508,4 @@ Install-Dependencies
 Build-App-Variants
 Build-NSProcess
 Build-Installer -BuildOption $BuildOption
+Write-Log "Build process completed successfully." "STEP"