diff --git a/install-windows.ps1 b/install-windows.ps1
index 5a878d6..f26e0b8 100644
--- a/install-windows.ps1
+++ b/install-windows.ps1
@@ -106,64 +106,6 @@ if (-not (Test-Path (Join-Path $RepoRoot "interface\web\dist\index.html"))) {
 }
 Write-OK "Web UI built (interface\web\dist)"
 
-# -- Pull models (best-effort) -------------------------------------------------
-# Which models ship is decided in ONE place - DEFAULT_CHAT_MODEL and
-# DEFAULT_MEMORY_MODEL in synapse\nexus_config.py (rationale documented there).
-# Read them instead of hardcoding, so the installer can never pull one model
-# while the backend defaults to another.
-Push-Location $RepoRoot
-$ChatModel = (& $VenvPy -c "from synapse.nexus_config import DEFAULT_CHAT_MODEL as m; print(m)")
-$MemModel  = (& $VenvPy -c "from synapse.nexus_config import DEFAULT_MEMORY_MODEL as m; print(m)")
-Pop-Location
-if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0 -or -not $ChatModel -or -not $MemModel) {
-    Write-Fail "Could not read the default models from synapse\nexus_config.py - the venv install is broken"
-}
-
-Write-Step "Pulling models ($ChatModel for chat, $MemModel for memory)"
-Write-Host "    Downloads a few GB; press Ctrl+C to skip and pull them later from the Models tab." -ForegroundColor DarkGray
-try {
-    ollama pull $ChatModel | Out-Host
-    Write-OK "$ChatModel ready (default chat model)"
-} catch {
-    Write-Warn "$ChatModel pull skipped/failed - pull it from the Models tab later."
-}
-try {
-    ollama pull $MemModel | Out-Host
-    Write-OK "$MemModel ready (memory curator)"
-} catch {
-    Write-Warn "$MemModel pull skipped/failed - the memory service will fall back to the chat model."
-}
-
-# Pin it as the default chat model. Runs from the repo root so the synapse
-# package imports; only writes the 'model' setting in the shared DB.
-Write-Step "Setting $ChatModel as the default model"
-Push-Location $RepoRoot
-& $VenvPy -c "from synapse.memory.store import store; from synapse.nexus_config import DEFAULT_CHAT_MODEL; store.update_settings({'model': DEFAULT_CHAT_MODEL})"
-$seedOk = ($LASTEXITCODE -eq 0)
-Pop-Location
-if ($seedOk) { Write-OK "Default model set to $ChatModel" }
-else { Write-Warn "Could not persist default model - pick it at the top of the chat instead." }
-
-# -- Make Ollama manual-start (NexusOS owns the lifecycle) ----------------------
-Write-Step "Setting Ollama to manual start"
-# The Ollama desktop app autostarts a server at every login, and the elevated
-# 'ollama pull' above leaves an elevated server the user-level app cannot stop -
-# which makes the Start/Stop AI button get stuck. Remove the login autostart and
-# stop the running server so NexusOS controls Ollama via its Start AI button.
-try {
-    $ollamaAutostart = Join-Path ([Environment]::GetFolderPath("Startup")) "Ollama.lnk"
-    if (Test-Path $ollamaAutostart) {
-        Remove-Item $ollamaAutostart -Force
-        Write-OK "Removed Ollama login autostart"
-    }
-    foreach ($img in @("ollama app.exe", "ollama.exe")) {
-        taskkill /F /T /IM $img 2>$null | Out-Null
-    }
-    Write-OK "Ollama set to manual start"
-} catch {
-    Write-Warn "Could not adjust Ollama autostart - you can still Start/Stop AI from the app."
-}
-
 # -- ncp command ---------------------------------------------------------------
 # management\ncp.cmd goes on the machine PATH rather than a `function ncp` in the
 # PowerShell profile. Three reasons the profile route kept biting:
@@ -220,6 +162,72 @@ try {
     Write-Warn "Could not create desktop shortcut - launch with: powershell -File launch_nexus.ps1"
 }
 
+# -- Pull models (best-effort, LAST on purpose) --------------------------------
+# This is the only multi-GB step, and the only one a user is invited to Ctrl+C.
+# Ctrl+C in PowerShell 5.1 terminates the whole SCRIPT, not just the running
+# native command - so with this block in the middle, skipping the download also
+# skipped the PATH registration and the desktop shortcut, and left an install
+# that looked finished but had no working `ncp`. Everything that makes NexusOS
+# usable now runs before we get here; abort at this point and you lose only the
+# models, which the Models tab can pull later.
+#
+# Which models ship is decided in ONE place - DEFAULT_CHAT_MODEL and
+# DEFAULT_MEMORY_MODEL in synapse\nexus_config.py (rationale documented there).
+# Read them instead of hardcoding, so the installer can never pull one model
+# while the backend defaults to another.
+Push-Location $RepoRoot
+$ChatModel = (& $VenvPy -c "from synapse.nexus_config import DEFAULT_CHAT_MODEL as m; print(m)")
+$MemModel  = (& $VenvPy -c "from synapse.nexus_config import DEFAULT_MEMORY_MODEL as m; print(m)")
+Pop-Location
+if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0 -or -not $ChatModel -or -not $MemModel) {
+    Write-Fail "Could not read the default models from synapse\nexus_config.py - the venv install is broken"
+}
+
+Write-Step "Pulling models ($ChatModel for chat, $MemModel for memory)"
+Write-Host "    Downloads a few GB; press Ctrl+C to skip and pull them later from the Models tab." -ForegroundColor DarkGray
+# No pipe: 'ollama pull' draws a progress bar with cursor control, and piping it
+# (to Out-Host or anything else) buffers the redraws - the download then shows no
+# output for minutes and reads as a hang. Let it own the console.
+# No try/catch either: a native command that exits non-zero does not throw, so
+# the catch never fired and a failed pull was reported as success.
+ollama pull $ChatModel
+if ($LASTEXITCODE -eq 0) { Write-OK "$ChatModel ready (default chat model)" }
+else { Write-Warn "$ChatModel pull skipped/failed - pull it from the Models tab later." }
+
+ollama pull $MemModel
+if ($LASTEXITCODE -eq 0) { Write-OK "$MemModel ready (memory curator)" }
+else { Write-Warn "$MemModel pull skipped/failed - the memory service will fall back to the chat model." }
+
+# Pin it as the default chat model. Runs from the repo root so the synapse
+# package imports; only writes the 'model' setting in the shared DB.
+Write-Step "Setting $ChatModel as the default model"
+Push-Location $RepoRoot
+& $VenvPy -c "from synapse.memory.store import store; from synapse.nexus_config import DEFAULT_CHAT_MODEL; store.update_settings({'model': DEFAULT_CHAT_MODEL})"
+$seedOk = ($LASTEXITCODE -eq 0)
+Pop-Location
+if ($seedOk) { Write-OK "Default model set to $ChatModel" }
+else { Write-Warn "Could not persist default model - pick it at the top of the chat instead." }
+
+# -- Make Ollama manual-start (NexusOS owns the lifecycle) ----------------------
+Write-Step "Setting Ollama to manual start"
+# The Ollama desktop app autostarts a server at every login, and the elevated
+# 'ollama pull' above leaves an elevated server the user-level app cannot stop -
+# which makes the Start/Stop AI button get stuck. Remove the login autostart and
+# stop the running server so NexusOS controls Ollama via its Start AI button.
+try {
+    $ollamaAutostart = Join-Path ([Environment]::GetFolderPath("Startup")) "Ollama.lnk"
+    if (Test-Path $ollamaAutostart) {
+        Remove-Item $ollamaAutostart -Force
+        Write-OK "Removed Ollama login autostart"
+    }
+    foreach ($img in @("ollama app.exe", "ollama.exe")) {
+        taskkill /F /T /IM $img 2>$null | Out-Null
+    }
+    Write-OK "Ollama set to manual start"
+} catch {
+    Write-Warn "Could not adjust Ollama autostart - you can still Start/Stop AI from the app."
+}
+
 # -- Done ----------------------------------------------------------------------
 Write-Host ""
 Write-Host "  ==========================================================" -ForegroundColor Green
@@ -231,8 +239,8 @@ Write-Host ""
 Write-Host "  The app opens at http://localhost:8000" -ForegroundColor White
 Write-Host "  The AI starts OFF - click 'Start AI' in the sidebar to turn it on." -ForegroundColor White
 Write-Host ""
-Write-Host "  Terminal:  open a NEW PowerShell window, then run  ncp help" -ForegroundColor White
-Write-Host "             (the profile that defines ncp is only read at startup)" -ForegroundColor DarkGray
+Write-Host "  Terminal:  open a NEW terminal (PowerShell or cmd), then run  ncp help" -ForegroundColor White
+Write-Host "             (PATH is read at process start, so open windows lack it)" -ForegroundColor DarkGray
 Write-Host "  ==========================================================" -ForegroundColor Green
 Write-Host ""
 Read-Host "Press Enter to close"
diff --git a/tests/test_smoke.py b/tests/test_smoke.py
index 5ae38e8..12c817c 100644
--- a/tests/test_smoke.py
+++ b/tests/test_smoke.py
@@ -86,6 +86,16 @@ def test_ncp_is_registered_on_path_not_in_a_shell_profile():
     assert "setx" not in code.lower()
     assert 'SetEnvironmentVariable("Path"' in code
 
+    # The model pull is the only multi-GB step and the only one the script
+    # invites a Ctrl+C on -- which in PS 5.1 kills the whole script. Anything
+    # after it is lost, so it has to come last. It used to sit in the middle,
+    # and skipping the download silently skipped the ncp registration too.
+    assert ps1.index("ollama pull") > ps1.index("Registering the ncp command"), \
+        "model pull must come after ncp registration - a Ctrl+C there aborts the installer"
+    assert ps1.index("ollama pull") > ps1.index("Creating desktop shortcut"), \
+        "model pull must come after the desktop shortcut"
+
+
 
 def test_first_playbook_is_the_system_prompt(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     store = PlaybookFileStore(tmp_path)