diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 8c7293d..01f1474 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ jobs:
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
       - uses: ./
+        id: composite
         with:
           version: ${{ fromJSON(github.event.inputs.versions)[0] }}
           cache: false
@@ -75,7 +76,13 @@ jobs:
           dir .\tests\build\test_vulkan.exe
           echo testing...
           set PATH=%PATH%;%VULKAN_SDK%/Bin
-          .\tests\build\test_vulkan || echo COMPILE TEST ONLY COULD NOT RUN || exit /b 4           
+          .\tests\build\test_vulkan || echo COMPILE TEST ONLY COULD NOT RUN || exit /b 4
+      - name: Setup tmate session on failure
+        if: failure()
+        uses: mxschmitt/action-tmate@v3.9
+        with:
+          limit-access-to-actor: true
+
 
   test-prebuilt-linux:
     if: ${{ contains(github.event.inputs.extra_tests, 'prebuilt-linux') }}
diff --git a/vulkan_prebuilt_helpers.sh b/vulkan_prebuilt_helpers.sh
index bab54a2..97aaf02 100644
--- a/vulkan_prebuilt_helpers.sh
+++ b/vulkan_prebuilt_helpers.sh
@@ -45,10 +45,35 @@ function install_linux() {
   tar -C "$VULKAN_SDK" --strip-components 2 -xf vulkan_sdk.tar.gz $VULKAN_SDK_VERSION/x86_64
 }
 
-function install_windows() {
+# newer SDK installers apparently need to be executed (7z only sees Bin/)
+function _install_windows_qt() {
+  test -d $VULKAN_SDK && test -f vulkan_sdk.exe
+  echo "Executing Vulkan SDK installer headlessly to $VULKAN_SDK..." >&2
+  ./vulkan_sdk.exe --root "$VULKAN_SDK" --accept-licenses --default-answer --confirm-command install
+}
+# older SDK installers could be reliably extracteed via 7z.exe
+function _install_windows_7z() {
   test -d $VULKAN_SDK && test -f vulkan_sdk.exe
+  echo "Using 7z to unpack Vulkan SDK installer headlessly to $VULKAN_SDK..." >&2
   7z x vulkan_sdk.exe -aoa -o$VULKAN_SDK
 }
+# FIXME: to avoid breaking those using "older" SDKs this checks 7z viability
+#   and delegates accordingly
+function install_windows() {
+  test -d $VULKAN_SDK && test -f vulkan_sdk.exe
+  if 7z l vulkan_sdk.exe | grep Include/ >/dev/null ; then
+    _install_windows_7z
+  else
+    _install_windows_qt
+  fi
+  # Verify that the installation was successful by checking for a key directory
+  if [ ! -d "$VULKAN_SDK/Include" ]; then
+    echo "Installer did not create the expected Include directory." >&2
+    # You can add more detailed logging here, like listing the contents of VULKAN_SDK
+    ls -l "$VULKAN_SDK" >&2
+    exit 1
+  fi
+}
 
 function install_mac() {
   test -d $VULKAN_SDK && test -f vulkan_sdk.zip