diff --git a/dropshell-install.sh b/dropshell-install.sh
index b21e6d8..9528cd9 100755
--- a/dropshell-install.sh
+++ b/dropshell-install.sh
@@ -3,26 +3,118 @@ set -euo pipefail
 
 # download and install dropshell
 
-# 1. Determine architecture
+# 1. Check prerequisites
+# ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
+
+if ! command -v curl >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    echo "Error: curl is required but not installed" >&2
+    echo "Please install curl: apt-get install curl (Debian/Ubuntu) or yum install curl (RedHat/CentOS)" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# 2. Determine architecture
 # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
 ARCH=$(uname -m)
+case "$ARCH" in
+    x86_64|amd64) ARCH="x86_64" ;;
+    aarch64|arm64) ARCH="aarch64" ;;
+    *)
+        echo "Warning: Unsupported architecture: $ARCH" >&2
+        echo "Attempting to continue with detected architecture..." >&2
+        ;;
+esac
 
 TARGET_PATH="${HOME}/.local/bin/dropshell"
-[ ! -f "${TARGET_PATH}" ] || rm -f "${TARGET_PATH}"
-mkdir -p "$(dirname "${TARGET_PATH}")"
+TARGET_DIR="$(dirname "${TARGET_PATH}")"
+
+# 3. Backup existing installation
+# ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
+
+if [ -f "${TARGET_PATH}" ]; then
+    BACKUP_PATH="${TARGET_PATH}.backup.$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)"
+    echo "Backing up existing installation to ${BACKUP_PATH}"
+    mv "${TARGET_PATH}" "${BACKUP_PATH}"
+fi
+
+mkdir -p "${TARGET_DIR}"
+
+# 4. Download with retries
+# ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
+
+DOWNLOAD_URL="https://getbin.xyz/dropshell:latest-${ARCH}"
+TEMP_FILE="${TARGET_PATH}.tmp"
+MAX_RETRIES=3
+RETRY_DELAY=2
 
-# Download using the latest-${ARCH} tag format
 echo "Downloading dropshell for ${ARCH}..."
-curl -L -s -o "${TARGET_PATH}" "https://getbin.xyz/dropshell:latest-${ARCH}" || {
-    echo "Failed to download dropshell for ${ARCH}" >&2
+
+for i in $(seq 1 $MAX_RETRIES); do
+    if curl -L --fail --connect-timeout 10 --max-time 60 \
+            -o "${TEMP_FILE}" "${DOWNLOAD_URL}" 2>/dev/null; then
+        mv "${TEMP_FILE}" "${TARGET_PATH}"
+        break
+    else
+        if [ $i -eq $MAX_RETRIES ]; then
+            echo "Failed to download dropshell after $MAX_RETRIES attempts" >&2
+            [ -f "${TEMP_FILE}" ] && rm -f "${TEMP_FILE}"
+            
+            # Restore backup if available
+            if [ -n "${BACKUP_PATH:-}" ] && [ -f "${BACKUP_PATH}" ]; then
+                echo "Restoring previous installation from backup"
+                mv "${BACKUP_PATH}" "${TARGET_PATH}"
+            fi
+            exit 1
+        fi
+        echo "Download failed, retrying in ${RETRY_DELAY} seconds... (attempt $i/$MAX_RETRIES)"
+        sleep $RETRY_DELAY
+    fi
+done
+
+# 5. Verify and set permissions
+# ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
+
+if [ ! -f "${TARGET_PATH}" ]; then
+    echo "Error: Download succeeded but file not found at ${TARGET_PATH}" >&2
     exit 1
-}
+fi
+
+# Verify it's a binary (basic check)
+if ! file "${TARGET_PATH}" | grep -q "executable\|ELF"; then
+    echo "Warning: Downloaded file may not be a valid executable" >&2
+fi
+
 chmod +x "${TARGET_PATH}"
+
+# Remove backup on successful installation
+[ -n "${BACKUP_PATH:-}" ] && [ -f "${BACKUP_PATH}" ] && rm -f "${BACKUP_PATH}"
+
 echo "dropshell installed successfully to $TARGET_PATH"
 echo " "
 
+# 6. Update PATH if needed
+# ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
+
+if [[ ":$PATH:" != *":${TARGET_DIR}:"* ]]; then
+    echo "Note: ${TARGET_DIR} is not in your PATH"
+    
+    # Check which shell config file to update
+    SHELL_RC=""
+    if [ -n "${BASH_VERSION:-}" ]; then
+        SHELL_RC="${HOME}/.bashrc"
+    elif [ -n "${ZSH_VERSION:-}" ]; then
+        SHELL_RC="${HOME}/.zshrc"
+    fi
+    
+    if [ -n "$SHELL_RC" ] && [ -f "$SHELL_RC" ]; then
+        if ! grep -q "export PATH.*${TARGET_DIR}" "$SHELL_RC"; then
+            echo "Consider adding to your $SHELL_RC:"
+            echo "  export PATH=\"\$PATH:${TARGET_DIR}\""
+        fi
+    fi
+fi
+
 echo "Please:"
 echo "1. run '${TARGET_PATH} edit' to edit the configuration."
 echo "2. run '${TARGET_PATH} install' to install dropshell components on this computer."
-echo "3. run 'source ~/.bashrc' to add to your path and autocomplete for the current shell."
+echo "3. run 'source ~/.bashrc' (or ~/.zshrc) to update PATH for the current shell."