diff --git a/gui_vue/electron-builder.json5 b/gui_vue/electron-builder.json5
index 0326cfeb..7e384c3f 100644
--- a/gui_vue/electron-builder.json5
+++ b/gui_vue/electron-builder.json5
@@ -11,8 +11,28 @@
   },
   "files": [
     "dist",
-    "dist-electron"
+    "dist-electron",
+    "src/**/*",
+    "node_modules/**/*",
+    {
+          from: 'src',
+          to: 'dist'
+        }
   ],
+
+
+      "extraResources": [
+      {
+        "from": "src",
+        "to": "testfolder",
+        "filter": [
+          "**/*",
+          "!**/.git"
+        ]
+      }
+    ],
+
+
   "mac": {
     "target": [
       "dmg"
@@ -41,18 +61,5 @@
       "AppImage"
     ],
     "artifactName": "${productName}-${version}.${ext}"
-  },
-      "files": [
-      "**/*",
-      "!**/*.ts",
-      "!*.map",
-      "!package.json",
-      "!package-lock.json",
-      {
-        "from": "../dist",
-        "filter": [
-          "**/*"
-        ]
-      },
-  ]
+  }
         }
diff --git a/gui_vue/electron/preload/index.ts b/gui_vue/electron/preload/index.ts
index ebf1276f..57adf56c 100644
--- a/gui_vue/electron/preload/index.ts
+++ b/gui_vue/electron/preload/index.ts
@@ -35,17 +35,35 @@ function useLoading() {
   const className = `loaders-css__square-spin`
   const styleContent = `
 @keyframes square-spin {
-  25% { transform: perspective(100px) rotateX(180deg) rotateY(0); }
-  50% { transform: perspective(100px) rotateX(180deg) rotateY(180deg); }
-  75% { transform: perspective(100px) rotateX(0) rotateY(180deg); }
-  100% { transform: perspective(100px) rotateX(0) rotateY(0); }
+  0% {
+    transform: rotate(0deg);
+    background-image: url('/icon_cube_border.png'); /* Replace with the URL of your image */
+    background-size: cover; /* Scale the image to cover the entire container */
+  }
+  25% { transform: perspective(100px) rotateX(180deg) rotateY(0);
+    background-image: url('/icon_cube_border.png'); /* Replace with the URL of your image */
+    background-size: cover; /* Scale the image to cover the entire container */
+   }
+
+  50% { transform: perspective(100px) rotateX(180deg) rotateY(180deg);
+    background-image: url('/icon_cube_border.png'); /* Replace with the URL of your image */
+    background-size: cover; /* Scale the image to cover the entire container */
+  }
+  75% { transform: perspective(100px) rotateX(0) rotateY(180deg);
+    background-image: url('/icon_cube_border.png'); /* Replace with the URL of your image */
+    background-size: cover; /* Scale the image to cover the entire container */
+  }
+  100% { transform: perspective(100px) rotateX(0) rotateY(0);
+    background-image: url('/icon_cube_border.png'); /* Replace with the URL of your image */
+    background-size: cover; /* Scale the image to cover the entire container */
+  }
 }
 .${className} > div {
   animation-fill-mode: both;
   width: 50px;
   height: 50px;
   background: #fff;
-  animation: square-spin 3s 0s cubic-bezier(0.09, 0.57, 0.49, 0.9) infinite;
+  animation: square-spin 6s 0s cubic-bezier(0.09, 0.57, 0.49, 0.9) infinite;
 }
 .app-loading-wrap {
   position: fixed;
@@ -57,7 +75,7 @@ function useLoading() {
   align-items: center;
   justify-content: center;
   background: #282c34;
-  z-index: 9;
+  z-index: 99999;
 }
     `
   const oStyle = document.createElement('style')
diff --git a/gui_vue/index.html b/gui_vue/index.html
index 3409fc22..ff2459bf 100644
--- a/gui_vue/index.html
+++ b/gui_vue/index.html
@@ -12,3 +12,31 @@
     <script type="module" src="/src/main.ts"></script>
   </body>
 </html>
+
+
+
+<script type="module">
+// debugging code for figuring out correct folder structure in build environment
+console.log(process.env)
+
+
+    import { readdir } from 'node:fs/promises';
+    import { readdirSync } from 'fs'
+    import { join } from 'path'
+
+    function walk(dir) {
+      return readdirSync(dir, { withFileTypes: true }).flatMap((file) => file.isDirectory() ? walk(join(dir, file.name)) : join(dir, file.name))
+    }
+
+
+    if (process.env["NODE_ENV"] == "production"){
+
+    console.log(walk(process.env["APPDIR"]))
+    console.log(walk(process.env["DIST"]))
+    console.log(walk(process.env["DIST_ELECTRON"]))
+
+} else {
+  console.log("running in " + process.env["NODE_ENV"])
+  }
+
+</script>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/gui_vue/src/js/chatHandler.js b/gui_vue/src/js/chatHandler.js
index 45d79dca..8ca17db0 100644
--- a/gui_vue/src/js/chatHandler.js
+++ b/gui_vue/src/js/chatHandler.js
@@ -13,7 +13,10 @@ const chat = useChatStore(pinia);
 
 import { sendMessage } from "./sock.js";
 
-const FD = require("./src/js/freedata.js");
+
+//const FD = require("./src/js/freedata.js");
+import {btoa_FD} from "./freedata.js"
+
 
 // split character
 const split_char = "0;1;";
@@ -118,7 +121,7 @@ export function newBroadcast(broadcastChannel, chatmessage) {
   newChatObj._attachments = {
     [filename]: {
       content_type: filetype,
-      data: FD.btoa_FD(file),
+      data: btoa_FD(file),
     },
   };
 
@@ -197,7 +200,7 @@ export function newMessage(
   newChatObj._attachments = {
     [filename]: {
       content_type: filetype,
-      data: FD.btoa_FD(file),
+      data: btoa_FD(file),
     },
   };
 
@@ -592,7 +595,7 @@ export function newMessageReceived(message, protocol) {
   newChatObj._attachments = {
     [message[6]]: {
       content_type: message[7],
-      data: FD.btoa_FD(message[8]),
+      data: btoa_FD(message[8]),
     },
   };
 
diff --git a/gui_vue/src/js/freedata.js b/gui_vue/src/js/freedata.js
index 67814e97..93eebe91 100644
--- a/gui_vue/src/js/freedata.js
+++ b/gui_vue/src/js/freedata.js
@@ -5,7 +5,8 @@ const fs = require("fs");
  * @param {string} data in normal/usual utf-8 format
  * @returns base64 encoded string
  */
-exports.btoa_FD = function (data) {
+export function btoa_FD(data) {
+//exports.btoa_FD = function (data) {
   return Buffer.from(data, "utf-8").toString("base64");
 };
 /**
@@ -13,7 +14,8 @@ exports.btoa_FD = function (data) {
  * @param {string} data in base64 encoding
  * @returns utf-8 normal/usual string
  */
-exports.atob_FD = function (data) {
+export function atob_FD(data) {
+//exports.atob_FD = function (data) {
   return Buffer.from(data, "base64").toString("utf-8");
 };
 /**
@@ -21,6 +23,7 @@ exports.atob_FD = function (data) {
  * @param {string} data in base64 encoding
  * @returns base64 bota compatible data for use in browser
  */
-exports.atob = function (data) {
+export function atob(data) {
+//exports.atob = function (data) {
   return window.btoa(Buffer.from(data, "base64").toString("utf8"));
 };
diff --git a/gui_vue/src/js/sock.js b/gui_vue/src/js/sock.js
index 4b6cca38..f6bcae71 100644
--- a/gui_vue/src/js/sock.js
+++ b/gui_vue/src/js/sock.js
@@ -1,7 +1,10 @@
 var net = require("net");
 const path = require("path");
-const FD = require("./src/js/freedata.js");
+//const FD = require("./src/js/freedata.js");
+import {atob_FD, btoa_FD} from "./freedata.js"
 //import FD from './freedata.js';
+
+
 import {
   newMessageReceived,
   newBeaconReceived,
@@ -276,7 +279,7 @@ client.on("data", function (socketdata) {
 
           case "broadcast":
             // RX'd FEC BROADCAST
-            var encoded_data = FD.atob_FD(data["data"]);
+            var encoded_data = atob_FD(data["data"]);
             var splitted_data = encoded_data.split(split_char);
             var messageArray = [];
             if (splitted_data[0] == "m") {
@@ -449,7 +452,7 @@ client.on("data", function (socketdata) {
               console.log(data);
               // we need to encode here to do a deep check for checking if file or message
               //var encoded_data = atob(data['data'])
-              var encoded_data = FD.atob_FD(data["data"]);
+              var encoded_data = atob_FD(data["data"]);
               var splitted_data = encoded_data.split(split_char);
 
               // new message received
@@ -490,7 +493,7 @@ client.on("data", function (socketdata) {
           try {
             // we need to encode here to do a deep check for checking if file or message
             //var encoded_data = atob(data['data-array'][i]['data'])
-            var encoded_data = FD.atob_FD(data["data-array"][i]["data"]);
+            var encoded_data = atob_FD(data["data-array"][i]["data"]);
             var splitted_data = encoded_data.split(split_char);
 
             if (splitted_data[0] == "m") {
@@ -600,7 +603,7 @@ function sendFile(
   //Btoa / atob will not work with charsets > 8 bits (i.e. the emojis); should probably move away from using it
   //TODO:  Will need to update anyother occurences and throughly test
   //data = btoa(data)
-  data = FD.btoa_FD(data);
+  data = btoa_FD(data);
 
   command =
     '{"type" : "arq", "command" : "send_raw",  "parameter" : [{"dxcallsign" : "' +
@@ -617,7 +620,7 @@ function sendFile(
 
 // Send Message
 export function sendMessage(dxcallsign, data, checksum, uuid, command) {
-  data = FD.btoa_FD(
+  data = btoa_FD(
     "m" +
       split_char +
       command +
@@ -652,7 +655,7 @@ export function sendMessage(dxcallsign, data, checksum, uuid, command) {
 // Send Request message
 //It would be then „m + split + request + split + request-type“
 function sendRequest(dxcallsign, mode, frames, data, command) {
-  data = FD.btoa_FD("m" + split_char + command + split_char + data);
+  data = btoa_FD("m" + split_char + command + split_char + data);
   command =
     '{"type" : "arq", "command" : "send_raw", "parameter" : [{"dxcallsign" : "' +
     dxcallsign +
@@ -671,7 +674,7 @@ function sendRequest(dxcallsign, mode, frames, data, command) {
 // Send Response message
 //It would be then „m + split + request + split + request-type“
 function sendResponse(dxcallsign, mode, frames, data, command) {
-  data = FD.btoa_FD("m" + split_char + command + split_char + data);
+  data = btoa_FD("m" + split_char + command + split_char + data);
   command =
     '{"type" : "arq", "command" : "send_raw", "parameter" : [{"dxcallsign" : "' +
     dxcallsign +
@@ -823,7 +826,7 @@ export function sendFecIsWriting(mycallsign) {
 export function sendBroadcastChannel(channel, data_out, uuid) {
   let checksum = "";
   let command = "";
-  let data = FD.btoa_FD(
+  let data = btoa_FD(
     "m" +
       split_char +
       channel +