diff --git a/hashengine.py b/hashengine.py
index 0e6707f..8272aeb 100644
--- a/hashengine.py
+++ b/hashengine.py
@@ -4,13 +4,8 @@ class game():
         import sys
         import subprocess
         import pkg_resources
-        import os
         print("initializing hashengine and installing dependencies if missing")
-        self.linecount = 0
-        if os.name == 'nt':
-            required = {'sounddevice', 'soundfile', 'windows-curses'}
-        else:
-            required = {'sounddevice', 'soundfile'}
+        required = {'keyboard', 'sounddevice', 'soundfile'}
         installed = {pkg.key for pkg in pkg_resources.working_set}
         missing = required - installed
 
@@ -21,13 +16,21 @@ class game():
                 print(i)
                 subprocess.check_call([python, '-m', 'pip', 'install', i], stdout=sys.stdout)
         print("done")
+        import os
+        import ctypes
         import string
+        def isAdmin():
+            try:
+                is_admin = (os.getuid() == 0)
+            except AttributeError:
+                is_admin = ctypes.windll.shell32.IsUserAnAdmin() != 0
+            return is_admin
+        if not isAdmin():
+            print("error: hashengine needs to be run as an admin")
+            input("enter to continue...")
+            exit()
         self.osmodule = __import__("os")
-        import curses
-        self.screen = curses.initscr()
-        self.screen.nodelay(1)
-        curses.noecho()
-        curses.endwin()
+        self.keyboard = __import__("keyboard")
         try:
             self.sounddevice = __import__("sounddevice")
         except OSError:
@@ -51,7 +54,7 @@ class game():
                 self.map["{}:{}".format(i, f)] = " "
         
         self.objects = []
-
+    
     def round2(self, target):
         from decimal import localcontext, Decimal, ROUND_HALF_UP
         with localcontext() as ctx:
@@ -59,17 +62,11 @@ class game():
             return Decimal(target).to_integral_value()
 
     def update(self):
-        import curses
-        curses.noecho()
-        curses.endwin()
-        temp = self.screen.getch()
-        #temp = ""
         for i in self.pressedkeys:
-            if temp == ord(i):
+            if self.keyboard.is_pressed(i):
                 self.pressedkeys[i] = True
             else:
                 self.pressedkeys[i] = False
-        curses.flushinp()
 
         self.futuremap = self.map.copy()
         for i in self.objects: