diff --git a/.github/workflows/test_branches.yml b/.github/workflows/test_branches.yml
index 653ef6eba54..caedbfc8fdd 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test_branches.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test_branches.yml
@@ -71,29 +71,29 @@ jobs:
       fail-fast: false
       matrix:
         os: [ubuntu-latest]
-        python: ['3.13']
+        python: [3.13]
         other: [""]
         category: [""]
 
         include:
         - os: ubuntu-latest
-          python: '3.13'
+          python: 3.13
           TARGET: linux
           PYENV: pip
 
         - os: macos-latest
-          python: '3.11'
+          python: 3.12
           TARGET: osx
           PYENV: pip
 
         - os: windows-latest
-          python: 3.9
+          python: 3.11
           TARGET: win
           PYENV: conda
           PACKAGES: glpk pytest-qt filelock
 
         - os: ubuntu-latest
-          python: '3.11'
+          python: 3.11
           other: /conda
           skip_doctest: 1
           TARGET: linux
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ jobs:
           PACKAGES: openmpi mpi4py
 
         - os: ubuntu-latest
-          python: '3.12'
+          python: 3.12
           other: /cython
           setup_options: --with-cython
           skip_doctest: 1
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ jobs:
           PACKAGES: cython
 
         - os: windows-latest
-          python: '3.10'
+          python: 3.9
           other: /pip
           skip_doctest: 1
           TARGET: win
@@ -365,11 +365,23 @@ jobs:
         # possibly if it outputs messages to stderr)
         conda install --update-deps -q -y $CONDA_DEPENDENCIES
         if test -z "${{matrix.slim}}"; then
+            # xpress.init() (from conda) hangs indefinitely on GHA/Windows under
+            # Python 3.10 and 3.11.  Exclude that release on that platform.
+            if [[ ${{matrix.TARGET}} == win && ${{matrix.python}} =~ 3.1[01] ]]; then
+                # We would like to just use something like:
+                #  - "!=9.5.1" (conda errors)
+                #  - "<9.5.1|>9.5.1" (conda installs 9.1.2, which also hangs)
+                #  - "<=9.5.0|>9.5.1" (conda seg faults)
+                XPRESS='xpress=9.5.0'
+            else
+                XPRESS='xpress'
+            fi
             PYVER=$(echo "py${{matrix.python}}" | sed 's/\.//g')
             echo "Installing for $PYVER"
-            for PKG in 'cplex>=12.10' docplex gurobi xpress cyipopt pymumps scip; do
+            for PKG in 'cplex>=12.10' docplex gurobi "$XPRESS" cyipopt pymumps scip; do
                 echo ""
                 echo "*** Install $PKG ***"
+                echo ""
                 # conda can literally take an hour to determine that a
                 # package is not available.  Perform a quick search to see
                 # if the package is available for this interpreter before
@@ -391,6 +403,7 @@ jobs:
                         conda install -y "$PKG" || _BUILDS=""
                     fi
                 fi
+                echo ""
                 if test -z "$_BUILDS"; then
                     echo "WARNING: $PKG is not available"
                 fi
@@ -704,6 +717,7 @@ jobs:
       uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
       with:
         name: ${{github.job}}_${{env.GHA_JOBGROUP}}-${{env.GHA_JOBNAME}}
+        include-hidden-files: true
         path: |
           .coverage
           coverage.xml
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test_pr_and_main.yml b/.github/workflows/test_pr_and_main.yml
index 2506573db4d..0bd5cac42ea 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test_pr_and_main.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test_pr_and_main.yml
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ jobs:
       fail-fast: false
       matrix:
         os: [ubuntu-latest, macos-latest, windows-latest]
-        python: [ 3.9, '3.10', '3.11', '3.12', '3.13' ]
+        python: [ 3.9, '3.10', 3.11, 3.12, 3.13 ]
         other: [""]
         category: [""]
 
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ jobs:
           PACKAGES: glpk pytest-qt filelock
 
         - os: ubuntu-latest
-          python: '3.11'
+          python: 3.11
           other: /conda
           skip_doctest: 1
           TARGET: linux
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ jobs:
           PACKAGES: openmpi mpi4py
 
         - os: ubuntu-latest
-          python: '3.12'
+          python: 3.12
           other: /cython
           setup_options: --with-cython
           skip_doctest: 1
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ jobs:
           PYENV: pip
 
         - os: ubuntu-latest
-          python: '3.11'
+          python: 3.11
           other: /singletest
           category: "-m 'neos or importtest'"
           skip_doctest: 1
@@ -397,11 +397,23 @@ jobs:
         # possibly if it outputs messages to stderr)
         conda install --update-deps -q -y $CONDA_DEPENDENCIES
         if test -z "${{matrix.slim}}"; then
+            # xpress.init() (from conda) hangs indefinitely on GHA/Windows under
+            # Python 3.10 and 3.11.  Exclude that release on that platform.
+            if [[ ${{matrix.TARGET}} == win && ${{matrix.python}} =~ 3.1[01] ]]; then
+                # We would like to just use something like:
+                #  - "!=9.5.1" (conda errors)
+                #  - "<9.5.1|>9.5.1" (conda installs 9.1.2, which also hangs)
+                #  - "<=9.5.0|>9.5.1" (conda seg faults)
+                XPRESS='xpress=9.5.0'
+            else
+                XPRESS='xpress'
+            fi
             PYVER=$(echo "py${{matrix.python}}" | sed 's/\.//g')
             echo "Installing for $PYVER"
-            for PKG in 'cplex>=12.10' docplex gurobi xpress cyipopt pymumps scip; do
+            for PKG in 'cplex>=12.10' docplex gurobi "$XPRESS" cyipopt pymumps scip; do
                 echo ""
                 echo "*** Install $PKG ***"
+                echo ""
                 # conda can literally take an hour to determine that a
                 # package is not available.  Perform a quick search to see
                 # if the package is available for this interpreter before
@@ -423,6 +435,7 @@ jobs:
                         conda install -y "$PKG" || _BUILDS=""
                     fi
                 fi
+                echo ""
                 if test -z "$_BUILDS"; then
                     echo "WARNING: $PKG is not available"
                 fi
@@ -654,8 +667,7 @@ jobs:
       if: ${{ ! matrix.slim }}
       shell: bash
       run: |
-        echo "NOTE: temporarily pinning to highspy pre-release for testing"
-        $PYTHON_EXE -m pip install --cache-dir cache/pip "highspy>=1.7.1.dev1" \
+        $PYTHON_EXE -m pip install --cache-dir cache/pip highspy \
             || echo "WARNING: highspy is not available"
 
     - name: Set up coverage tracking