diff --git a/hnn_core/parallel_backends.py b/hnn_core/parallel_backends.py
index b022e59652..d216fba5e6 100644
--- a/hnn_core/parallel_backends.py
+++ b/hnn_core/parallel_backends.py
@@ -4,6 +4,9 @@
 #          Mainak Jas <mainakjas@gmail.com>
 
 import os
+import platform
+import os.path as op
+
 import sys
 import re
 import multiprocessing
@@ -633,24 +636,23 @@ def __init__(self, n_procs=None, mpi_cmd='mpiexec'):
 
         self.mpi_cmd = mpi_cmd
 
-        if hyperthreading:
-            self.mpi_cmd += ' --use-hwthread-cpus'
-
-        if oversubscribe:
-            self.mpi_cmd += ' --oversubscribe'
+        if platform.system() == 'Windows':
+            self.mpi_cmd += f' /np {self.n_procs}'
+            use_posix = True
+        else:
+            if hyperthreading:
+                self.mpi_cmd += ' --use-hwthread-cpus'
+            if oversubscribe:
+                self.mpi_cmd += ' --oversubscribe'
 
-        self.mpi_cmd += ' -np ' + str(self.n_procs)
+            self.mpi_cmd += f' -np {self.n_procs}'
+            use_posix = False
 
-        self.mpi_cmd += ' nrniv -python -mpi -nobanner ' + \
-            sys.executable + ' ' + \
-            os.path.join(os.path.dirname(sys.modules[__name__].__file__),
-                         'mpi_child.py')
+        mpi_child_fname =  op.join(op.dirname(__file__), 'mpi_child.py')
+        self.mpi_cmd += (' nrniv -python -mpi -nobanner'
+                         f' python {mpi_child_fname}')
 
         # Split the command into shell arguments for passing to Popen
-        if 'win' in sys.platform:
-            use_posix = True
-        else:
-            use_posix = False
         self.mpi_cmd = shlex.split(self.mpi_cmd, posix=use_posix)
 
     def __enter__(self):