diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 0d98bc4c0..a8b27602d 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -565,7 +565,7 @@
 - add apt-transport-https for ubuntu. (epcim) #896
 - Fix expanding shell script position parameters with nounset enabled. (vutny) #895
 - RFC: Add tests for bootstrap-salt.ps1. (themalkolm) #893
-- Keep original name of salt executable executable. (themalkolm) #857
+- Keep original name of salt executable. (themalkolm) #857
 
 # v2016.06.27:
 
diff --git a/bootstrap-salt.ps1 b/bootstrap-salt.ps1
index b7d528e46..6481ae6d6 100644
--- a/bootstrap-salt.ps1
+++ b/bootstrap-salt.ps1
@@ -5,61 +5,32 @@
 .DESCRIPTION
     The script will download the official Salt package from SaltProject. It will
     install a specific package version and accept parameters for the master and
-    minion ids. Finally, it can stop and set the Windows service to "manual" for
+    minion IDs. Finally, it can stop and set the Windows service to "manual" for
     local testing.
 
 .EXAMPLE
     ./bootstrap-salt.ps1
-    Runs without any parameters. Uses all the default values/settings.
+    Runs without any parameters. Uses all the default values/settings. Will
+    install the latest version of Salt
 
 .EXAMPLE
-    ./bootstrap-salt.ps1 -version 2017.7.0
+    ./bootstrap-salt.ps1 -Version 3006.7
     Specifies a particular version of the installer.
 
 .EXAMPLE
-    ./bootstrap-salt.ps1 -pythonVersion 3
-    Specifies the Python version of the installer. Can be "2" or "3". Defaults
-    to "2". Python 3 installers are only available for Salt 2017.7.0 and newer.
-    Starting with Python 3002 only Python 3 installers are available.
-
-.EXAMPLE
-    ./bootstrap-salt.ps1 -runservice false
+    ./bootstrap-salt.ps1 -RunService false
     Specifies the salt-minion service to stop and be set to manual. Useful for
     testing locally from the command line with the --local switch
 
 .EXAMPLE
-    ./bootstrap-salt.ps1 -minion minion-box -master master-box
+    ./bootstrap-salt.ps1 -Minion minion-box -Master master-box
     Specifies the minion and master ids in the minion config. Defaults to the
     installer values of host name for the minion id and "salt" for the master.
 
 .EXAMPLE
-    ./bootstrap-salt.ps1 -minion minion-box -master master-box -version 2017.7.0 -runservice false
+    ./bootstrap-salt.ps1 -Minion minion-box -Master master-box -Version 3006.7 -RunService false
     Specifies all the optional parameters in no particular order.
 
-.PARAMETER version
-    The version of the Salt minion to install. Default is "latest" which will
-    install the latest version of Salt minion available.
-
-.PARAMETER pythonVersion
-    The version of Python the installer should use. Specify either "2" or "3".
-    Beginning with Salt 2017.7.0, Salt will run on either Python 2 or Python 3.
-    The default is Python 2 if not specified. This parameter only works for Salt
-
-.PARAMETER runservice
-    Boolean flag to start or stop the minion service. True will start the minion
-    service. False will stop the minion service and set it to "manual". The
-    installer starts it by default.
-
-.PARAMETER minion
-    Name of the minion being installed on this host. Installer defaults to the
-    host name.
-
-.PARAMETER master
-    Name or IP of the master server. Installer defaults to "salt".
-
-.PARAMETER repourl
-    URL to the windows packages. Default is "https://repo.saltproject.io/windows"
-
 .NOTES
     All of the parameters are optional. The default should be the latest
     version. The architecture is dynamically determined by the script.
@@ -68,7 +39,7 @@
     Salt Bootstrap GitHub Project (script home) - https://github.com/saltstack/salt-bootstrap
     Original Vagrant Provisioner Project - https://github.com/saltstack/salty-vagrant
     Vagrant Project (utilizes this script) - https://github.com/mitchellh/vagrant
-    Salt Download Location - https://repo.saltproject.io/windows/
+    Salt Download Location - https://repo.saltproject.io/salt/py3/windows
 #>
 
 #===============================================================================
@@ -77,43 +48,62 @@
 [CmdletBinding()]
 param(
     [Parameter(Mandatory=$false, ValueFromPipeline=$True)]
-    # Doesn't support versions prior to "YYYY.M.R-B"
-    # Supports new version and latest
-    # Option 1 means case insensitive
     [ValidatePattern('^(\d{4}(\.\d{1,2}){0,2}(\-\d{1})?)|(latest)$', Options=1)]
     [Alias("v")]
+    # The version of the Salt minion to install. Default is "latest" which will
+    # install the latest version of Salt minion available. Doesn't support
+    # versions prior to "YYYY.M.R-B"
     [String]$Version = "latest",
 
-    [Parameter(Mandatory=$false, ValueFromPipeline=$True)]
-    # Python 3 support was added in 2017. Python 2 support was dropped in
-    # version 3001. This parameter is ignored for all versions before 2017 and
-    # after 3000.
-    [ValidateSet("2","3")]
-    [Alias("p")]
-    [String]$PythonVersion = "3",
-
     [Parameter(Mandatory=$false, ValueFromPipeline=$True)]
     [ValidateSet("true","false")]
     [Alias("s")]
+    # Boolean flag to start or stop the minion service. True will start the
+    # minion service. False will stop the minion service and set it to "manual".
+    # The installer starts it by default.
     [String]$RunService = "true",
 
     [Parameter(Mandatory=$false, ValueFromPipeline=$True)]
     [Alias("m")]
+    # Name of the minion being installed on this host. Installer defaults to the
+    # host name.
     [String]$Minion = "not-specified",
 
     [Parameter(Mandatory=$false, ValueFromPipeline=$True)]
     [Alias("a")]
+    #Name or IP of the master server. Installer defaults to "salt".
     [String]$Master = "not-specified",
 
     [Parameter(Mandatory=$false, ValueFromPipeline=$True)]
     [Alias("r")]
+    # URL to the windows packages. Will look for a file named repo.json at the
+    # root of the URL. This file is used to determine the name and location of
+    # the installer in the repo. If repo.json is not found, it will look for the
+    # file under the minor directory.
+    # Default is "https://repo.saltproject.io/salt/py3/windows"
     [String]$RepoUrl = "https://repo.saltproject.io/salt/py3/windows",
 
     [Parameter(Mandatory=$false, ValueFromPipeline=$True)]
     [Alias("c")]
-    [Switch]$ConfigureOnly
+    # Vagrant only
+    # Vagrant files are placed in "C:\tmp". Copies Salt config files from
+    # Vagrant (C:\tmp) to Salt config locations and exits. Does not run the
+    # installer
+    [Switch]$ConfigureOnly,
+
+    [Parameter(Mandatory=$false)]
+    [Alias("h")]
+    # Displays help for this script.
+    [Switch] $Help
 )
 
+# We'll check for help first because it really has no requirements
+if ($help) {
+    # Get the full script name
+    $this_script = & {$myInvocation.ScriptName}
+    Get-Help $this_script -Detailed
+    exit 0
+}
 
 #===============================================================================
 # Script Preferences
@@ -253,6 +243,7 @@ function Get-FileHash {
         }
     } catch {
         Write-Verbose "Error hashing: $Path"
+        Write-Verbose "ERROR: $_"
         return @{}
     } finally {
         if ($null -ne $data) {
@@ -301,27 +292,11 @@ if (!(Get-IsAdministrator)) {
 $defaultUrl = "https://repo.saltproject.io/salt/py3/windows"
 $oldRepoUrl = "https://repo.saltproject.io/windows"
 $majorVersion = Get-MajorVersion -Version $Version
-$customUrl = $true
-if ( $Version.ToLower() -ne "latest" ) {
-    # A specific version has been passed
-    # We only want to modify the URL if a custom URL was not passed
-    $uri = [Uri]($RepoUrl)
-    if ( $uri.AbsoluteUri -eq $defaultUrl ) {
-        # No customURL passed, let's check for a pre 3006 version
-        $customUrl = $false
-        if ( $majorVersion -lt "3006" ) {
-            # This is an older version, use the old URL
-            $RepoUrl = $oldRepoUrl
-        } else {
-            # This is a new URL, and a version was passed, let's look in minor
-            if ( $Version.ToLower() -ne $majorVersion.ToLower() ) {
-                $RepoUrl = "$RepoUrl/minor"
-            }
-        }
-    }
-} else {
-    if ( $RepoUrl -eq $defaultUrl ) {
-        $customUrl = $false
+if ( [Uri]($RepoUrl).AbsoluteUri -eq $defaultUrl ) {
+    # No customURL passed, let's check for a pre 3006 version
+    if ($majorVersion -lt "3006") {
+        # This is an older version, use the old URL
+        $RepoUrl = $oldRepoUrl
     }
 }
 
@@ -372,9 +347,6 @@ $ConfDir = "$RootDir\conf"
 $PkiDir = "$ConfDir\pki\minion"
 Write-Verbose "ConfDir: $ConfDir"
 
-# Create C:\tmp\
-New-Item C:\tmp\ -ItemType directory -Force | Out-Null
-
 #===============================================================================
 # Copy Vagrant Files to their proper location.
 #===============================================================================
@@ -431,15 +403,61 @@ $saltFileName = ""
 $saltVersion = ""
 $saltSha512= ""
 $saltFileUrl = ""
-if ( ($customUrl) -or ($majorVersion -lt 3006) ) {
-    $saltFileName = "Salt-Minion-$Version-Py3-$arch-Setup.exe"
-    $saltVersion = $Version
-    $saltFileUrl = "$RepoUrl/$saltFileName"
-} else {
-    if ( $majorVersion -ge 3006 ) {
-        $enc = [System.Text.Encoding]::UTF8
+# Look for a repo.json file
+try {
+    Write-Verbose "Looking for $RepoUrl/repo.json"
+    $response = Invoke-WebRequest "$RepoUrl/repo.json" `
+    -DisableKeepAlive `
+    -UseBasicParsing `
+    -Method Head
+    if ( $response.StatusCode -eq "200" ) {
+        Write-Verbose "Found $RepoUrl/repo.json"
+        # This URL contains a repo.json file, let's use it
+        $use_repo_json = $true
+    } else {
+        Write-Verbose "Did not find $RepoUrl/repo.json"
+        # No repo.json file found at the default location
+        $use_repo_json = $false
+    }
+} catch {
+    Write-Verbose "There was an error looking up $RepoUrl/repo.json"
+    Write-Verbose "ERROR: $_"
+    $use_repo_json = $false
+}
+if ( $use_repo_json ) {
+    # We will use the json file to get the name of the installer
+    $enc = [System.Text.Encoding]::UTF8
+    try {
+        Write-Verbose "Downloading $RepoUrl/repo.json"
+        $response = Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "$RepoUrl/repo.json" -UseBasicParsing
+        if ($response.Content.GetType().Name -eq "Byte[]") {
+            $psobj = $enc.GetString($response.Content) | ConvertFrom-Json
+        } else {
+            $psobj = $response.Content | ConvertFrom-Json
+        }
+        $hash = Convert-PSObjectToHashtable $psobj
+    } catch {
+        Write-Verbose "repo.json not found at: $RepoUrl"
+        Write-Host "ERROR: $_"
+        $hash = @{}
+    }
+
+    $searchVersion = $Version.ToLower()
+    if ( $hash.Contains($searchVersion)) {
+        Write-Verbose "Found $searchVersion in $RepoUrl/repo.json"
+        foreach ($item in $hash.($searchVersion).Keys) {
+            if ( $item.ToLower().EndsWith(".exe") ) {
+                if ( $item.ToLower().Contains($arch.ToLower()) ) {
+                    $saltFileName = $hash.($searchVersion).($item).name
+                    $saltVersion = $hash.($searchVersion).($item).version
+                    $saltSha512 = $hash.($searchVersion).($item).SHA512
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    } else {
         try {
-            $response = Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "$RepoUrl/repo.json" -UseBasicParsing
+            Write-Verbose "Searching for $searchVersion in $RepoUrl/minor/repo.json"
+            $response = Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "$RepoUrl/minor/repo.json" -UseBasicParsing
             if ($response.Content.GetType().Name -eq "Byte[]") {
                 $psobj = $enc.GetString($response.Content) | ConvertFrom-Json
             } else {
@@ -447,32 +465,78 @@ if ( ($customUrl) -or ($majorVersion -lt 3006) ) {
             }
             $hash = Convert-PSObjectToHashtable $psobj
         } catch {
-            Write-Verbose "repo.json not found at: $RepoUrl"
+            Write-Verbose "repo.json not found at: $RepoUrl/minor/repo.json"
+            Write-Verbose "ERROR: $_"
             $hash = @{}
         }
-
-        $searchVersion = $Version.ToLower()
         if ( $hash.Contains($searchVersion)) {
+            Write-Verbose "Found $searchVersion in $RepoUrl/minor/repo.json"
             foreach ($item in $hash.($searchVersion).Keys) {
-                if ( $item.EndsWith(".exe") ) {
-                    if ( $item.Contains($arch) ) {
+                if ( $item.ToLower().EndsWith(".exe") ) {
+                    if ( $item.ToLower().Contains($arch.ToLower()) ) {
                         $saltFileName = $hash.($searchVersion).($item).name
                         $saltVersion = $hash.($searchVersion).($item).version
                         $saltSha512 = $hash.($searchVersion).($item).SHA512
                     }
                 }
             }
+        } else {
+            Write-Verbose "Version not found in $RepoUrl/minor/repo.json"
         }
-        if ( $saltFileName -and $saltVersion -and $saltSha512 ) {
-            if ( $RepoUrl.Contains("minor") ) {
-                $saltFileUrl = @($RepoUrl, $saltVersion, $saltFileName) -join "/"
-            } else {
-                $saltFileUrl = @($RepoUrl, "minor", $saltVersion, $saltFileName) -join "/"
-            }
+    }
+}
+
+if ( $saltFileName -and $saltVersion -and $saltSha512 ) {
+    Write-Verbose "Found Name, Version, and Sha"
+} else {
+    # We will guess the name of the installer
+    Write-Verbose "Failed to get Name, Version, and Sha from repo.json"
+    Write-Verbose "We'll try to find the file in standard paths"
+    $saltFileName = "Salt-Minion-$Version-Py3-$arch-Setup.exe"
+    $saltVersion = $Version
+}
+
+Write-Verbose "Creating list of urls using the following:"
+Write-Verbose "RepoUrl: $RepoUrl"
+Write-Verbose "Version: $saltVersion"
+Write-Verbose "File Name: $saltFileName"
+$urls = $(@($RepoUrl, $saltVersion, $saltFileName) -join "/"),
+        $(@($RepoUrl, "minor", $saltVersion, $saltFileName) -join "/"),
+        $(@($RepoUrl, $saltFileName) -join "/"),
+        $(@($oldRepoUrl, $saltFileName) -join "/")
+
+$saltFileUrl = $null
+
+foreach ($url in $urls) {
+    try {
+        Write-Verbose "Looking for installer at: $url"
+        $response = Invoke-WebRequest "$url" `
+                    -DisableKeepAlive `
+                    -UseBasicParsing `
+                    -Method Head
+        if ( $response.StatusCode -eq "200" ) {
+            Write-Verbose "Found installer"
+            # This URL contains a repo.json file, let's use it
+            $saltFileUrl = $url
+            break
+        } else {
+            Write-Verbose "Installer not found: $url"
         }
+    } catch {
+        Write-Verbose "ERROR: $url"
     }
 }
 
+if ( !$saltFileUrl ) {
+    Write-Host "Could not find an installer:"
+    Write-Verbose "Here are the urls searched:"
+    foreach ($url in $urls) {
+        Write-Verbose $url
+    }
+    exit 1
+}
+
+
 #===============================================================================
 # Download minion setup file
 #===============================================================================
@@ -481,10 +545,19 @@ Write-Host " Bootstrapping Salt Minion" -ForegroundColor Green
 Write-Host " - version: $Version"
 Write-Host " - file name: $saltFileName"
 Write-Host " - file url: $saltFileUrl"
+Write-Host " - master: $Master"
+Write-Host " - minion id: $Minion"
+Write-Host " - start service: $RunService"
 Write-Host "-------------------------------------------------------------------------------" -ForegroundColor Yellow
+
+$localFile = "$env:TEMP\$saltFileName"
+
 Write-Host "Downloading Installer: " -NoNewline
+Write-Verbose ""
+Write-Verbose "Salt File URL: $saltFileUrl"
+Write-Verbose "Local File: $localFile"
+
 $webclient = New-Object System.Net.WebClient
-$localFile = "C:\Windows\Temp\$saltFileName"
 $webclient.DownloadFile($saltFileUrl, $localFile)
 
 if ( Test-Path -Path $localFile ) {
@@ -496,6 +569,9 @@ if ( Test-Path -Path $localFile ) {
 if ( $saltSha512 ) {
     $localSha512 = (Get-FileHash -Path $localFile -Algorithm SHA512).Hash
     Write-Host "Comparing Hash: " -NoNewline
+    Write-Verbose ""
+    Write-Verbose "Local Hash: $localSha512"
+    Write-Verbose "Remote Hash: $saltSha512"
     if ( $localSha512 -eq $saltSha512 ) {
         Write-Host "Success" -ForegroundColor Green
     } else {
@@ -514,72 +590,124 @@ if ( $saltSha512 ) {
 $parameters = ""
 if($Minion -ne "not-specified") {$parameters = "/minion-name=$Minion"}
 if($Master -ne "not-specified") {$parameters = "$parameters /master=$Master"}
-if($RunService -eq $false) {$parameters = "$parameters /start-service=0"}
 
 #===============================================================================
 # Install minion silently
 #===============================================================================
-#Wait for process to exit before continuing.
-Write-Host "Installing Salt Minion: " -NoNewline
-Start-Process $localFile -ArgumentList "/S $parameters" -Wait -NoNewWindow -PassThru | Out-Null
-
-#===============================================================================
-# Configure the minion service
-#===============================================================================
-# Wait for salt-minion service to be registered before trying to start it
-$service = Get-Service salt-minion -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
-while (!$service) {
-  Start-Sleep -s 2
-  $service = Get-Service salt-minion -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
-}
-if ( $service ) {
-    Write-Host "Success" -ForegroundColor Green
-} else {
-    Write-Host "Failed" -ForegroundColor Red
-    exit 1
-}
-
-if($RunService) {
-    # Start service
-    Write-Host "Starting Service: " -NoNewline
-    Start-Service -Name "salt-minion" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
-
-    # Check if service is started, otherwise retry starting the
-    # service 4 times.
-    $try = 0
-    while (($service.Status -ne "Running") -and ($try -ne 4)) {
-        Start-Service -Name "salt-minion" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
-        $service = Get-Service salt-minion -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
-        Start-Sleep -s 2
-        $try += 1
-    }
-
-    # If the salt-minion service is still not running, something probably
-    # went wrong and user intervention is required - report failure.
-    if ($service.Status -eq "Running") {
+Write-Host "Installing Salt Minion (5 min timeout): " -NoNewline
+Write-Verbose ""
+Write-Verbose "Local File: $localFile"
+Write-Verbose "Parameters: $parameters"
+$process = Start-Process $localFile `
+    -WorkingDirectory $(Split-Path $localFile -Parent) `
+    -ArgumentList "/S /start-service=0 $parameters" `
+    -NoNewWindow -PassThru
+
+# Sometimes the installer hangs... we'll wait 5 minutes and then kill it
+Write-Verbose ""
+Write-Verbose "Waiting for installer to finish"
+$process | Wait-Process -Timeout 300 -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+$process.Refresh()
+
+if ( !$process.HasExited ) {
+    Write-Host "Timedout" -ForegroundColor Yellow
+    Write-Host "Killing hung installer: " -NoNewline
+    $process | Stop-Process
+    $process.Refresh()
+    if ( $process.HasExited ) {
         Write-Host "Success" -ForegroundColor Green
     } else {
         Write-Host "Failed" -ForegroundColor Red
         exit 1
     }
 
-} else {
-    Write-Host "Setting Service to 'Manual': " -NoNewline
-    Set-Service "salt-minion" -StartupType "Manual"
-    if ( (Get-Service "salt-minion").StartType -eq "Manual" ) {
-        Write-Host "Success" -ForegroundColor Green
+    Write-Host "Checking installed service: " -NoNewline
+}
+
+# Wait for salt-minion service to be registered to verify successful
+# installation
+$service = Get-Service salt-minion -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+$tries = 0
+$max_tries = 15 # We'll try for 30 seconds
+Write-Verbose "Checking that the service is installed"
+while ( ! $service ) {
+    # We'll keep trying to get a service object until we're successful, or we
+    # reach max_tries
+    if ( $tries -le $max_tries ) {
+        $service = Get-Service salt-minion -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+        Start-Sleep -Seconds 2
+        $tries += 1
     } else {
+        # If the salt-minion service is still not running, something
+        # probably went wrong and user intervention is required - report
+        # failure.
         Write-Host "Failed" -ForegroundColor Red
+        Write-Host "Timed out waiting for the salt-minion service to be installed"
         exit 1
     }
+}
+# If we get this far, the service was installed, we have a service object
+Write-Host "Success" -ForegroundColor Green
 
-    Write-Host "Stopping Service: " -NoNewline
-    Stop-Service "salt-minion"
-    if ( (Get-Service "salt-minion").Status -eq "Stopped" ) {
-        Write-Host "Success" -ForegroundColor Green
-    } else {
-        Write-Host "Failed" -ForegroundColor Red
-        exit 1
+#===============================================================================
+# Configure the minion service
+#===============================================================================
+if( $RunService ) {
+    # Start the service
+    Write-Host "Starting Service: " -NoNewline
+    Write-Verbose ""
+    $tries = 0
+    # We'll try for 2 minutes, sometimes the minion takes that long to start as
+    # it compiles python code for the first time
+    $max_tries = 60
+    while ( $service.Status -ne "Running" ) {
+        if ( $service.Status -eq "Stopped" ) {
+            Start-Service -Name "salt-minion" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+        }
+        Start-Sleep -Seconds 2
+        Write-Verbose "Checking the service status"
+        $service.Refresh()
+        if ( $service.Status -eq "Running" ) {
+            Write-Host "Success" -ForegroundColor Green
+        } else {
+            if ( $tries -le $max_tries ) {
+                $tries += 1
+            } else {
+                # If the salt-minion service is still not running, something
+                # probably went wrong and user intervention is required - report
+                # failure.
+                Write-Host "Failed" -ForegroundColor Red
+                Write-Host "Timed out waiting for the salt-minion service to start"
+                exit 1
+            }
+        }
+    }
+} else {
+    # Set the service to manual start
+    $service.Refresh()
+    if ( $service.StartType -ne "Manual" ) {
+        Write-Host "Setting Service Start Type to 'Manual': " -NoNewline
+        Set-Service "salt-minion" -StartupType "Manual"
+        $service.Refresh()
+        if ( $service.StartType -eq "Manual" ) {
+            Write-Host "Success" -ForegroundColor Green
+        } else {
+            Write-Host "Failed" -ForegroundColor Red
+            exit 1
+        }
+    }
+    # The installer should have installed the service stopped, but we'll make
+    # sure it is stopped here
+    if ( $service.Status -ne "Stopped" ) {
+        Write-Host "Stopping Service: " -NoNewline
+        Stop-Service "salt-minion"
+        $service.Refresh()
+        if ( $service.Status -eq "Stopped" ) {
+            Write-Host "Success" -ForegroundColor Green
+        } else {
+            Write-Host "Failed" -ForegroundColor Red
+            exit 1
+        }
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/kitchen.windows.yml b/kitchen.windows.yml
index a21ffa685..a3cb442d7 100644
--- a/kitchen.windows.yml
+++ b/kitchen.windows.yml
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ driver:
 
 provisioner:
   salt_bootstrap_url: D:/a/salt-bootstrap/salt-bootstrap/bootstrap-salt.ps1
-  salt_bootstrap_options: -pythonVersion 3 -version %s
+  salt_bootstrap_options: -Version %s -Verbose
   init_environment: ''
 
 platforms: