diff --git a/appveyor.yml b/appveyor.yml
index a512851c75..08c939e5f3 100644
--- a/appveyor.yml
+++ b/appveyor.yml
@@ -1,40 +1,41 @@
 # CI on Windows via appveyor
-# This file was based on pandas' and xarray's appveyor.yml
-# This file was based on Olivier Grisel's python-appveyor-demo
+# This file is based on MetPy's appveyor.yml
 
 environment:
 
+  CONDA_PATH: "C:\\Miniconda"
+
   matrix:
-    - PYTHON: "C:\\Python27-conda32"
-      PYTHON_VERSION: "2.7"
-      PYTHON_ARCH: "32"
+    - PYTHON_VERSION: "2.7"
+    - PYTHON_VERSION: "3.4"
+    #- PYTHON_VERSION: "3.5"
 
-    - PYTHON: "C:\\Python34-conda64"
-      PYTHON_VERSION: "3.4"
-      PYTHON_ARCH: "64"
+platform:
+    - x86
+    - x64
 
 install:
-    # Install miniconda Python
-    - "powershell ./ci/install_python.ps1"
-
-    # Prepend newly installed Python to the PATH of this build (this cannot be
-    # done from inside the powershell script as it would require to restart
-    # the parent CMD process).
-    - "SET PATH=%PYTHON%;%PYTHON%\\Scripts;%PATH%"
-
-    # Check that we have the expected version and architecture for Python
-    - "python --version"
-    - "python -c \"import struct; print(struct.calcsize('P') * 8)\""
+    # Use the pre-installed Miniconda for the desired arch
+    - ps: if($env:PYTHON_VERSION -eq '3.5')
+            { $env:CONDA_PATH="$($env:CONDA_PATH)35" }
+    - ps: if($env:TARGET_ARCH -eq 'x64')
+            { $env:CONDA_PATH="$($env:CONDA_PATH)-x64" }
+    - ps: $env:path="$($env:CONDA_PATH);$($env:CONDA_PATH)\Scripts;$($env:CONDA_PATH)\Library\bin;C:\cygwin\bin;$($env:PATH)"
+    - cmd: conda config --set always_yes yes --set changeps1 no
+    - cmd: conda update -q conda
+    # Useful for debugging any issues with conda
+    - cmd: conda info -a
 
     # install depenencies
-    - "conda create -n test_env --yes --quiet python=%PYTHON_VERSION% pip numpy scipy=0.16.0 pandas nose pytz ephem numba"
-    - "activate test_env"
-    - "conda list"
+    - cmd: conda create -n test_env --yes --quiet python=%PYTHON_VERSION% pip numpy scipy=0.16.0 pandas nose pytest pytz ephem numba
+    - cmd: activate test_env
+    - cmd: python --version
+    - cmd: conda list
 
     # install pvlib
-    - "python setup.py install"
+    - cmd: pip install -e .
 
 build: false
 
 test_script:
-    - "py.test -v pvlib"
+    - cmd: py.test -v pvlib
diff --git a/ci/install_python.ps1 b/ci/install_python.ps1
deleted file mode 100644
index 71b913ef20..0000000000
--- a/ci/install_python.ps1
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,93 +0,0 @@
-# Sample script to install Python and pip under Windows
-# Authors: Olivier Grisel, Jonathan Helmus and Kyle Kastner
-# License: CC0 1.0 Universal: http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
-
-$MINICONDA_URL = "http://repo.continuum.io/miniconda/"
-$BASE_URL = "https://www.python.org/ftp/python/"
-
-
-function DownloadMiniconda ($python_version, $platform_suffix) {
-    $webclient = New-Object System.Net.WebClient
-    if ($python_version -like "3.*") {
-        $filename = "Miniconda3-latest-Windows-" + $platform_suffix + ".exe"
-    } else {
-        $filename = "Miniconda2-latest-Windows-" + $platform_suffix + ".exe"
-    }
-    $url = $MINICONDA_URL + $filename
-
-    $basedir = $pwd.Path + "\"
-    $filepath = $basedir + $filename
-    if (Test-Path $filename) {
-        Write-Host "Reusing" $filepath
-        return $filepath
-    }
-
-    # Download and retry up to 3 times in case of network transient errors.
-    Write-Host "Downloading" $filename "from" $url
-    $retry_attempts = 2
-    for($i=0; $i -lt $retry_attempts; $i++){
-        try {
-            $webclient.DownloadFile($url, $filepath)
-            break
-        }
-        Catch [Exception]{
-            Start-Sleep 1
-        }
-   }
-   if (Test-Path $filepath) {
-       Write-Host "File saved at" $filepath
-   } else {
-       # Retry once to get the error message if any at the last try
-       $webclient.DownloadFile($url, $filepath)
-   }
-   return $filepath
-}
-
-
-function InstallMiniconda ($python_version, $architecture, $python_home) {
-    Write-Host "Installing Python" $python_version "for" $architecture "bit architecture to" $python_home
-    if (Test-Path $python_home) {
-        Write-Host $python_home "already exists, skipping."
-        return $false
-    }
-    if ($architecture -eq "32") {
-        $platform_suffix = "x86"
-    } else {
-        $platform_suffix = "x86_64"
-    }
-    $filepath = DownloadMiniconda $python_version $platform_suffix
-    Write-Host "Installing" $filepath "to" $python_home
-    $install_log = $python_home + ".log"
-    $args = "/S /D=$python_home"
-    Write-Host $filepath $args
-    Start-Process -FilePath $filepath -ArgumentList $args -Wait -Passthru
-    if (Test-Path $python_home) {
-        Write-Host "Python $python_version ($architecture) installation complete"
-    } else {
-        Write-Host "Failed to install Python in $python_home"
-        Get-Content -Path $install_log
-        Exit 1
-    }
-}
-
-
-function InstallMinicondaPip ($python_home) {
-    $pip_path = $python_home + "\Scripts\pip.exe"
-    $conda_path = $python_home + "\Scripts\conda.exe"
-    if (-not(Test-Path $pip_path)) {
-        Write-Host "Installing pip..."
-        $args = "install --yes pip"
-        Write-Host $conda_path $args
-        Start-Process -FilePath "$conda_path" -ArgumentList $args -Wait -Passthru
-    } else {
-        Write-Host "pip already installed."
-    }
-}
-
-
-function main () {
-    InstallMiniconda $env:PYTHON_VERSION $env:PYTHON_ARCH $env:PYTHON
-    InstallMinicondaPip $env:PYTHON
-}
-
-main
diff --git a/docs/sphinx/source/whatsnew/v0.4.0.txt b/docs/sphinx/source/whatsnew/v0.4.0.txt
index 8602ba79c7..618290693d 100644
--- a/docs/sphinx/source/whatsnew/v0.4.0.txt
+++ b/docs/sphinx/source/whatsnew/v0.4.0.txt
@@ -39,6 +39,8 @@ Other
 ~~~~~
 
 * Switch to the py.test testing framework. (:issue:`204`)
+* Reconfigure Appveyor CI builds and resolve an issue in which the command
+  line length was too long. (:issue:`207`)
 
 
 Code Contributors