diff --git a/orte/tools/orted/help-orted.txt b/orte/tools/orted/help-orted.txt
index 5490d417ae..6b34db994b 100644
--- a/orte/tools/orted/help-orted.txt
+++ b/orte/tools/orted/help-orted.txt
@@ -21,3 +21,13 @@ Usage: %s [OPTION]...
 Start an Open RTE Daemon
 
 %s
+[orted:environ]
+Error: Could not set %s in environ.
+Open RTE Daemon was unable to set 
+ %s = %s
+in the environment. Returned value %d instead of ORTE_SUCCESS.
+
+[orted:init-failure]
+Open RTE was unable to initialize properly.  The error occured while
+attempting to %s.  Returned value %d instead of ORTE_SUCCESS.
+
diff --git a/orte/tools/orted/orted.c b/orte/tools/orted/orted.c
index 97bd476965..c58239dcae 100644
--- a/orte/tools/orted/orted.c
+++ b/orte/tools/orted/orted.c
@@ -78,10 +78,6 @@ opal_cmd_line_init_t orte_cmd_line_opts[] = {
       &orted_globals.help, OPAL_CMD_LINE_TYPE_BOOL,
       "This help message" },
 
-    { NULL, NULL, NULL, '\0', NULL, "version", 0,
-      &orted_globals.version, OPAL_CMD_LINE_TYPE_BOOL,
-      "Show the orted version" },
-
     { "orte", "debug", NULL, 'd', NULL, "debug", 0,
       &orted_globals.debug, OPAL_CMD_LINE_TYPE_BOOL,
       "Debug the OpenRTE" },
@@ -173,10 +169,15 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
     opal_cmd_line_create(cmd_line, orte_cmd_line_opts);
     if (OMPI_SUCCESS != (ret = opal_cmd_line_parse(cmd_line, false, 
                                                    argc, argv))) {
+        char *args = NULL;
+        args = opal_cmd_line_get_usage_msg(cmd_line);
+        opal_show_help("help-orted.txt", "orted:usage", false,
+                       argv[0], args);
+        free(args);
         return ret;
     }
     
-    /* check for help and version requests */
+    /* check for help request */
     if (orted_globals.help) {
         char *args = NULL;
         args = opal_cmd_line_get_usage_msg(cmd_line);
@@ -186,12 +187,6 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
         return 1;
     }
 
-    if (orted_globals.version) {
-        /* show version message */
-        printf("...showing off my version!\n");
-        exit(1);
-    }
-
     /* Okay, now on to serious business
      * First, ensure the process info structure in instantiated and initialized
      * and set the daemon flag to true
@@ -206,12 +201,14 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
     if (orted_globals.name) {    
         if (ORTE_SUCCESS != (ret = opal_setenv("OMPI_MCA_ns_nds",
                                               "env", true, &environ))) {
-            fprintf(stderr, "orted: could not set my name in environ\n");
+            opal_show_help("help-orted.txt", "orted:environ", false,
+                           "OMPI_MCA_ns_nds", "env", ret);
             return ret;
         }
         if (ORTE_SUCCESS != (ret = opal_setenv("OMPI_MCA_ns_nds_name",
                                   orted_globals.name, true, &environ))) {
-            fprintf(stderr, "orted: could not set my name in environ\n");
+            opal_show_help("help-orted.txt", "orted:environ", false,
+                           "OMPI_MCA_ns_nds_name", orted_globals.name, ret);
             return ret;
         }
         /* the following values are meaningless to the daemon, but may have
@@ -220,12 +217,14 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
          */
         if (ORTE_SUCCESS != (ret = opal_setenv("OMPI_MCA_ns_nds_vpid_start",
                                   orted_globals.vpid_start, true, &environ))) {
-            fprintf(stderr, "orted: could not set vpid_start in environ\n");
+            opal_show_help("help-orted.txt", "orted:environ", false,
+                           "OMPI_MCA_ns_nds_vpid_start", orted_globals.vpid_start, ret);
             return ret;
         }
         if (ORTE_SUCCESS != (ret = opal_setenv("OMPI_MCA_ns_nds_num_procs",
                                   orted_globals.num_procs, true, &environ))) {
-            fprintf(stderr, "orted: could not set num_procs in environ\n");
+            opal_show_help("help-orted.txt", "orted:environ", false,
+                           "OMPI_MCA_ns_nds_num_procs", orted_globals.num_procs, ret);
             return ret;
         }
     }
@@ -254,7 +253,8 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
     mca_base_param_set_int(ret, 1);
 
     if (ORTE_SUCCESS != (ret = orte_init())) {
-        fprintf(stderr, "orted: failed to init rte\n");
+        opal_show_help("help-orted.txt", "orted:init-failure", false,
+                       "orte_init()", ret);
         return ret;
     }
    
diff --git a/orte/tools/orted/orted.h b/orte/tools/orted/orted.h
index 83ecf43150..26bee0eddb 100644
--- a/orte/tools/orted/orted.h
+++ b/orte/tools/orted/orted.h
@@ -48,7 +48,6 @@ typedef uint16_t orte_daemon_cmd_flag_t;
 
 typedef struct {
     bool help;
-    bool version;
     bool no_daemonize;
     bool debug;
     bool debug_daemons;