Making Windows 7 installation and set up quicker?

[Harsky]

In the past few months, I've been getting requests to format and install my family's PCs and laptops with Windows 7. What I noticed is that the actual installation isn't slow but the installation of the Windows updates is the thing that eats up the most time and also the internet speed.

Is there such a thing as copy and pasting Windows updates from a PC onto a new one? I also tried out Windows Update Downloader which gave me a lot of updates but I'm not sure if there's such a way to batch install them all.

 

[FAST6191]

To answer your main question you can get standalone/offline installers for all MS updates, including/especially service packs, http://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/download/details.aspx?id=5842
If you are then branching out from family stuff to more business like things then WSUS is the official method of doing such things
http://download.wsusoffline.net/
It is simple enough but whether you do want to go through the hassle is up to you.

Assuming you are not willing to go full virtualisation (in which case you could peel off a VM and install that for everybody and it is as easy as copying a file, servers absolutely should be virtualised and there is a serious case for business terminals as well but home stuff is still the domain of the geek) then http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/139077-7customizer-a-windows-7-customization-and-deployment-tool/ (I am still looking for something at the level of the old nlite program for windows XP but that comes reasonably close).

Batch install, assuming you did not do merge it with something like I mention below, can be accomplished by a batch file. I have various ones for windows XP but I have not rebuilt that setup/sought another for 7 yet.
I do have to mention though that if you are using an old install media and then changing serials MS allows you to download isos of windows 7 with service packs integrated already ( http://social.technet.microsoft.com...c99-42db-80c8-6300f01f7aae/windows-7downloard , also http://www.w7forums.com/official-windows-7-sp1-iso-image-downloads-t12325.html if you need other languages), bonus is you can just download a 32 bit and 64 bit copy and with a bit of text/iso editing you have them all ( http://www.w7forums.com/get-four-versions-windows-7-x64-one-dvd-t2911.html ).

After that
http://ninite.com/

http://driverpacks.net/ and http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/109019-project-driverforge/

Usually helps to have a USB wireless card that windows 7 always has drivers for/you keep on your USB drive so you avoid chicken and egg thing or running a massive wire if you are doing it on site.

 

[Harsky]

Thanks for the detailed info but I wanted to kep it simple. At the moment, I tried RT 7 Lite to try to rebuild a Windows 7 ISO where I can integrate the updates with the ISO but so far, it crashed on me when it was rebuilding. Starting to wonder if it's just simplier to just grab an ISO where the updates are already integrated.

 

[PityOnU]

Thanks for the detailed info but I wanted to kep it simple. At the moment, I tried RT 7 Lite to try to rebuild a Windows 7 ISO where I can integrate the updates with the ISO but so far, it crashed on me when it was rebuilding. Starting to wonder if it's just simplier to just grab an ISO where the updates are already integrated.

Don't use third party tools to mess with you install media.

You can "slipstream" updates, features, and even full program installations (like Office, Flash, Java, etc.) into install meida using SysPrep and ImageX.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/preparing-an-image-using-sysprep-and-imagex.aspx

Enjoy.