Good article Greg. I agree with dmoriartybe that you've entirely demystified the Windows install.

I haven't installed 8 yet, but I'm pleased to see that, up to "Configuring Windows", the process is exactly the same as Win 7 and Vista. So your description is a great primer for any Windows install.

The idea of setting security, privacy, and preference settings at install time is completely welcome. I'm so tired of going through the whole install process, and then spending hours more scouring the system to make it safe, private, and usable. Most users don't bother -- who can blame them -- and for years suffer frustrations that are easily eliminated.

Kudos to Microsoft for offering a single-click express set that gives every user a secure and private setup that most of us IT Pros have had to work very hard to achieve. Some users will resist the one-size-fits-all Express Set, of course. Presumably the user is then offered a full list of settings in one place, something none of us has ever seen, and can painlessly personalize to their heart's content. Hooray!

I hope that the settings list can be automated with PowerScript. That would be a great boon to standardized deployments.