For system admins and system builders who want to deliver Windows installations with the latest from Windows update, but hate having to go through 5 iterations to do it, consider making a custom Windows XP CD.

This fantastic article walks you through the entire process of how to “upgrade” a pre-Windows SP2 installation CD to an SP2 CD. With a little creativity (and a bit of Google searching) you can apply this information to also include the installation of common applications, such as Acrobat Reader, as part of your Windows installation.

If you do a lot of Windows installations, taking the time to create your own install CD can really save you a lot of time in the long run.