Many thanks to Christian Bolton for telling me about “Slipstream” and how it can streamline your installation process.
Wikipedia defines slipstreaming as:
In computer jargon, to slipstream updates, patches or service packs means to integrate them into the installation files of their original software, so that the resulting files will allow a direct installation of the updated software.
If not directly supported by the software vendor, slipstreaming can be technically possible, depending on the updates, the structure and type of the program to be slipstreamed and of its installer, if any.
Slipstreaming is new functionality to SQL Server 2008 which allows you to install service packs and cumulative updates whilst installing the base version of SQL.
I tried it out this morning and it’s a pretty simple process to follow, the good thing about it is you can store this on the network and use it as a base installation. The guide I followed was:http://blogs.msdn.com/petersad/archive/2009/02/25/sql-server-2008-creating-a-merged-slisptream-drop.aspx which worked a treat.
The full Microsoft KB article is available here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/955392
Unless you have the very latest installation disks this is definitely someing to squirrel away for your next installation.