Speeding up updates on fresh install?

Long time no ask for help, derp.

But a man learns while he lives, so to speak, so:

Recently I started working on servicing people's PCs. I have a few partners that handle the hardware, and I handle the software. At times there are more PCs than I'd like, all requiring me to clean install Windows 7 with slipstreamed SP1 (all editions, both x86 and x64), install all the updates and proceed to tweak the system with software.

But this takes a hell of a long time, sometimes it's hellish because the PC might be old but installing XP isn't the solution. So my question is how can I speed up the process of downloading and installing all updates from WU, as there are about 200 of them at least?

I was thinking about ghosting installations but that requires me to have every single edition in every single flavor, both 32bit and 64bit - I also don't like installing all those updates before installing required drivers, somehow WU always screws me over with generic drivers I swear I unchecked from WU but get installed anyway.

Basically, it would be awesome to have a "legal" solution to what XP had with Multipatcher lol
Any suggestions?

AN SP1 install of Windows 7 has around 120 updates currently :)
If you have some version of Office also installed, then that will significantly increase the update numbers, depending on the version and updates status.

You should consider creating wither a WIM/WIAK image of updated systems, or slipstreaming the updates every so often. There are tutorials here for the Slipstreaming, and MS has loads of stuff on creating generalised WIAK images.

It all depends on your skill level, and how much time you want to spend in prep work.
Note that neither may be good options under all circumstances.

Thanks, I might check out those tutorials.

Oh, and even without Office, I still get quite a lot of updates, pretty sure it's over 120 but they're too big of a pain for me to actually pay attention to lol