cereberus, you are absolutely correct with your post. But I look at it a bit differently and also use unattended setup for some other purposes.

First, I do still use an image backup program (Macrium Reflect) to allow for rapid recovery in case of emergency.

However, every once in a while, I like to do a clean install so I'm not simply restoring all the "crap" built up over time. I rarely do upgrade installations of Windows. When a new major version is released that isn't simply an enablement package, I prefer clean installs. I also do a lot of testing, typically by setting up new VMs. Using unattended setup means that I start the installation, walk away, and in five minutes I have an entirely new VM, all ready to go with zero user interaction.

Still, I appreciate your post because it's always good know what all of your options are.

I fully admit that all this unattended install stuff may be over the top for the average user, but for some of us geeks of a particular variety, it's simply fascinating to have an understanding of how it works.