I've found that Vista installs 2 to 4 times faster on a given machine than XP did. Unlike XP they ask most of the questions at the start, so that you can just walk away and let the install happen. Here are the questions, these may vary depending on your hardware and configuration.

1) Set language/keyboard and regional settings
2) Select Repair existing install vs install
3) Type in product key
4) Custom install vs upgrade
5) Partition disks as necessary
6) Create admin account
7) Choose how to protec windows
8) Set the time and time zone