What do you mean by "critical"? Do you mean stuff that everyone will have to do, like changing mouse speed? Installing programs? The more obscure stuff, like Event Viewer? The really obscure changes that currently need registry hacks (the "I know my setup is weird but it works for me" stuff)?

Different demographics will probably need different solutions. The important thing isn't what solutions they come up with, it's that they choose a system and stick with it. To me it's understandable that Event Viewer isn't part of the main Settings app (plenty of IT folks would be upset if anything about Event Viewer changed). But Mouse Acceleration options really should be.