Rather than downloading all your favorites manually, or, worse, fishing out a bunch of installer CDs, check out Ninite. This insanely handy tool automatically downloads and installs software, saving you considerable time setting up a new machine.
Even better, Ninite just added Classic Start, which is the open-source Classic Shell program Lincoln Spector wrote about last month. It's a Start button/menu for Windows 8's Desktop mode, which, irritatingly, doesn't have one.
Never heard of Ninite? It works like this: You scroll through Ninite's categorized list of programs, check-marking the ones you want. The service offers the most current versions of nearly every popular mainstream program, including Firefox, Skype, OpenOffice, iTunes, Picasa, Steam, and personal favorite IrfanView.
Once you've made your picks, you simply click Get Installer to download a small executable file. When you're ready, run that file and sit back while Ninite goes to work.
How long it takes depends on how many programs you've selected, but in my experience, it's surprisingly quick.
Best of all, it circumvents any toolbars that might normally get installed with a particular program, and it automatically chooses the 32- or 64-bit versions, whichever's best for your system.
The addition of Classic Start is icing on the cake, as it instantly makes all the other legacy programs you're installing more easily accessible. Ninite is all kinds of awesome, an essential tool for anyone setting up a new PC (regardless of operating system).
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