If you’re working at a larger school, chances are your computers are networked and it’s a little easier for you to install and update your machines. At my small school, anything I want to install has to be done manually, sitting in front of each computer. Ninite.com is a huge time saver and makes my life so much easier.

Head on over to ninite and get started. You just choose the programs you want (including many open-source options) and then download an installer. The installer skips all those annoying toolbar downloads and saves you a ton of time. I’ve been using ninite for about a year to set up school and personal computers, and I’ve been happy with every experience.
If you’re curious, the blend of programs I usually download from ninite for school machines:
- Chrome
- GIMP
- LibreOffice
- Foxit Reader
- Microsoft Security Essentials
- Google Earth
- 7-Zip
- MalwareBytes
Anyone else have good tools they like to use when setting up a new computer?