Ninite is a website that will let you choose which tools you want to load. It then provides you with a single installer to download. From there, it automatically installs everything you need. There is no need to visit individual websites, sift through them to find the installer, and go through them step-by-step. Ninite does all that for you; the problem is that you cannot control the order in which it loads what could be dozens of applications.

Typically, the first applications to be loaded are web browsers or other productive software. The last programs to load are those that protect your system. In fact, when testing Ninite, the last thing to load was the anti-virus.

The reason for this is fairly obvious. People do not really work with an anti-virus. A user may manually scan a file or make an unscheduled scan, but it largely runs unobtrusively in the background. A web browser is a different story, especially since they can perform so many functions these days. Ironically, web browsers are a part of the problem since they introduce vulnerabilities.

Flash, pdf files, javascripts, and web-mail attachments are all things commonly used on the web that can introduce viruses, trojans, worms, and other forms of malware. If an anti-virus is running, chances are that it will catch infected files and websites before they harm the computer. Some anti-virus programs can even warn a user if a web page has been reported as dangerous. Each time you see your anti-virus tell you it found an infected file ,it has saved you trouble and prevented damage.

Without an anti-virus running, there is nothing to stop malicious programs from doing whatever they want to a system. The potential exists for the computer to be destroyed or personal information stolen. At the least, they cause a system to become unstable. Time will be needed to restore the system to normal operation. Oftentimes these problems could have been avoided if basic precautions were taken. A user would be safer if the anti-virus and other protective software loaded first.

Fortunately, there is an easy way to make this happen even though Ninite does not let you customize the order in which installation occurs. What you can do is create two installers, the first one with critical software and the second with everything else. The critical software should include one anti-virus and at least one anti-malware title. It typically is recommended to use just one anti-virus title at a time. The reason is because one anti-virus program may mistake the database of the other anti-virus for an actual virus. From there, other programs, such as Truecrypt and Keepass, may be considered critical too since they relate to security.

Now, once the first installer is finished, the computer is reasonably protected. It is much safer to browse the web and download files. A user or administrator can even scan systems easily to check for problems and fix them. Make sure you check the anti-virus to make sure it is up to date or let it update itself before using the second Ninite installer. Doing this will ensure that you are using Ninite in the safest way you possible.

“An ounce of prevent is worth a pound of cure.” — Benjamin Franklin

Users of the service were able to pick programs from the list. Volery would create a custom installer which when executed would download and install one program after the other on the operating system.

The service to create custom software installations is now out of beta and has been renamed to Ninite. But that’s not the only change introduced. The service is now publicly available for everyone with no registration required to create a custom software installer for personal use.

Even better is the increase in software programs. The developers have tripled the amount of programs supported by the service.

The applications are now also divided into categories to make it easier for users to pick the programs that they want to include in the custom installer. Many of the software programs that we use and recommend at Ghacks are now offered for download including Thunderbird, Aimp2, Paint.net, uTorrent, ImgBurn, 7-zip or WinSCP.

The software will be installed silently in the background with toolbars and other add-ons that are considered “junk” not installed with the programs.

Ninite offers a comfortable way of installing software in bulk. This is an excellent option after the installation of a Windows operating system or the purchase of a computer. Interested users can visit the Ninite website to create their own custom software installers.