Tech Tip: Ninite

Hi, folks.

I’ve got a larger post written up, but got home too late to finish taking the accompanying pictures for it. So, you’ll get a quick substitute post instead. Consider this part one of an ongoing series of posts regarding cheap/free tech related stuff that might make your life just a little bit easier.

Today, we’ll look at something I mentioned in the last update: Ninite.

No, it’s not some sort of explosive. It’s actually a very neat program that will auto-install or auto-update your applications for you. Almost everything from Firefox to Java to Malwarebytes to iTunes is there. There’s even IT-friendly stuff such Notepad++, Putty, and Eclipse in there – though I’m sure most of you in the IT field probably know about this site already. If you didn’t, then Happy Birthday!

It’s very simple to use, too. Simply go to the website, check off all the applications you want to install or update, then click the “download” button.

Once downloaded, just run the file and Ninite will automagically install everything for you. It will use default settings for everything, and will *not* install any toolbars or any similar nonsense. I’ve also, personally, never had to reboot my computer after running a Ninite install.

Now, if a week later you need to update one of those pieces of software, just run the same file again! It will skip over anything that’s up-to-date and automatically update the rest.

Also, just to satisfy the cynical, this is not a paid (or unpaid) shill. I really do love this application.