When you finish your PC build and manage to successfully boot it, you're still not quite ready to get to your tasks. There's a matter of installing the software that you'll need, and you probably already know which ones you'll be installing. I do too, but outside the common stuff that most users install, there are more underrated tools that not everyone knows about.

Ninite

Getting the essentials up and running in no time

This one is first, and there's a good reason for that. Since I discovered Ninite, my time setting up new PCs has been cut much shorter, as it covers most of the basic programs I need to install first. Web browsers, antivirus software, cloud storage, and various other categories of software are covered by it. Other than its obvious utility in saving time and effort by visiting different sites and downloading countless installers, it saves additional time by denying

• System restarts after installation
• Toolbar or extra software installation
• Virtually any other prompt that an installer would ask.

Microsoft PowerToys

Unlocking secret Windows features!

The PowerToys utility unlocks a ton of Windows features that you don't get by default. Which of these I use would be too many to list, but some of them come in really handy in daily use. Text Extractor, a tool I also use a lot on my iPhone, helps extract text from images. Light Switch switches between dark and light modes based on the time of day (which you can set). The KeyboardManager utility is another useful tool because I no longer need to use third-party tools for keybinds. The number of features PowerToys unlocks means most users will find something of use in there, and I find myself scrolling through the features often to discover something new.

Microsoft PC Manager

Keeping your PC healthy

The Microsoft PC Manager provides most of the tools that so-called "PC optimizer" tools have, so naturally, I prefer installing it on fresh systems. It provides a bunch of useful features, such as a quick PC health check (checking for Malware, Windows Updates, etc.), PC boost (a quick cleanup of temporary files and background services), and storage management. The Deep Cleanup takes things up a notch and looks for system-wide junk, temp, and cache files to free up storage. Its integrated tools for finding large and duplicate files are also useful from day one, helping you manage your disk space efficiently.

Everything

Windows indexer just ain't it

The Windows Indexer, which keeps track of all the files in your PC, doesn't do a good job of it. And, if you've ever had to dig up files with the search bar and only saw the Bing search results, I'm sure you can relate. The good news is, there are many alternatives out there, my favorite of which is "Everything." It's fast and can pull up files from the deepest trenches of your PC. It's also much more resource-efficient than the Windows Indexer; on a fresh Windows install, it only uses about 14MB of memory with 9MB of disk space.

WizTree

Keeping my storage organized

WizTree is a software that can scan entire drives and partitions to create a treemap with blocks. The size of these blocks represents the file's physical size. I previously used WinDirStat for this, which has its own advantages, but I switched over to WizTree because it's much faster. So, for my trusty old 2TB hard drive, for example, everything is scanned in just three seconds. The program is this fast because it reads the Master File Table (MFT) of every file on your PC instead of searching for them manually. Overall, the tool is helpful if you are looking to keep your storage organized, and it's helped me in times when I was running out of storage space and needed to delete things or move them around.

Revouninstaller

Hard to rely on the Windows installer

The Windows installer isn't without its flaws: it leaves registry entries, can't do bulk uninstalls, and has no chance against certain stubborn software. That's where third-party uninstallers can shine. Now, there are a few of them out there that do a better job than Windows, but I've used Revouninstaller for years, and I install it on every new PC. It clears most leftovers, works well with stubborn apps, and even has a portable version if you don't want to install it. The downside is that bulk uninstallation is a Pro feature, but that's not a bother for me because I've never found myself needing that.

Sometimes it's worth discovering outside of your usual realm

After spending well over a decade setting up PCs and running Windows, I have a dedicated list of utilities that get set up on every system I build. Some of these can replace Windows tools or add organizational features you won't find in Windows, while Microsoft PowerToys offers a dedicated suite of modules that can be handy for power users.