Heres my recipe for setting up computers, which I've done quite a few with, ranging from the 6 computers that are in my family, to others that I've set up for relatives and close friends. Steps are in a purposeful order so be sure to follow the right order. Some people may disagree with some things, but I share this because I've perfected this order ever since XP's been out:
Step 1: Go to programs and features and remove any programs that you know you will not be using. Avoid any manufacturer programs such as HP update or anything like that.
Step 2: Download and install all the most recent drivers for your hardware, which is found on the manufacturers website. Especially important for your graphics card.
Step 3 (length varies on amount of software): Install all the programs you will be using, but also update any that are already installed. The order I typically go in: Antivirus (Nod32's my personal preference), Internet Explorer 9, Mozilla Firefox 5 (and/or Google Chrome), Microsoft Office, The compatibility pack if its 2003 or older, Adobe Flash Player (most recent version for both browsers), Microsoft Silverlight (most recent version), Adobe Air, Adobe Shockwave, Adobe Reader, PrimoPDF (to send any document to this "virtual" printer which converts whatever you "print" to PDF), your photo editing software, 7zip (to handle zip files and to compress to one of the best space saving formats out there, 7z), alternative burning software (I use Nero) and basically anything else you think you'll use.
Step 4: This can go under step 2, but its important enough to have a separate step in my eyes. I'm a video guy, and want to make sure every format I use is able to be opened. Thus, I download the K-lite codec pack and VLC media Player. Also, if you own any Apple products, download and install latest itunes and quicktime player.
Step 5: Do all the windows updates. Which means open windows update and check to make sure they are all installed. This is one of the things that take the longest.
Step 6: Download, install, and run Advanced Systemcare, which is free on CNET. Some things to note, I wouldn't advise on any changes it recommends in regards to the windows services. Definitely uncheck those. From my experience, leaving them on automatic hasn't changed the performance of my machine at all. What this does is it cleans up the registry (which includes some additions to your registry that may have been added from installing all the stuff you did, hence the importance of the order), and does do some tweaks which I've noticed a significant difference on bootup and shutdown time. It also adds passive defense for common viruses, system optimization, etc. Once your done, change the preferences so that both the program and the performance monitor DOES NOT boot up at startup. The less that boots up during startup, the better. Because you can always open it later when you need it.
Step 7: Burn the recovery discs.