This super list was posted a few month back but I just happened to notice it. You definitely should bookmark this page for your future reference. Scott did another awesome job to list all the good stuff he digged during the year. Thanks man. Here are the ones I couldn't live without.
Notepad2
My most being used application in my computer. Might be used even more than IE, Firefox, and Outlook. Windows native notepad has been gone long ago.
WinSnap
Cropper was my favorite screen capture tool and still is but this tool offers more features and generates more attractive screen shots. And it's free too.
SysInternals
If you are an IT pro, this is a must have tool set for you. The author of this wonderful tool has joined into Microsoft team early this year. Another words, this tool set is not belonged to Microsoft.
NirSoft Utilities Collection
This collection includes a bunch of free tools that you might find useful. I have used ProduKey to successfully recover the key code used to install the software on my computer but I lost long time ago. You definitely should check it out. It might surprise you.