Newer list:
Anti-Spyware: Spybot - Search and Destroy, SpywareBlaster and Windows Defender (Included in Windows Vista)
Anti-Virus: Avast Home Edition
Browser: Firefox
CD/DVD Burning: AVStoDVD, InfraRecorder and Windows Media Player 11 (Included in Windows)
Disk Management: CCleaner
DVD Ripping: DVD Decryptor and DVD Shrink
File-Sharing: BitTorrent and Frostwire
Firewall: Comodo Firewall
FTP: FileZilla
Graphics: Paint.NET
Instant Messenger: Windows Live Messenger with A-Patch
Media Players/Codecs: QT Lite, VLC Media Player and Windows Media Player 11 (Included in Windows)
Office: Microsoft Office 2007 Enterprise or OpenOffice
PC Visuals: XPize or Vize
Technical Tools: Dial-a-fix, HijackThis and Unlocker
Utilities: 7Zip, Dizzy, Foxit Reader and TuneUp Utilities 2008
Web Program: Notepad ++
Only TuneUp Utilities 2008 and Microsoft Office 2007 Enterprise costs money from the list above though you can use the brilliant OpenOffice as an alternative for MS Office.
