Here is another ultimate freeware that can compete easily with many commercial equivalents.
Notepad++ is an open source text editor with features found normally in €50 software.
One of the strengths of NP++ is simply its integration into the contextual menu: by right-clicking on any sort of file, the option "edit with Notepad ++" appears, which make the editor very accessible, even for files with unknown or no extension.
Languages: HTML, XML, PHP, C++, Flash, Perl,...
Macros: the macro recorder will automate repetitive actions, like fastidious manual line formatting.
TextFX: offers a wide range of powerful functions, from tidying up an HTML page (re-indenting XML for instance), to converting EBCDIC to ASCII, or just counting words.
Plugins: allows to interface with a spell checker, a FTP server, export to a different format, ...
Give it a try, you may not need any other text editor after that!