CCleaner is a great utility to clean out old internet temporary files, clean up the registry, and determine what programs are started automatically.
Malwarebytes is one of the best programs to clean out Malware (antivirus 2010 and other fake antivirus programs). You can get a free version or a paid version
Open Office is a open source free program that is compatible with Microsoft Office. I wil not do all of the things that Microsoft Office does, but if you just need to open, read, create Word or Excel documents this is a great way to go.
DropBox is an online storage site where you can save documents or files that you may need across several computers. It allows you to save a file from work and then get it from your laptop when you are on the road or at home. You can also give others access to your dropbox to enable you to share files. The best thing is that you get 2 Gb for free and if you sign up with the above link, you will get an additional 250Gb for free,