np++ is still my go to for ad hoc note taking. there are a million beautiful apps for this purpose, but nothing beats the fast startup of np++. Plus you can rename tabs without saving them and just keep them indefinitely. For some reason, no other app lets you do this, they all require saving the file.
I don't imagine working with Windows without it. Advanced search, mass rename, copy/paste, archive/dearchive, FTP client, file view... It comes with so many options and can be further enhanced via plugins.
It's worth every money. Or, if one can't spare enough, there are good, free replacements like MultiCommander.