I've spent alot of the past few days tweaking little details in nmake files (used for post build events). I quickly grew tired of the builitin Notepad and all its limitations. A few minutes of Googling found dozens (NoteTab, UltraEdit ($), NotePad2, NotePad++). I like both '2' and '++' - both support syntax highlighting (for many languages), solid support search & replace (including regex) ... STOP reading go and play with them.
In the end I choose NotePad++ because it supports having a number of files open at once (via tabs).
Thanks to the PowerToys weblog
BTW Programmers Notepad might also be worth a look.
This post now hosted at: http://www.notesfromatooluser.com/2006/11/ive_spend_alot_.html