HERE Without a doubt, BurnAware Free is one of the best freeware burning apps around. It has all the basic features you need for burning, and can easily handle ripping data discs, audio CDs, DVDs, and ISO discs. Beyond that, though, it's a bit light on features.
The main interface is based on the Windows XP Control Panel layout, so it should be instantly recognizable. Under each heading is a link to the control panel for that choice. We were disappointed that drag-and-drop was not available, but the internal system for adding files was not clunky. Audio files get automatically converted from MP3, WMA, or WAV as they're burned to disc. There's also a Tools section, which has two erase modes for rewritables, and a Hardware Info subsection that gives a huge amount of detail on both your hardware's burning abilities and the type of disc in the drive.
Neither pretty nor ugly, BurnAware handles all the major, basic functions you could want a burning app to control, and the price of absolutely zero is absolutely impossible to argue against. Give it a shot.