Can anyone recommend decent/free video editor software? Simple split and join of video clips is my basic need.

I've got a $300 DVR that performs better than my $2000 computer. I've been looking for software that can split and join video clips, as a minimum, with advanced editing 2ndary. If I can't do it with software I guess I'll just stick with my DVR. I've tried Ulead,Pinnacle,Roxio and others all with mixed results. Nothing works without a hitch or as good as my DVR. Kind of amazing. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!