Til Ke Aloo (Sesame Potatoes)

Ingredients

6 white potatoes
4 T canola oil
1 Tbs. sesame seeds
1 tsp. mustard seeds (preferably black mustard seeds, but yellow are okay)
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. lemon juice

Directions

Makes 3- 6 servings, depending on if you have it as a vegetarian main dish, or as a side dish.
(recipe adapted from Madhur Jaffre's Indian Cooking)
Boil the potatoes in their jackets until they offer no resistance when pierced with a knife. Let cool, peel and dice 1".
In a cast iron skillet, heat the canola oil over medium-hot flame. Add the seeds all at once and stir. Just as they begin to pop, add the diced potatoes, stirring gently to cover and coat with seeds.
Lower heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes, then add the salt. You may also add a dash of cayenne pepper if you like a bit of heat.
Cook until the potatoes are beginning to brown and turn crispy. Add the juice of 1/2 a lemon and stir gently. Serve with coriander chutney.
Very tasty with any Indian food, but also good at a picnic with traditional picnic fare.

SESAME PANEER RECIPE

Ingredients:   

200 gm cottage cheese(paneer) How to make paneer
4 tblsp refined flour(maida)
2-3 garlic buds (lahsun)
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp red chilly powder(lal mirch)
1/2 tsp chat masala
salt to taste
1/2 cup bread powder
1 tblsp semolina (sooji)
4 tblsp sesame seeds (til)
a pinch of dry red colour (sookha lal rang)
oil for frying

How to make sesame (til) paneer:

    * Cut thick triangular paneer slices. Sprinkle salt and chat masala on both the sides and keep aside.
    * Mix remaining ingredients in a bowl and make a batter.
    * Dip paneer slices in the batter and coat it on all the sides.
    * Heat oil at low flame.
    * Deep fry all paneer slices until golden brown.
    * Take them out on a kitchen paper so as to soak extra oil.
    * Serve hot with some sauce or chutney.

A recipe from http://www.indianfoodforever.com/vegetables/sesame-paneer.html

Indian Recipes : Sesame Green Chutney Recipe

Ingredients:    

• 2 tbsp Roasted Sesame seeds
• 2 Green chillies
• 2 Garlic Cloves
• 1 Bunch Coriander Leaves
• 1 Small Onion (chopped)
• 1/4 Bunch Mint Leaves
• 1/4 Inch piece Ginger (chopped)
• 1/2 Cup Lime Juice
• 1 tsp Tamarind
• 1 tbsp Water
• Salt to taste

How to make Sesame Green Chutney:

•    Soak the tamarind in hot water.
•    Now grind the above with chopped onions, mint leaves,coriander leaves, sesame seeds, green chillies ginger and garlic cloves in a blender. Add salt
•    Pour little water and lime juice while grinding.
•    Sesame Green Chutney is ready.
•    Serve it with sandwich or samosa.

A recipe from http://www.indobase.com/recipes/details/sesame-green-chutney.php

Til Chutney (Sesame-Peanut Chutney)

2 C sesame seeds
½ C peanuts
7 hot dry red chilli peppers (or to taste)
a few garlic cloves (optional)
salt

Roast the peanuts in a pan or in the microwave (2 min). Cool and
skin. Roast the sesame (with the red chillies) in a pan till popping
and aromatic (2 min or so). If using garlic, grind it first in the jar
of your dry grinder. Add the red chillies and blitz till you see
flakes. Add the peanuts and pulse till coarsely powdered. Remove. Pulse
the roasted sesame seeds for just a few seconds – the sesame seeds must
remain mostly whole. Mix everything and season with salt. Store in a
clean dry jar.

I would think it has a shelf life of at least a few weeks but this
quantity lasts just about a week in our house. Go on, get into winter! Happy Holidays!

A recipe from http://madteaparty.wordpress.com/2006/12/21/til-chutney-sesame-peanut-ch...

cleaning mirrors with newspaper

If you want to clean your mirror, you better use a paper from your daily newspaper, those papers don’t leave imprints and drop peaces of paper on the mirror and also it will not harm slight mirrors. It might be the useful tool in your home to burnish your mirrors.

Orissa Tourism

The landscape of Orissa is dotted with a large number of temples. The temples of Orissa conform to the Indo Aryan Nagara style of architecture, with distinctive features specific to this region. The best known of these are theLingaraja temple at Bhubaneshwar, Jagannath Temple at Puri and theSun  Temple at Konark. The temples of Orissa exhibit a majestic grandeur. An Orissan temple (deul) usually consists of a sanctum, one or several front porches (jagamohana) usually with pyramidal roofs, a dancing hall (nata mandir) and a hall of offerings (bhog mandir).

The Lingaraj temple at Bhubaneswar boasts of a 150 foot high deul while the Jagannath Temple at Puri is about 200 feet high and it dominates the skyline of the town. Only a portion of the Sun Temple at Konark, the largest of the temples of the Golden triangle exists today, and it is still staggering in size. It stands out as a masterpiece in Orissan architecture.

Orissa is also well known as a Buddhist and Jain pilgrimage destination. North-east of Cuttack, about 100 km from Bhubaneswar, there are Buddhist relics and ruins at the three hilltop complexes of Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves, which still bear witness to Buddhism's fruitful tryst with this region until well into the 13th century.

Orissa's varying topography – from the wooded Eastern Ghats to the fertile river basin - has proven ideal for evolution of compact and unique ecosystems. Thereby creating such treasure troves of flora and fauna that even seem inviting to many migratory species of birds and reptiles. Bhitar Kanika National Park is famous for its second largest mangrove ecosystem. The bird sanctuary in Chilika (Asia's biggest brackish water lake) and the  tiger reserve and waterfalls in Simlipal National Park are integral part of any eco tours in Orissa, arranged by Tourism of Orissa.

The Gharial Sanctuary at Tikarpada and the Olive Ridley Sea Turtles inGahirmatha turtle sanctuary also feature on the list of avid nature watchers. The city wildlife sanctuaries of Chandaka and Nandan Kananare a must visit for the lessons they teach is conservation and revitalization of species from the brink of extinction.

Orissa is blessed with around 500 km long coastline and has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Chilika, Asia's largest brackish water lake, not only provides a haven for millions of birds, but is also one of the few places in India where one can view dolphins.

The lush green forest cover Of Orissa plays host to a wide variety of flora and fauna, including the famed Royal Bengal Tiger. Amidst the picturesque hills and valleys nestle a number of breathtaking waterfalls and rivulets that attract visitors from all over. Orissa beaches include Puri, Gopalpur-on-Sea, Chandipur, Ramachandi Beach, Balighai Beach, Astarang Beach, Paradeep Beach.

Orissa People & Lifestyle

Ancient
Orissa was a confluence of racial streams. History tells us that the Aryans
entered Orissa from the north-east, subjugated the primitive people living
there and imposed on them their language and culture. The story could not
be so simple; for the people then living in the land were not perhaps all
of the primitive type, nor were they subjugated culturally. What might have
happened in all Probability was a racial and cultural amalgamation.

Geographically Orissa stands as a coastal corridor between the northern and
southern India cut off by the intractable Vindhyas. It is natural therefore
that an assimilation of the races and cultures of the Aryans and the Dravidians;
must have taken place here in the days of gore.

At the same time successive racial and cultural tides might have surged up from
the different sides, rolled in and broken over this Bound culminating in the
indo-cultural synthesis.

Orissa, which is largely rural, the traditional values are still kept alive.
In general the values have no doubt
weakened but they are not lost. Among die innocent Advisees dwelling in the
wooded hinterland and forested hill slopes, India's earliest civilization is
retained in its pristine form.

Not only in their secluded hamlets, bet also in the countless thousands of villages
in the country sides one can catch a glimpse of the dwindling horizon of humanity,
through the innocent and benign outlook of tile villagers.

A sensitive person who happens to be a prisoner of the modern society with its
stress and strain will not, while in a typical village, fail to mark the relationship
of its common people with God, nature and their fellow men.

An article from orissatourism.net

Dalia (Broken Wheat) Moong Khichdi

If you don’t want to eat rice and you
love khichdi, this Dalia moong khichdi is the best solution. It is easy
to prepare. This khichdi is very nutritious as it is full of fiber and
wellness of broken wheat as well as moong dal. It is a light meal so
you can even have it as breakfast.

INGREDIENTS:

1. Dalia ( Broken Wheat ) - ½ cup
2. Washed split moong dal ( yellow mung beans) - ½ cup
3. Green Peas – 2 tbsp
4. Chopped French Bean – 1 tbsp
5. Chopped Capsicum – 1 tbsp
6. Chopped Carrot – 1 tbsp
7. Onion – 2 tbsp
8. Chopped Green chili – ½ tsp
9. Water – 2 cups
10. Oil or Pure Ghee– 1 tbsp
11. Red Whole Chili – 1
12. Heeng powder (asafoetida) – ½ pinch
13. Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
14. Salt to taste

METHOD:
1. Wash
mung dal and dalia 2 times and leave in a colander for 5 min. Heat ½
tsp of ghee in a pan and add dalia and moong dal mixture. Fry it till
it turns light brown. Remove the mixture from heat and set aside.

2. Again heat the pan with
remaining ghee or oil. Add cumin seeds and Red whole chili. When they
crackle, add the chopped onions, heeng powder and fry till light golden
brown. Add the rest of vegetables chopped beans, capsicum, carrot,
green chili and green peas. Mix well and keep stirring for 3-4 min on
medium heat. Add dalia and moong dal mixture to it. Mix it well.

3. Add 2 cups of water and salt
according to taste. Mix it and put a lid. Let it cook for about 8-10
min at low heat. Garnish with anything which you like in salad. Khichdi
is ready.

A recipe from rashmi.blogspot.com

Dalia Khichdi

Ingredients (For 2 people):
Dalia (Cracked Wheat) - 2/3 cups
Moong dal - 1/3 cup
Onion - 1 medium
Carrot - 1 medium
Potato - 1 medium
Peas - 1/4 cup, frozen, thawed under running hot water or in microwave
Green Chilies - 4
Ginger - 1"piece
Curry leaves - 10
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Hing - a pinch
Salt & Pepper - to taste

Method:

0 - 5 minutes: Prepping the veggies and heating the pans.

• Heat a pressure cooker on medium-low flame and a non-stick pan on medium-high flame.
• Chop the veggies into chunks (don't have to be finely chopped, but make sure that all the veggies are almost the same size).

5 - 20 minutes: 

• Add
  dalia to the non-stick pan and roast till light brown. Remove and keep
  aside. Next roast the moong dal until fragrant and slightly brown. This
  will take about 5-6 minutes. I rinsed and drained roasted dalia and
  moong dal at this stage, but it is optional.
• Mean
  while add 1tbsp oil in the pressure cooker, add cumin seeds and hing.
  After the seeds crackle, add ginger, green chilies and curry leaves.
  Fry for 30 seconds, add the onions, potatoes and carrots. Saute for 3
  minutes.
• Add the roasted dalia and dal along with 2 cups of water, peas, salt and pepper. Pressure cook on high till 2 whistles.
• Let the cooker cool and enjoy khichdi with any chutney, pickle or left over curry.

Majjiga Charu

Ingredients:
Red Onion - 1/2 medium or 1 small shallot, thinly sliced
Green chilies - 2
Curry leaves - 4
Yogurt - 1 cup
Turmeric - a pinch
Salt - to taste

For tempering/ popu:
Ural dal - 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Hing - pinch

Method:

• Whisk yogurt with 1/2 cup of water to make smooth buttermilk (or simply use buttermilk). Add turmeric and salt, mix well.
• Heat
  1tsp oil in a small sauce pan. Add the popu ingredients and when the
  seeds splutter, add curry leaves, ginger and green chilies. Fry for 30
  seconds, add onions and saute till slightly brown. Add this to the
  curd, mix well.

You can have this with plain rice also.

A recipe from cooks-hideout.blogspot.com

Pesarapappu Charu (Moong dal Rasam)

Ingredients:
Moong dal (Pesara pappu) – 1 cup
Red onion – 1 medium, chopped
Tomatoes (ripe)-2 medium, chopped
Green chilies – 3
Lemon juice – 2 tbsp
Red chili powder – 1 tsp
Turmeric – ¼ tsp
Fenugreek seeds (menthulu) – ½ tsp
Mustard seeds – 1tsp
Cumin seeds – 1tsp
Red chilies – 1
Asafoetida – pinch

Method:

• Pressure cook dal till done with onions, tomatoes, green chilies, chili powder, turmeric and ¼ tsp of fenugreek seeds.
• Heat 1tsp oil in a sauce pan, add mustard and cumin seeds. After the seeds splutter, add red chilies and hing.
• Add the seasoning and 1 cup of water to the dal and cook for about 10 minutes on medium flame.
• Add lemon juice and chopped coriander after removing from the flame and mix well.

Vankaya Kottimeera Karam Kura (Eggplant in Cilantro Gravy)

Ingredients:
Indian eggplants – 10 – 12, cubed

For the Masala paste:
Cilantro (coriander leaves) – 1 cup
Green Chilies – 6 (or according to taste)
Ginger – 1” piece
Grated Coconut (fresh or dry) – ¼ cup
Salt – ½ tsp

For popu:
Chana dal – 1 tsp
Urad dal – 1tsp
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
Red chilies – 2 (optional)
Curry leaves – 6

Method:

• Grind
  all the ingredients for the masala paste with water. Add just enough
  water to grind, so that the paste is not too thick or too runny. Keep
  aside.
• Heat 2tsp oil in a pan,
  add the popu ingredients and after the seeds splutter and the dals turn
  light brown, add curry leaves and eggplant pieces. Cover and cook on
  medium-low heat for about 8-10 minutes or until the eggplants are half
  way cooked.
• Mix in the
  cilantro paste and salt; cover and cook until eggplants are completely
  tender and the masala paste doesn’t smell raw anymore. This will take
  10 more minutes.
• Serve hot with rice and dal for a wholesome meal.

A recipe from cooks-hideout.blogspot.com

Baingan Masala

Ingredients:
Baby eggplants – 8
Tamarind pulp – 1 tbsp
Salt – to taste

To make the masala powder:
Chana dal – 1tbsp
Urad dal – 1tbsp
Coriander seeds – ½ tbsp
Cumin seeds – ½ tbsp
Red chilies – 3-4

For tempering:
Chana dal – ½ tsp
Urad dal – ½ tsp

Method:

• Fry
  the ingredients for masala powder in a ½ tsp oil, let cool and grind
  into a coarse powder (making it into a coarse powder gives the dish
  some texture).
• Cut eggplants into long thick strips (if the eggplants are very small use them whole, but make “+” cut on one side).
• In
  a saucepan, combine eggplants, tamarind paste, 1tsp salt and ½ cup
  water. Mix well and bring this mixture to a boil. Simmer till the
  liquid evaporates, but the pieces are still intact (pieces should not
  become mushy, so make sure that the only enough water with the veggies
  when simmering. If there is too much liquid, then drain out the extra
  water). Keep the cooked pieces aside.
• In
  a large pan, heat 1 tbsp of oil; add the dals for tempering and after
  they turn golden brown; add the cooked eggplant pieces. Sauté till the
  pieces turn nice and crispy on the bottom. Add salt (remember that we
  added salt while boiling) and masala powder; cook for another two
  minutes.

Enjoy with hot steaming rice and dal.

Egg and Lentil Curry

Ingredients:
Red Lentils (Sabut Masoor dal) - 1/2 cup
Eggs - 6, boiled
Cloves - 3
Black peppercorns - 1/4 tsp
Onion - 1, finely chopped
Green chilies - 2, finely chopped
Garlic cloves - 2, crushed
Ginger - 1" piece
Curry paste - 2 tbsp
Chopped tomatoes - 14 oz. can
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Vegetable Stock - 3 cups
Water - 3/4 cup

Method:

• Put
  the lentils in a large, heavy pan and add the stock. Bring to a boil,
  cover and lower the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the
  lentils are soft. Drain and set aside. I usually cook my lentils in the
  pressure cooker for about 4 whistles. Quick and easy.
• Heat 2
  tbsp oil in a pan and fry the cloves and peppercorns for 2 minutes. Add
  the onion, chilies, garlic and ginger and cook for 5-6 minutes,
  stirring frequently.
• Stir in the currypaste and fry for 2
  minutes stirring constantly. Add the tomatoes, sugar and water and
  simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens.
• Add
  the boiled eggs (I make 4 vertical cuts around the egg), lentils and
  garam masala. Cover and simmer for 10 more minutes, then serve,
  garnished with cilantro.

Toor dal Chutney

Ingredients:
Toor Dal - 1 cup
Red Chilies - 10-12
Jeera (cumin seeds) - 1tsp
Garlic - 2 pods
Oil - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste

Method:

1. Dry roast the dal along with the chilies, till dal turns golden brown and gives out the nutty aroma
2. Let the mixture cool down completely.
3. Grind the mixture with water (Do not add too much water, add little at a time. We dont want a watery chutney).
4. Add jeera and salt, pulse to combine.
5. Heat oil in a small pan. Add chopped garlic and fry on low flame till garlic is golden brown.
6. Add fried garlic into the chutney and mix well.
7. Serve with white rice and ghee

How To Make Your Computer Faster

Computers are wonderful devices that allow us to do many things but things can get rough once the garbage that comes in through our internet connection begins to stop up our system. I have put together a step-by-step procedure for cleaning all of this out.

Follow the steps below and you will see a noticeable improvement in your system. If you're looking to really speed things up -- like make your computer 2 times faster --

   1. Download Microsoft's Anti-Spyware program, Adaware, and Spybot Search and Destroy. Microsoft's program can be downloaded at Microsoft Windows Defender. Adaware can be downloaded at Lavasoft Downloads. Spybot can be downloaded at The Home of Spybot-S&D. All of these programs are free.
   2. Install Microsoft's anti-spyware program now, but not the other two.
   3. Run MSconfig. To do this, select Start>Run and type msconfig
      into the space. Select the Startup tab and get rid of all unnecessary
      programs. The way to determine this is to go to ProcessLibrary.com and check it against their database.
   4. Boot into Safe Mode. To do this, restart the computer and press F8
      continuously. Select the Safe Mode option from the list and continue to
      desktop.
   5. Delete any spyware programs from your add/remove. To do this,
      select Start>Control Panel>Add or Remove Programs. Check all
      unknown programs against SpywareGuide.com.
   6. Locate the temp folder in your computer and delete everything in
      the folder. This is located, usually, in C:\Documents and
      Settings\Username\local settings.
   7. Still in Safe Mode, install Adaware and Spybot. Run Adaware,
      Microsoft's anti-spyware and Spybot. Update to the most recent
      definitions in each program and run them in full scan mode. Microsoft's
      program cannot be installed in Safe Mode. You have already installed it.
   8. Reboot into standard Windows mode.
   9. Download HijackThis. You can get this program here Merijn.org.
      Install and run it. Click Do A System Scan and Save A Logfile.
      HijackThis will analyze processes that are running on your computer and
      alert you when there are things running that should not be there. It
      will also let you know when there are programs running that are not
      malicious but can safely be gotten rid of because they are not needed.
  10. Post the logfile in the Automated Log Analyzer at HijackThis.
  11. After determining what's safe and isn't, check appropriate boxes and click Fix Checked.
  12. Run the Microsoft Anti-Malicious program, which you can download at the Microsoft Download Center.
      This program is designed by Microsoft to detect and remove programs
      whose sole purpose is harming your computer. The technical term for
      this type of program is a rootkit.
  13. Download and run BLBeta Expert. This can be downloaded at F-Secure Blacklight.
      Make sure to carefully review anything it detects before removing.
      BlBeta is another program that is designed to get rid of rootkits.
  14. For Internet Explorer, click Tools> Internet Options>
      Security Tab. Click on the Internet Globe icon and select Custom Level.
      Disable the following:

a.       Download Unsigned ActiveX Controls.

b.      Initialize And Script ActiveX Controls Not Marked As Safe.

c.       Active Scripting.

d.      Scripting Of Java Applets.

15.  Also click High Safety under Java Permissions.

16.  If this causes trouble viewing any favorite sites, click the Trusted
Sites icon of the Security Tab and use the Sites button to add the
URL's of sites that are exempt from these requirements. The purpose of
these changes is to tighten the security of your system so that not so
many malicious programs make it to your system.

  17. For Firefox, type about:config in the address bar. Right click in
      the window and click New and Integer. In the first box, type
      privacy.popups.disable_from_plugins. In the second box, type 2. This
      will prevent Flash popups in Firefox.
  18. Open Regedit by clicking Start>Run and type in regedit.
  19. Once Regedit is open, click the plus symbol next to the
      HKEY_CURRENT_USER folder, the plus symbol next to Control Panel, and
      then click the Desktop folder icon to display its contents. In the
      right pane, double-click MenuShowDelay to change its value. (This
      Registry location is referred to as
      HKEY_CURRENT_USER\CONTROL\PANEL\DESKTOP\MENUSHOWDELAY.) The default
      Value Data is 400, or 4/10 of a second. Change the Value Data to 0 for
      the least delay, and click OK. This will make menus appear instantly on
      your computer instead of having a delay.
  20. Open
      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\CONTROL\FILESYSTEM.
      Right-click Filesystem, select New, and DWORD Value. Rename NewValue#1
      on the right-side pane to DisableNTFSLast-AccessUpdate. Double-click
      this new entry, change the Value Data field from 0 to 1, and then click
      OK. This disables the constant updating of the dates when a file or
      folder were last updated. This will speed up the system.
  21. Open
      HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS\CURRENTVERSION\EXPLORER.
      Create a new DWORD Value called DesktopProcess, and set its Value Data
      to 1.
  22. Expand HKEY_CURRENT_USER, expand Control Panel, and click Desktop.
      Double-click the AutoEndTasks string and change the value to 1. This
      causes all of the components of the explorer to run in one process,
      making your computer faster.

23.  There is a caveat for some users here. Do not make this change if
you are not running at least a Pentium processor and 16 MB of physical
memory.

  24.

  25. For Firefox, type about:config in the address bar. Right click in
      the window and click New and Integer. In the first box, type
      privacy.popups.disable_from_plugins. In the second box, type 2. This
      will prevent Flash popups in Firefox.
  26. Open Regedit by clicking Start>Run and type in regedit.
  27. Once Regedit is open, click the plus symbol next to the
      HKEY_CURRENT_USER folder, the plus symbol next to Control Panel, and
      then click the Desktop folder icon to display its contents. In the
      right pane, double-click MenuShowDelay to change its value. (This
      Registry location is referred to as
      HKEY_CURRENT_USER\CONTROL\PANEL\DESKTOP\MENUSHOWDELAY.) The default
      Value Data is 400, or 4/10 of a second. Change the Value Data to 0 for
      the least delay, and click OK. This will make menus appear instantly on
      your computer instead of having a delay.
  28. Open HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\CONTROL\FILESYSTEM. Right-click Filesystem, select New, and DWORD Value. Rename NewValue#1 on the right-side pane to DisableNTFSLast-AccessUpdate. Double-click this new entry, change the Value Data field from 0 to 1, and then click OK. This disables the constant updating of the dates when a file or folder were last updated. This will speed up the system.
  29. Open HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS\CURRENTVERSION\EXPLORER. Create a new DWORD Value called DesktopProcess, and set its Value Data to 1.
  30. Expand HKEY_CURRENT_USER, expand Control Panel, and click Desktop.
      Double-click the AutoEndTasks string and change the value to 1. This
      causes all of the components of the explorer to run in one process,
      making your computer faster. There is a caveat for some users here. Do not make this change if you are not running at least a Pentium processor and 16 MB of physical memory.
  31. Expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, expand SOFTWARE, expand
      Microsoft, expand Windows, and expand CurrentVersion. Right-click
      Explorer, expand New, click Key, and name the new key AlwaysUnloadDLL.
      Click AlwaysUnloadDLL, double-click the Default string, and change the
      value to 1. Windows tries to keep some DLL's in memory when the program
      uses them. If a user has low memory, this can cause performance issues.
  32. Expand HKEY_CURRENT_USER, expand Control Panel, and click Desktop.
      Double-click the HungAppTimeout string and change the value to 1000.
      Now, double-click the WaitToKillAppTimeout, string and change the value
      to 2000. This sets your system up to more efficiently handle
      application hangups. It also will optimize the amount of time a system
      takes to close a program when you try to end Windows.
  33. Expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, expand System, expand CurrentControlSet, and click Control. Double-click the WaitToKillServiceTimeout string and change the value to 2000. This optimizes the time that it will take for Windows Services to close when the system is set to shut down.
  34. Expand HKEY_CURRENT_USER, expand Control Panel, click Desktop, and
      double-click the MenuShowDelay string in the right-hand pane. Change
      the value to 100. This will cause Desktop menus to appear almost
      instantly.
  35. Close regedit.
  36. Set Recycle Bin to 1-3 percent of the hard drive space. To do this,
      right click on the Recycle Bin. Select properties. Move the slider down
      to the desired amount and click Ok. By default, the Recycle bin takes
      up too much of your space.
  37. To ensure DMA is in use, click Start, right-click My Computer,
      click Properties, select the Hardware tab, and click Device Manager.
      Expand the IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers entry, double-click the entry for
      the channel where your hard drive is installed (most likely the Primary
      IDE Channel), and use the Transfer Mode drop-down menu to select DMA If
      Available if PIO Only mode is selected. Click Ok, reboot, and recheck
      the setting to make sure it sticks. When this is enabled, it will allow
      information from your CD/DVD to go straight to memory, bypassing the
      system processor and speeding up the system.

You should notice markedly increased speeds in your computer.
Remember that this is not a "do once and forget it" procedure. Crud is
constantly building up in your computer, so make sure and set up a
maintenance plan to keep your computer clean.

An article from howtodothings.com