I recently installed Ubunto 10.10 (the netbook version) onto my Acer Aspire One Netbook. The OS it came with was a very old Red Hat, so I got rid of it. I am a complete Linux newbie, and not having the best experiences so far.

Basically, the netbook is completely clean with Ubuntu just installed. It's not got any files on it or any extra software. But it runs REALLY slow. Boots up pretty quickly, but it takes ages to do anything. It'll either just run ridiculously slowly, or it will run okay for 10 seconds and then not do ANYTHING for the next 10. I have never been able to play an MP3 track without the whole thing freezing, let alone a video.

Why is it so bad? The machine's not that old (maybe a year and a half) and the OS is brand new. There's no files or added software on it. What's the problem? Is there anything I can do? It's so frustrating! And it's the the only computer I've got at the moment.

Thanks

If I were you I would try Debian. The install is a little harder if you are new, just take your time and it is fine (Ubuntu uses that installer on the Alt install version and many have to use it to install 10.10).

You may find that Debian is faster and much more stable. It is a little older but the new stable version will be out soon and it is what 10.10 is based on (currently Debian-testing and it is more stable and faster than 10.10).

Use these links in this order;

http://www.debian.org/releases/stable/i386/

http://www.debian.org/doc/FAQ/ch-ftparchives#s-testing

http://cdimage.debian.org/debian-cd/5.0.7/i386/iso-cd/

http://cdimage.debian.org/cdimage/we...s/i386/iso-cd/

The last two are the links to the CDs for Lenny (stable) and Squeeze (testing). All you need is CD number one to install the OS.

Thanks.

So do I just download all the files here http://ftp.nl.debian.org/debian/dist...urrent/images/ and put them on a USB? Do I need all the files in th other directories (cdrom, hd-media and netboot) as well? Then I just change the boot order so the USB is first?

I have never used a usb device so I am not sure how you do that.

The ISO image you need for debian stable is;
http://cdimage.debian.org/debian-cd/...-i386-CD-1.iso

I burn the buggers to a CD and use them from there (RW is your friend). If your netbook does not support CD/DVD then you will have to us the USB drive approach.

I am not familiar with the site that you linked or what it is that they are sending out. I always get my images from Debian itself and the only thing you need is that first CD. The others just give you more packages.

Those packages are available through the repos if you want them.

Okay, thanks.

Unfortunately, it doesn't have a CD/DVD drive. When I installed Ubuntu, I was able to use a Windows computer to make the bootable disc, then borrow an external DVD drive. I don't have access to either of those now.

I guess burning an ISO to a USB means I'll need extra software. I've not been able to install anything else on this crappy thing, not even from the software repository. It just crashes.

Looks like I'm stuck.

Help, anyone???

You can use unetbootin to make a bootable flash drive installer for Debian or Ubuntu. Unetbootin can be used from Linux or Windows:
http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/
As for Ubuntu, which Acer Aspire One do you have? The Aspire Ones are pretty well supported in Ubuntu. See this link to see if there are any issues with your particular Aspire One:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/HardwareSupp...hines/Netbooks
You may want to try Lubuntu http://lubuntu.net/. It is based on Ubuntu, but it does not have pulseaudio or any of the extra bloat that comes with Ubuntu. It is significantly faster and lighter than Ubuntu in my experience.
Also see this for using Ubuntu on low resource computers: http://psychocats.net/ubuntu/minimal

Write back if you need more help.

Maybe Unity Desktop is what is slowing you down in 10.10 Maybe.

Logout and type in(or select) your username and in the bottom panel, select “Ubuntu Classic Desktop” instead of “Ubuntu Desktop Edition”. When you login next time, the same will be selected by default.

I run Ubuntu Netbook 10.04 LTS on my Acer Aspire One ZG5. The first thing I did was logout and change to Gnome Desktop instead of that Netbook looking Desktop. The Debian suggestions are also good. I run AntiX on my Asus EEEPCs (a 900 and 701SD)

Runs lightening fast also.

Thanks for your info. Sorry (Linux idiot here), I couldn't work out to install Unetbootin. I've only ever installed from the repository. I downloaded the file, but there's no application to open it :/

That's what I have - Acer Aspire One ZG5. I just switched it to Ubuntu Desktop Edition Safe Mode, and it seems to be running faster! The other options on the log in menu were Recovery Console, Ubuntu Desktop Edition, Ubuntu Netbook Edition and User Defined Session. Would any of those be better? How do I change to Gnome Desktop?

If the running faster just know turns out to be a one off, I'll attempt switching to Debian.

Thanks for your help

If you want to have something easier to install than plain Debian, I would personally recommend LMDE (Linux Mint Debian Edition). It installs in a very similar fashion as Ubuntu and also has plenty of support for codecs, Flash, etc. prepackaged.

Then again, Ubuntu Netbook Edition (especially 10.10) is well-known for being dog-slow, and the Mutter window manager is to blame. Therefore, if you want 10.10, use the desktop edition on netbooks. It is strongly recommended, even though technically it can be a waste of screen real-estate.

If you still need or want info on using Unetbootin, see the instructions on the Unetbootin site:
http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/#install
Also, here is another good tutorial on using Unetbootin:
http://www.howtoforge.com/unetbootin..._ubuntu_fedora