Slow Ubuntu

[Najubhai]

Hey Guys I have COmpaq evo n800c notebook which is like 10 years old.
CPU:Intek Pentium 4
RAM:1 GB
GPU:64 MB ATi Mobility Radeon (kind of broken,possibly because of overheating and overclocking)

SO the problem is I installed Ubuntu 11.04 and it's VERY slow.Also after 4-8 mins of work the graphics get distorted ( the taskbar and icons distort)

So please help me out whether I should install a previous version (if yes then which one) and if no then what can I do to run it smoothly like windows:confused:

[irv]

If you are using Unity or Gnome for a Desktop, try installing Xfce with is a lighter DE. This is a good way to speed up old machines. It is not as memory hungry. It is a little lighter on the graphics. It is worth giving it a try. Another good choice is Mint which uses Debian like Ubuntu but it's default DE is Xfce. Another light DE is LXDE. Go to distro watch and check out some of the distros for older machines and give them a try, you might find one that you really like. It all about choice.