12.04 system works very slow

[enotbear]

It works slow, for example: firefox started 30 sec after click button, terminal window the same, and gcompris about 2 minutes.
And almost any application are opened slowly.

On the same PC installed MS Windows XP, and works ok, and debian etch - same ok.

And DVD video just look menu, but if started, only first screen appeared, and playing cursor is moving, but nothing happened. Video stream It's stopped .

Advice, please , what can I do?

Possible I need increase or decrease swap area, or change some driver, I don't so experience, but i hope that anybody before already have slow working PC on Ubuntu?

Specifications - Toshiba portege 7200CTe, PIII,660Mhz,ram 329MB
video is S3 savageIX,

[black veils]

329mb system ram?

what operating system do you have installed: lubuntu, xubuntu, somehow ubuntu? or something else?

if that is really your system ram, you would be best running bodhi linux (http://www.bodhilinux.com/about_bodhi.php) instead (it is based on ubuntu).


then do this tweak:
To change swappiness into a more sensible value, open the Terminal and copy-paste:

gksudo gedit /etc/sysctl.confreplace gedit with the text editor on your new system, probably leafpad or mousepad.

press Enter key

Scroll to the bottom of the text file and add your swappiness parameter to override the default, so copy/paste the following lines:

#
# Decrease swap usage to a workable level
vm.swappiness=10Close the text file and reboot your computer.

After the reboot, check the new swappiness value:
open the Terminal and copy-paste:

cat /proc/sys/vm/swappinesspress Enter key

Now it should be the chosen new value.