Well done!

Are those messages straight after you boot the computer? If so, enter BIOS and change the boot order (so that network boot would be after your hard drive).

A few days ago I read somewhere that someone complained that actually ubuntu tends to be quicker than xubuntu (despite running gnome which is heavier than XFce).
What you can do is to switch off any services that you're not going to use (google: ubuntu disable services)
It might also be the question of the right video driver. You can also set desktop effects to 'none'. AFAIR, by default it's set to medium.

Enjoy!!!

Actually XFCE is only slightly lighter than GNOME... What you will need to do to make it lighter is disable all the services you don't need. If that doesn't help, you can always just install LXDE which is similar but a lot lighter than XFCE.

OK! What is that? F8 when its loading? Or is it F2? I can never remember. Where is that option located in the Bios settings?

Hmmm... Unbuntu wanted a 1gig processor, I don't have that.

Where are these options in Xunbuntu?

Function keys depend on BIOS. It'll be different on your computer. Once you're in, you can find it in 'boot' menu (ie. boot order)


As far as services are concerned, please google it. I don't use *buntu so I would have to google it for you You can do it yourself.

Ubuntu is just a bloated distro. Desktop environments also tend to be bloated. If you want to make that computer go fast, my advice is to ditch Ubuntu and Desktop Environments, and get a lightweight distro + a bare window manager.

Get rid of Ubuntu and use a lightweight distro with a bare window manager.

^
I thought Xubuntu was lightweight!

Give the specs of your computer, then maybe someone can suggest a distro.

Xubuntu is one of the most bloated possible Xfce distros, using more than twice the resources of its Debian sibling: http://distrowatch.com/weekly.php?is...090427#feature

There is nothing lightweight about Ubuntu, it's probably the most bloated distro ever.

And a bare window manager is much more lightweight than the most lightweight desktop environment.

500mhz is "too slow" for Xubuntu according to the official Ubuntu documentation: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/In...emRequirements

Check out Puppy, SliTaz, AntiX etc. for a computer with those specs. (Puppy is probably the most beginner friendly of the bunch.) Good luck!

If you basically like Ubuntu, but just need something lighter, you could try CrunchBang. That's based on Ubuntu, but adapted to be less demanding. I gave it a quick trial earlier this year and it seemed OK; you can see a review at

http://desktoplinuxreviews.com/2009/...linux-9-04-01/

I love CrunchBang (typing from it now ) but it is no longer based on Ubuntu. 9.04 was the last CrunchBang release based on Ubuntu, and the next release will be based on Debian Squeeze!

If you are looking for a lighterweight version of Ubuntu 10.04, check out Lubuntu and Linux Mint Fluxbox.

And this is a bad thing?

Not for me but perhaps for the OP if he/she is looking for a lightweight, Ubuntu-based alternative to Xubuntu.

Holy Penguins, Batman!!

For an OP who wanted a distro for a "stupid kid", this has gotten pretty sophisticated!!

More after I do some merging....