Ubuntu - Running very slow on netbook

**Timbuk2**

I'm trying to install Ubuntu 12.10 on my Acer AspireOne netbook, preferably dual-booting with Windows 7 Starter (which comes with the netbook).

Specs:
CPU: Intel Atom processor N270 (1.6Ghz, 533Mhz FSB)
Memory: 1GB RAM

I installed it using the Windows Installer (wubi), and while it install fine and looks great, it is a lot slower than Windows 7. For example, if I click the Firefox icon, it could be about 10 seconds before it loads.

I tried installing it (via the same method) on a computer (CPU: 3Ghz, Memory: 2GB RAM, Graphics: nVidia GeForce 6700, Windows 7 Home Premium) but I am getting the same result - perhaps slightly faster, but still slower than Windows 7.

Why is this? From reading about Ubuntu online, many claim it is snappier than Windows so I'm surprised by the result.
Is perhaps installing via Wubi slowing it down?

I know there are lightweight distributions (e.g. Lubuntu) but I really like how Ubuntu looks so it'd be nice to get that working. I know there's an Ubuntu netbook remix, but from what I read online, it isn't any faster than Ubuntu, it just utilises screen space better, so I'm sticking with Ubuntu Desktop (12.10) for the moment

Stuxnet

a wubi install is a "fake" install if you like, ubuntu is installed as a windows program on the windows c:

its lacks many of the features, including hardware acceleration,
but its handy for beginners to have a look and take it for a test drive, a netbook mightn't necessarily have enough horses under the hood to run it adequately.

Your best bet, is a) run a lighter version of ubuntu, lubuntu is sweet on any pc, but most suitably on a netbook

and if you want to run regular ubuntu properly, i suggest you first remove wubi ubuntu from windows via add/remove programs

then you want to make a partition for ubuntu to install to, "on the metal"

windows>start>admin>computer management >disk management right click c: and shrink volume by say 10 gigs, or as much as you can spare

reboot and boot your ubuntu install cd/usb and install ubuntu to this free partition you just made through windows, when you get to that step

result, proper install of ubuntu, and you'll have grub menu to select windows/ubuntu on boot

Good luck

**Timbuk2**

Thanks a million for the answer.

I'll try installing Ubuntu later via USB. Is it easy to uninstall/undo the partitioning if it doesn't work properly?

Also do you think 12.04 would be quicker than 12.10 or would it be better to go with the newest version?

GreenWolfe

You'd be better off with Lubuntu or Xubuntu, my netbook (with same spec as yours) doesn't run standard Ubuntu well.

EDIT: I typed that before I read your post -- I don't think you have much choice if you want Ubuntu on your netbook. Afaik the netbook edition was axed when the Unity project began.

Stuxnet

tbh I think 12.04 or 12.10 will be too much for a netbook, but fire ahead a check it out, easy overwrite the install with a light version of ubuntu,
havent tried 12.10 yet, but 12.04 would be currently more stable, as its a long term release LTS edition, id go with that first

as for reversing and just going back to only windows, is very easy,( n00b friendly way ) what you'll need to do: firstly, you'll need to remove the grub boot loader, and re-write the windows mbr (master boot record) this can be done in 3 clicks in windows with a free app called easyBcd, run it, select BCD deployment > Select 7 mbr (default) >Write MBR,
now all you need do is go back to start>computer management >disk management, right click the partition you created for ubuntu, delete it, right click again, delete again...right click c: windows partition, and select expand..next..next finish...to reclaim the space

there are many ways to skin a cat ^^ but that's the easiest way for beginners

**Timbuk2**

Thanks for all the help. I installed Ubuntu 12.04
the other day, booting from a USB key (after shrinking the C drive in Windows by 15gb), and to my surprise it worked a lot better, it's faster than via wubi.

I'm not sure if it because I'm using 12.04, or because it's not via wubi, but it's very usable now.
If I want to use this as my main OS, is it easy to increase the space available to Linux (by shrinking the C drive further)?

Stuxnet

defiantly because your not using wubi
glad you got it running

yes very easy to do, what Id do in this instance, is burn a copy of gparted iso to usb like you did with ubuntu, boot into it, ie run it "live"

select your hard drive from the drop down menu top right, if it isnt showing by default,
you'll see all your partitions, ntfs will be the windows one, ext4, ubuntu

select the windows and resize to what you want, and you can expand ubuntu partition as you like also, might take a bit to figure it out, but the great thing is...it wont apply any changes till you hit apply, so play around with it, till you think you have correctly set the partitions as you want them

this may help http://askubuntu.com/questions/126153/how-to-resize-partitions

**Timbuk2**

Thanks a million for the help Stuxnet, I used GParted it was very easy to use!

Stuxnet

Sweet,

**Timbuk2**

I upgraded (via Update Manager) to 12.10 and haven't noticed a decrease in speed so it was definitely Wubi slowing it down originally. I've also installed Cairo Dock and set the launcher to 'hide' which is a better use of screen space on my netbook than Windows was!

Stuxnet

Of course it was wubi, as I mentioned earlier, wubi lacks hardware acceleration amongst other things, and it installs ubuntu as a windows program on the windows c drive, all this is massive overhead that a netbook cant handle !!

as your getting more comfortable now
in time you can look at installing ubuntu on a few different partitions for safer and faster performance (pick manual install option at installer screen)

if you have say 3 partitions pre-made (with gparted)
assign 10 gigs to / ext 4 root partition, this is where you'll install the OS,
maybe 2-3gb to swap partition, (like a ram boost)
and the rest for a /home ext4 partition, where your regular downloaded files and settings get saved

doing this, any time you want to re-install ubuntu, just reinstall and point the install to / in the installer and reformat,
point the installer to your existing /home folder and swap partitions, dont format,
and your settings and files will be as they were before you re-installed

magic..welcome to linux

**Timbuk2**

That's fantastic, thanks a million for all the help Stuxnet. Useful information as I think I'll be installing Ubuntu on my home PC over the next few days also (again, dual booting with Windows 7 but this time with a lot more hard disk space and better specs to play with!)

Ruski

You'd be better off with a version of Ubuntu with a lighter desktop environment, Tim. Gnome got pretty slow and groggy after they changed it. At the moment I'm running Lubuntu, which uses LXDE. It may feel a bit like a cheap car, but good god is it fast. And if you take your time to customise the look if it, sure you can make it look like a Ferrari.

If you need any help, I can help you out. Usually it automatically partitions for you, but if you play around with different file systems you can make it run much smoother than automatic partitioning (which usually makes a swap partition, and an ext4 root partition)

LiamOSullivan

Stuxnet wrote: »

defiantly because your not using wubi
glad you got it running

yes very easy to do, what Id do in this instance, is burn a copy of gparted iso to usb like you did with ubuntu, boot into it, ie run it "live"

select your hard drive from the drop down menu top right, if it isnt showing by default,
you'll see all your partitions, ntfs will be the windows one, ext4, ubuntu

select the windows and resize to what you want, and you can expand ubuntu partition as you like also, might take a bit to figure it out, but the great thing is...it wont apply any changes till you hit apply, so play around with it, till you think you have correctly set the partitions as you want them

this may help http://askubuntu.com/questions/126153/how-to-resize-partitions

I'd be really careful about resizing Windows' partitions with anything other than windows tools. I've done this before and every time I did, windows flipped out and refused to boot.