Installed Ubuntu On Desktop, Slow As Molasses In January, Pentium III, 600 MHZ, 512 MB RAM Options

[Jon_J]

This desktop has these specs: Pentium III, 600 MHZ, 512 MB RAM, 20GB HDD, onboard video (sis chip)
Windows 98SE is pretty fast on this computer, so I installed ubuntu 5.10 onto it and the entire install took about 4 hours (huh?)
I've installed a fresh copy of windows on this machine in about an hour in the past.
Ubuntu installed a dualboot scheme, I don't remember the name now, it wasn't lilo. (OK, now I remember, it was Grub).
I had to search the ubuntu forums to get my serial mouse working, (the PS/2 port is bad).
When I finally got to the desktop with a working mouse, it was as slow as molasses.
It took 10 seconds just to open a help window and a file browser window took about as long.
(And I thought some Zaurus apps were slow).
Last year I was going to try Debian, but got lost in the confusing amount of CD-ROMs required to be downloaded and gave that up.
I'm thinking of installing damn small linux on that box, but I thought I would ask here:
What is a good starting linux distro for a beginner that will install on an older PC?
Do all linux distros support cross compiling for the Zaurus? (I would rather muck about on an old desktop, than mess up my Z).

I have since removed it, deleted the extra partitions it set up, and fixed the master boot record, using win XP recovery disc.
It was so slow that it was un usable.

[Capn_Fish]

I don't think you NEED to be connected to the network for Debian, if you install in expert mode, but maybe you do. It sure helps.

If you could run a network cable temporarily, you could install just the base Debian image, then install something like Fluxbox or IceWM from there. That ought to be light enough.

Knoppix is likely to be excruciatingly slow, as it uses KDE and is running from the CD.