[Cialug] install help on Dell Inspiron 1100

[Kendall Bailey]

Just picked up a cheap used laptop.  I'm having trouble with Ubuntu,
although google searches suggest it shouldn't be this hard.  I've
updated the BIOS and tried 8.04 and 7.10.  I've got past some display
headaches, but still the live CDs run extremely slow.  Trying to start
the installer opens a window but that window stays blank white for up
to an hour, while the CD drive grinds away in a rythmic pattern.

I had an old Ubuntu 5.04 Live CD and that runs pretty smoothly, after
the display setting are corrected.  I'd rather not install such an old
distro.  Any advice?  Should I give up on Ubuntu and try stock Debian?
 Go back to 6.06 and try the upgrade path to 8.04 if 6.06 installs OK?
 The BIOS says it can boot from USB.  I've never done that.  Is there
a way to create a boot USB drive from an Ubuntu ISO?  Any ideas
welcome.

Thanks.
Kendall

p.s. Specs I know: 256MB Ram, 2.4GHz Celeron, 20GB hard drive.  XP
Home is installed and runs OK after I removed the anti-virus.