[wellylug] Linksys router connection

[Persian]

Hi everyone

I have Ubuntu 6.06 on my desktop pc and in my Sytem/Administration/Networking my ethernet
connection is set up as Static IP Address. I know the address and
all the other info i.e Gateway etc. I have cable broadband.

I have a laptop with only XP on it which is wireless capable, and I wanted
to get a wireless router to use the laptop around the house.

I bought a new Linksys WRT54GC Ver 2.0 wirelss router with 4 wired ports.

On the laptop I opened Moz Firefox and typed in the address of the router
and when the Linksys window opened I typed in all the other details and
the laptop was online with a strong signal strength.

With my Ubuntu desktop I was unable to get Firefox to open when I put in
the IP of the router so I could not get online with it. Error message
was something like IP Address could not be found.

A friend came round who has done a little linux. He looked at my
System/Networking window and where the ethernet connection said
Static IP, he changed that to DHCP and then the Linksys window
opened immediately. I cant remember which programme it opened with
so guess it was Firefox but not sure. He entered all the info, secured
the network with name and password and the pc was online too.

All good I thought but, the pc is SO  SLOW to connect to mail and webpages
MUCH slower than before whereas the lappy is pretty snappy!

Is there a reason for this reduced speed? Did he do the right thing choosing DHCP?
Is it a lot more complicated that that and technical things beyond my skills
need to be done to configure my Ubuntu desktop?

Thanks a lot for any assistance,

best regards
Lyndsay
PS I did Google this for quite some time but really only found very complicated
postings and thought I could ask you guys first.
-- 

"As long as people will shed the blood of innocent creatures there can be no 
peace, no liberty, no harmony between people. Slaughter and justice cannot 
dwell together" - Isaac Bashevis Singer

"Atrocities are not less atrocities when they occur in laboratories and are 
called medical research" - George Bernard Shaw

'The question is not, can they reason?  Nor can they talk?  But can they suffer?
Jeremy Bentham.