When I run 11.04 from a USB flash drive, it works the way I suspect it should - quick and responsive. With a full install, on the other hand, I click the home button and I have to wait four seconds to see the dash (this is insane - I have a core i5). Same thing with alt+F2.
I've also tested the live USB on an older laptop with inferior specs and it still runs faster than my full install.
What's going on? How do I fix this?