help: bad performance in REDHAT7.3

I have just installed Redhat 7.3 on a new computer. It has a 2.4 Ghz P4 and 512 MB  RAM so I think it should fly.

However, when I run a process such as gunzip multiple large files all my memory seems to get eaten up and the desktop runs very badly, with big lags behind mouse movements, slow window redraw, etc.
Top tells me that the system is using up to 97% of the CPU.

Perhaps I have configured the thing badly, can anybody suggest why this may be happenning and how to fix it

Thanks

Pete
-- 
_______________________________________________
Get your free email from http://www.graffiti.net

Powered by Outblaze