I don't know about you...but i dislike Microsofy .NET framework and the Newer Visual Basic designed for it. NET. Framework takes ages to install. It also appears to slow down the computer in terms of start up. One word to describe it ... "Yuck" Sorry for the grumble...
Once you get coding for it (I use C# though, not a big fan of VB) it can make things very easy. I mean I've even coded gui programs for it using notepad easily and with a minimum of effort. It can be a little memory heavy for the programs that you are running, but there are tricks you can use to minimize a program's memory usage.
Hmm..... your computer doesnt have a good configuration. I have 1 GB RAM , 250 GB HDD and Intel DUO Core. My Visual Studio .NET 2007 works perfectly. I even have SQL Server , LAMP , Macromedia Flash, Dreamweaver and a whole bundle of heavy softwares on my Single Desktop. IT works like a breeze
My RAM is 256+512 on an over expensive toshiba machine. Pretty slow too.. planning to get a loaded HP or something like dell