The problem with the slow boot is that the settings in Usplash can sometimes get messed up on install and hang up the boot. Removing some of the lines in menu.lst disables Usplash and fixes the problem. If you like the verbose boot up, then leave it. If you’d like the pretty Ubuntu boot up sequence, try this.
1) Open up /boot/grub/menu.lst
sudo gedit /boot/grub/menu.lst
2) At the very end of the kernel line after “splash” , add “vga=791”
3) Save that file, close it, and open up /etc/usplash.conf
sudo gedit /etc/usplash.conf
4) Change the screen resolution to the resolution you are actually using. Save it and close it.
5) Grub won’t know anything about this until you rebuild the boot, so do the following commands.
sudo update-initramfs -u -k `uname -r`
This rebuilds the image that Grub uses to start the system.
Voila, you have fixed the boot speed issue and gotten the splash screen back. Reboot and enjoy the fruits of your labor. This only works if Usplash is what was broken. Also, you can always hit CTRL-F1 when the splash is running to get back to your verbose mode.