I can't get my tabs (or code) to load

So I built a CNC plasma cutter out of garbage.... and since I built it out of garbage, I used a very old computer to run it.  It's a 32bit computer, so I'm stuck running Linuxcnc 2.8.  I got a base configuration working and running fairly well, but because it's made out of garbage, it really needs torch height control.  I got a THCAD and got everything wired up to my Mesa 7i96s, and ran the PlasmaC configurator.  The buttons on the bottom of the screen work, I can test the ohmic probe, and the probe cycle seems to work, but I can't get any of the GladeVCP components to load.  The tabs are there, but they're blank, and if I try to configure it with a Run panel instead of the run tab, it doesn't show up.  The other issue I have is I can't load a G-code file, it seems to get stuck "Filtering."  On top of that, I'm now having latency issues I wasn't having before.  I've been staring at and trying to troubleshoot my configurations for way too long and I can't find anything obviously wrong, so I suspect this 20+ year old Dell just isn't up to the task.  Part of the "art" of this machine was that it's made of junk, so if I can keep using this computer, I'd like to... but I'd also like the machine to work properly, so I figured I'd at least upload my configs for someone more knowledgeable to look at before I buy something more modern.

Does the PC have an add on graphic card? If yes, remove it and try with the onboard graphic, or vice versa, if it does not have one try finding a used one to test with.
Another thing to check is for locale to be set as UTF-8, and maybe try EN-US also.