Comment 4 for bug 1037427

I usually run make install, but also configure with --prefix=/devel (this way make install will install my locally built version into /devel/bin/gnome-system-monitor, thus I will always have a working version, in /usr = the one installed with the OS, and one I have built in /devel)
The reason for this is that the one installed with 12.04 only had preferences.ui, while lp:gnome-system-monitor is not the repository for that version, but is the upstream trunk, so it differs in quite a few things, and is unstable, as trunks always are. If you want to gdb the version from 12.04, you will have to bzr branch lp:ubuntu/precise/gnome-system-monitor, which is the source for the precise version.
If you need any more system-monitor related help, let me know, maybe I can help.

IN the meantime, I am closing this report as Invalid, as this is not a bug in the precise version of Gnome System Monitor.