i got the game to work on my netbook, albeit in a sort of 'ghetto' fashion, using this method http://www.ftlgame.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=4178
i'd recommend trying the other methods to see if they work for your particular netbook (get the latest version if you dont have it already and try fullscreen - stretched, or edit your settings.ini file in the ftl folder and enter your resolution figures)