fixing my console and stuff?
 

when i boot off of the kernel that came with my linux distro(slackware), my console is real nice when i first start up: picture of tux at the top, font isnt too big, colored text. but i recently compiled a new kernel(2.6.13.1) and the console looks bad, size is too big(i dunno if it's the font size or the overall screen size), i think my ls is still color coded, but i want my tux picture :( ). also, there are a few errors that i see scroll by very quickly when i first load, is there any way i can see a log of the startup? is the startup(where it says loading hotplug, starting pcmcia, loading alsa, etc.) managed by lilo or what?

You need framebuffer support enabled in multiple places before you will actually get it. Recheck your kernel configuration. :)

Edit:
For the boot messages, try and look in /var/log

Lilo bootstrapps the kernel, then goes away. It does not do anything else.

logs are often found in /var/log/
(Actually I'd like to know where to find that boot stuff - there's a log in there for "boot messages" but it isn't it.)

You compiled a new kernel and everything looks wrong?
Perhaps you should go carefully through the process again and check you've included everything?

The boot loader settings might have some thing to do with it.
Are you using lilo?
check /etc/lilo.conf
there is an option there to specify vga mode/framebuffer
I use "vga=normal", check lilo.conf(5) for more options to pass to vga.

yeah, but i havent changed my lilo.conf and if i boot off of the old kernel(which i still keep around). the console is the right screen size.