Why Won't Recompiled Kernel Work?
 

Alright, I have tried to get a recompiled kernel to work for some time now, but I always end up having the same issue.

When I load the box and get to Lilo, then load up the new kernel, everything goes blank on me. I get the "glowing black screen of nothingness". After a few seconds, the "Scroll Lock" and "Caps Lock" keys turn solid on me as well. This will be the third time I've tried to compile this, and I would like to get it right. Back when I had Mandrake I used to get this as well, when I booted into "Linux-secure", and some of Mandrake's other custom kernels.

Any ideas and suggestions would be highly appreciated.

What steps are you taking to compile the kernel? And your positive your adding the necessary support for all your hardware?

The kernel is going through all the proper steps for recompile (all the steps provided by the sticky threads here in LQ, etc.).

As for the necessary support, I can't say that for sure. I'm very new to Linux, and it makes it very difficult for me to provide you with all the information that you're looking for in order to help me determine what my problem is.

I can still boot into my old kernel, but only with half the RAM (2GB total RAM) and one of the two processors being used.

I'm running a Dell PowerEdge 1750, with the specs listed in my sig.

it seems like you need multi-processing support.

and, if we don't know your steps, there is nothing we might add. ;)

It is probably your kernel config that isn't probably configured, try to tinker somewhat with menuconfig. You will get it running. Don't give up.

It took me 3 times to get a the right one working.

Have fun.

Geert.

Yeah, I need to enable multi-processing and high ram support (which is why I'm doing the recompile in the first place) Is there any way to attach the config to these forums here so that user can download it and run it over to see if maybe you have an idea where it might be going wrong?

Copy and paste or link it to a site you may have for viewing. But you can't attach or upload files here.

Alright, I'll do so when I get home this evening. Thanks.

A couple of other things you can do to help yourself. Print out the config file for the kernel you're running now. If you did the standard Slack install, it will be in the /boot directory, like this -> /boot/config-ide-2.4.22
And then you can also print out the help file provided with the kernel for configuring. It will be located in -> /usr/src/linux/Documentation/Configure.help
Both documents are long. If printing it is an issue for you, maybe you could have them open while you recompile, so that you could refer to them. Just pick the editor you're familiar with, open the files, and they are right there available for your referral as you recompile.

What you need for multiple CPU's and 2MB RAM are both under Processor type and features. For the RAM you need ->
For multiple processors you need ->
This may not be all you need for the multiple processors. You'll need more research, unless trickykid or someone else can help you with that. There is more info in the Configure.help file, such as ->
It was worth it to print the config file for me, because I knew what already worked. Then if there was an option for which I really didn't have a clue, even after reading the Configure.help file, I just left it as is.

#
# Automatically generated by make menuconfig: don't edit
#
CONFIG_X86=y
# CONFIG_SBUS is not set
CONFIG_UID16=y

#
# Code maturity level options
#
# CONFIG_EXPERIMENTAL is not set

#
# Loadable module support
#
CONFIG_MODULES=y
CONFIG_MODVERSIONS=y
CONFIG_KMOD=y

#
# Processor type and features
#
# CONFIG_M386 is not set
# CONFIG_M486 is not set
# CONFIG_M586 is not set
# CONFIG_M586TSC is not set
# CONFIG_M586MMX is not set
# CONFIG_M686 is not set
# CONFIG_MPENTIUMIII is not set
CONFIG_MPENTIUM4=y
# CONFIG_MK6 is not set
# CONFIG_MK7 is not set
# CONFIG_MK8 is not set
# CONFIG_MELAN is not set
# CONFIG_MCRUSOE is not set
# CONFIG_MWINCHIPC6 is not set
# CONFIG_MWINCHIP2 is not set
# CONFIG_MWINCHIP3D is not set
# CONFIG_MCYRIXIII is not set
# CONFIG_MVIAC3_2 is not set
CONFIG_X86_WP_WORKS_OK=y
CONFIG_X86_INVLPG=y
CONFIG_X86_CMPXCHG=y
CONFIG_X86_XADD=y
CONFIG_X86_BSWAP=y
CONFIG_X86_POPAD_OK=y
# CONFIG_RWSEM_GENERIC_SPINLOCK is not set
CONFIG_RWSEM_XCHGADD_ALGORITHM=y
CONFIG_X86_L1_CACHE_SHIFT=7
CONFIG_X86_HAS_TSC=y
CONFIG_X86_GOOD_APIC=y
CONFIG_X86_PGE=y
CONFIG_X86_USE_PPRO_CHECKSUM=y
CONFIG_X86_F00F_WORKS_OK=y
# CONFIG_X86_MCE is not set
# CONFIG_TOSHIBA is not set
# CONFIG_I8K is not set
CONFIG_MICROCODE=m
CONFIG_X86_MSR=m
CONFIG_X86_CPUID=m
# CONFIG_NOHIGHMEM is not set
CONFIG_HIGHMEM4G=y
# CONFIG_HIGHMEM64G is not set
CONFIG_HIGHMEM=y
# CONFIG_HIGHIO is not set
# CONFIG_MATH_EMULATION is not set
CONFIG_MTRR=y
CONFIG_SMP=y
CONFIG_NR_CPUS=2
# CONFIG_X86_NUMA is not set
# CONFIG_X86_TSC_DISABLE is not set
CONFIG_X86_TSC=y
CONFIG_HAVE_DEC_LOCK=y

#
# General setup
#
CONFIG_NET=y
CONFIG_X86_IO_APIC=y
CONFIG_X86_LOCAL_APIC=y
CONFIG_PCI=y
# CONFIG_PCI_GOBIOS is not set
# CONFIG_PCI_GODIRECT is not set
CONFIG_PCI_GOANY=y
CONFIG_PCI_BIOS=y
CONFIG_PCI_DIRECT=y
# CONFIG_ISA is not set
CONFIG_PCI_NAMES=y
# CONFIG_EISA is not set
# CONFIG_MCA is not set
CONFIG_HOTPLUG=y

#
# PCMCIA/CardBus support
#
# CONFIG_PCMCIA is not set

#
# PCI Hotplug Support
#
# CONFIG_HOTPLUG_PCI is not set
# CONFIG_HOTPLUG_PCI_COMPAQ is not set
# CONFIG_HOTPLUG_PCI_COMPAQ_NVRAM is not set
# CONFIG_HOTPLUG_PCI_IBM is not set
CONFIG_SYSVIPC=y
CONFIG_BSD_PROCESS_ACCT=y
CONFIG_SYSCTL=y
CONFIG_KCORE_ELF=y
# CONFIG_KCORE_AOUT is not set
# CONFIG_BINFMT_AOUT is not set
CONFIG_BINFMT_ELF=y
CONFIG_BINFMT_MISC=y
# CONFIG_PM is not set
# CONFIG_APM is not set

#
# ACPI Support
#
# CONFIG_ACPI is not set
CONFIG_ACPI_BOOT=y

#
# Memory Technology Devices (MTD)
#
# CONFIG_MTD is not set

#
# Parallel port support
#
CONFIG_PARPORT=m
CONFIG_PARPORT_PC=m
CONFIG_PARPORT_PC_CML1=m
# CONFIG_PARPORT_SERIAL is not set
# CONFIG_PARPORT_AMIGA is not set
# CONFIG_PARPORT_MFC3 is not set
# CONFIG_PARPORT_ATARI is not set
# CONFIG_PARPORT_GSC is not set
# CONFIG_PARPORT_SUNBPP is not set
# CONFIG_PARPORT_OTHER is not set
CONFIG_PARPORT_1284=y

#
# Plug and Play configuration
#
CONFIG_PNP=y
# CONFIG_ISAPNP is not set

#
# Block devices
#
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_FD=y
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_XD is not set
# CONFIG_PARIDE is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_CPQ_DA is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_CPQ_CISS_DA is not set
# CONFIG_CISS_SCSI_TAPE is not set
# CONFIG_CISS_MONITOR_THREAD is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_DAC960 is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_UMEM is not set
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_LOOP=m
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_NBD is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_RAM is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_INITRD is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_STATS is not set

#
# Multi-device support (RAID and LVM)
#
# CONFIG_MD is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_MD is not set
# CONFIG_MD_LINEAR is not set
# CONFIG_MD_RAID0 is not set
# CONFIG_MD_RAID1 is not set
# CONFIG_MD_RAID5 is not set
# CONFIG_MD_MULTIPATH is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_LVM is not set

#
# Networking options
#
CONFIG_PACKET=y
# CONFIG_PACKET_MMAP is not set
# CONFIG_NETLINK_DEV is not set
# CONFIG_NETFILTER is not set
# CONFIG_FILTER is not set
CONFIG_UNIX=y
CONFIG_INET=y
# CONFIG_IP_MULTICAST is not set
# CONFIG_IP_ADVANCED_ROUTER is not set
# CONFIG_IP_PNP is not set
# CONFIG_NET_IPIP is not set
# CONFIG_NET_IPGRE is not set
# CONFIG_INET_ECN is not set
# CONFIG_SYN_COOKIES is not set
# CONFIG_VLAN_8021Q is not set
# CONFIG_IPX is not set
# CONFIG_ATALK is not set

#
# Appletalk devices
#
# CONFIG_DEV_APPLETALK is not set
# CONFIG_DECNET is not set
# CONFIG_BRIDGE is not set

#
# QoS and/or fair queueing
#
# CONFIG_NET_SCHED is not set

#
# Network testing
#
# CONFIG_NET_PKTGEN is not set

#
# Telephony Support
#
# CONFIG_PHONE is not set
# CONFIG_PHONE_IXJ is not set
# CONFIG_PHONE_IXJ_PCMCIA is not set

#
# ATA/IDE/MFM/RLL support
#
CONFIG_IDE=y

#
# IDE, ATA and ATAPI Block devices
#
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDE=y
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_HD_IDE is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_HD is not set
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDEDISK=y
# CONFIG_IDEDISK_MULTI_MODE is not set
# CONFIG_IDEDISK_STROKE is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDECS is not set
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDECD=y
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDETAPE is not set
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDEFLOPPY=y
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDESCSI is not set
# CONFIG_IDE_TASK_IOCTL is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_CMD640 is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_CMD640_ENHANCED is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_ISAPNP is not set
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDEPCI=y
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_GENERIC is not set
CONFIG_IDEPCI_SHARE_IRQ=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDEDMA_PCI=y
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_OFFBOARD is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDEDMA_FORCED is not set
CONFIG_IDEDMA_PCI_AUTO=y
# CONFIG_IDEDMA_ONLYDISK is not set
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDEDMA=y
# CONFIG_IDEDMA_PCI_WIP is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_ADMA100 is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_AEC62XX is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_ALI15X3 is not set
# CONFIG_WDC_ALI15X3 is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_AMD74XX is not set
# CONFIG_AMD74XX_OVERRIDE is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_CMD64X is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_TRIFLEX is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_CY82C693 is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_CS5530 is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_HPT34X is not set
# CONFIG_HPT34X_AUTODMA is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_HPT366 is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_PIIX is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_NS87415 is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_OPTI621 is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_PDC202XX_OLD is not set
# CONFIG_PDC202XX_BURST is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_PDC202XX_NEW is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_RZ1000 is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_SC1200 is not set
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_SVWKS=y
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_SIIMAGE is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_SIS5513 is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_SLC90E66 is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_TRM290 is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_VIA82CXXX is not set
# CONFIG_IDE_CHIPSETS is not set
CONFIG_IDEDMA_AUTO=y
# CONFIG_IDEDMA_IVB is not set
# CONFIG_DMA_NONPCI is not set
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDE_MODES=y
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_ATARAID is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_ATARAID_PDC is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_ATARAID_HPT is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_ATARAID_SII is not set

#
# SCSI support
#
CONFIG_SCSI=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_SD=y
CONFIG_SD_EXTRA_DEVS=40
# CONFIG_CHR_DEV_ST is not set
# CONFIG_CHR_DEV_OSST is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_SR is not set
# CONFIG_CHR_DEV_SG is not set
CONFIG_SCSI_DEBUG_QUEUES=y
# CONFIG_SCSI_MULTI_LUN is not set
CONFIG_SCSI_CONSTANTS=y
# CONFIG_SCSI_LOGGING is not set

#
# SCSI low-level drivers
#
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_3W_XXXX_RAID is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_7000FASST is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_ACARD is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_AHA152X is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_AHA1542 is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_AHA1740 is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_AIC7XXX is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_AIC79XX is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_AIC7XXX_OLD is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_DPT_I2O is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_ADVANSYS is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_IN2000 is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_AM53C974 is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_MEGARAID is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_MEGARAID2 is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_BUSLOGIC is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_CPQFCTS is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_DMX3191D is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_DTC3280 is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_EATA is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_EATA_DMA is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_EATA_PIO is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_FUTURE_DOMAIN is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_GDTH is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_GENERIC_NCR5380 is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_IPS is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_INITIO is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_INIA100 is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_PPA is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_IMM is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_NCR53C406A is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_NCR53C7xx is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_SYM53C8XX_2 is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_NCR53C8XX is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_SYM53C8XX is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_PAS16 is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_PCI2000 is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_PCI2220I is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_PSI240I is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_QLOGIC_FAS is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_QLOGIC_ISP is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_QLOGIC_FC is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_QLOGIC_1280 is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_SEAGATE is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_SIM710 is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_SYM53C416 is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_DC390T is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_T128 is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_U14_34F is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_ULTRASTOR is not set
# CONFIG_SCSI_NSP32 is not set

#
# Fusion MPT device support
#
CONFIG_FUSION=y
CONFIG_FUSION_BOOT=y
CONFIG_FUSION_MAX_SGE=40
CONFIG_FUSION_ISENSE=m
# CONFIG_FUSION_CTL is not set
# CONFIG_FUSION_LAN is not set

#
# I2O device support
#
# CONFIG_I2O is not set
# CONFIG_I2O_PCI is not set
# CONFIG_I2O_BLOCK is not set
# CONFIG_I2O_LAN is not set
# CONFIG_I2O_SCSI is not set
# CONFIG_I2O_PROC is not set

#
# Network device support
#
CONFIG_NETDEVICES=y

#
# ARCnet devices
#
# CONFIG_ARCNET is not set
CONFIG_DUMMY=m
# CONFIG_BONDING is not set
# CONFIG_EQUALIZER is not set
# CONFIG_TUN is not set

#
# Ethernet (10 or 100Mbit)
#
# CONFIG_NET_ETHERNET is not set

#
# Ethernet (1000 Mbit)
#
# CONFIG_ACENIC is not set
# CONFIG_DL2K is not set
CONFIG_E1000=y
# CONFIG_E1000_NAPI is not set
# CONFIG_MYRI_SBUS is not set
# CONFIG_NS83820 is not set
# CONFIG_HAMACHI is not set
# CONFIG_YELLOWFIN is not set
# CONFIG_R8169 is not set
# CONFIG_SK98LIN is not set
# CONFIG_TIGON3 is not set
# CONFIG_FDDI is not set
# CONFIG_PLIP is not set
# CONFIG_PPP is not set
# CONFIG_SLIP is not set

#
# Wireless LAN (non-hamradio)
#
# CONFIG_NET_RADIO is not set

#
# Token Ring devices
#
# CONFIG_TR is not set
# CONFIG_NET_FC is not set

#
# Wan interfaces
#
# CONFIG_WAN is not set

#
# Amateur Radio support
#
# CONFIG_HAMRADIO is not set

#
# IrDA (infrared) support
#
# CONFIG_IRDA is not set

#
# ISDN subsystem
#
# CONFIG_ISDN is not set

#
# Input core support
#
CONFIG_INPUT=y
# CONFIG_INPUT_KEYBDEV is not set
CONFIG_INPUT_MOUSEDEV=y
CONFIG_INPUT_MOUSEDEV_SCREEN_X=1024
CONFIG_INPUT_MOUSEDEV_SCREEN_Y=768
# CONFIG_INPUT_JOYDEV is not set
# CONFIG_INPUT_EVDEV is not set

#
# Character devices
#
CONFIG_VT=y
CONFIG_VT_CONSOLE=y
CONFIG_SERIAL=y
# CONFIG_SERIAL_CONSOLE is not set
# CONFIG_SERIAL_EXTENDED is not set
# CONFIG_SERIAL_NONSTANDARD is not set
# CONFIG_UNIX98_PTYS is not set
CONFIG_PRINTER=m
# CONFIG_LP_CONSOLE is not set
# CONFIG_PPDEV is not set
# CONFIG_TIPAR is not set

#
# I2C support
#
# CONFIG_I2C is not set

#
# Mice
#
# CONFIG_BUSMOUSE is not set
CONFIG_MOUSE=y
CONFIG_PSMOUSE=y
# CONFIG_82C710_MOUSE is not set
# CONFIG_PC110_PAD is not set
# CONFIG_MK712_MOUSE is not set

#
# Joysticks
#
# CONFIG_INPUT_GAMEPORT is not set
# CONFIG_INPUT_NS558 is not set
# CONFIG_INPUT_LIGHTNING is not set
# CONFIG_INPUT_PCIGAME is not set
# CONFIG_INPUT_CS461X is not set
# CONFIG_INPUT_EMU10K1 is not set
# CONFIG_INPUT_SERIO is not set
# CONFIG_INPUT_SERPORT is not set
# CONFIG_INPUT_ANALOG is not set
# CONFIG_INPUT_A3D is not set
# CONFIG_INPUT_ADI is not set
# CONFIG_INPUT_COBRA is not set
# CONFIG_INPUT_GF2K is not set
# CONFIG_INPUT_GRIP is not set
# CONFIG_INPUT_INTERACT is not set
# CONFIG_INPUT_TMDC is not set
# CONFIG_INPUT_SIDEWINDER is not set
# CONFIG_INPUT_IFORCE_USB is not set
# CONFIG_INPUT_IFORCE_232 is not set
# CONFIG_INPUT_WARRIOR is not set
# CONFIG_INPUT_MAGELLAN is not set
# CONFIG_INPUT_SPACEORB is not set
# CONFIG_INPUT_SPACEBALL is not set
# CONFIG_INPUT_STINGER is not set
# CONFIG_INPUT_DB9 is not set
# CONFIG_INPUT_GAMECON is not set
# CONFIG_INPUT_TURBOGRAFX is not set
# CONFIG_QIC02_TAPE is not set
# CONFIG_IPMI_HANDLER is not set
# CONFIG_IPMI_PANIC_EVENT is not set
# CONFIG_IPMI_DEVICE_INTERFACE is not set
# CONFIG_IPMI_KCS is not set
# CONFIG_IPMI_WATCHDOG is not set

#
# Watchdog Cards
#
# CONFIG_WATCHDOG is not set
# CONFIG_SCx200_GPIO is not set
# CONFIG_AMD_RNG is not set
# CONFIG_INTEL_RNG is not set
# CONFIG_HW_RANDOM is not set
# CONFIG_AMD_PM768 is not set
# CONFIG_NVRAM is not set
# CONFIG_RTC is not set
# CONFIG_DTLK is not set
# CONFIG_R3964 is not set
# CONFIG_APPLICOM is not set

#
# Ftape, the floppy tape device driver
#
# CONFIG_FTAPE is not set
CONFIG_AGP=y
# CONFIG_AGP_INTEL is not set
# CONFIG_AGP_I810 is not set
# CONFIG_AGP_VIA is not set
# CONFIG_AGP_AMD is not set
# CONFIG_AGP_AMD_K8 is not set
# CONFIG_AGP_SIS is not set
# CONFIG_AGP_ALI is not set
CONFIG_AGP_SWORKS=y
# CONFIG_AGP_NVIDIA is not set
# CONFIG_AGP_ATI is not set

#
# Direct Rendering Manager (XFree86 DRI support)
#
# CONFIG_DRM is not set
# CONFIG_MWAVE is not set

#
# Multimedia devices
#
# CONFIG_VIDEO_DEV is not set

#
# File systems
#
# CONFIG_QUOTA is not set
# CONFIG_QFMT_V2 is not set
# CONFIG_AUTOFS_FS is not set
# CONFIG_AUTOFS4_FS is not set
# CONFIG_REISERFS_FS is not set
# CONFIG_REISERFS_CHECK is not set
# CONFIG_REISERFS_PROC_INFO is not set
# CONFIG_ADFS_FS is not set
# CONFIG_ADFS_FS_RW is not set
# CONFIG_AFFS_FS is not set
# CONFIG_HFS_FS is not set
# CONFIG_HFSPLUS_FS is not set
# CONFIG_BEFS_FS is not set
# CONFIG_BEFS_DEBUG is not set
# CONFIG_BFS_FS is not set
CONFIG_EXT3_FS=y
CONFIG_JBD=y
# CONFIG_JBD_DEBUG is not set
CONFIG_FAT_FS=m
CONFIG_MSDOS_FS=m
# CONFIG_UMSDOS_FS is not set
CONFIG_VFAT_FS=m
# CONFIG_EFS_FS is not set
# CONFIG_JFFS_FS is not set
# CONFIG_JFFS2_FS is not set
# CONFIG_CRAMFS is not set
# CONFIG_TMPFS is not set
CONFIG_RAMFS=y
CONFIG_ISO9660_FS=m
CONFIG_JOLIET=y
# CONFIG_ZISOFS is not set
# CONFIG_JFS_FS is not set
# CONFIG_JFS_DEBUG is not set
# CONFIG_JFS_STATISTICS is not set
# CONFIG_MINIX_FS is not set
# CONFIG_VXFS_FS is not set
CONFIG_NTFS_FS=m
# CONFIG_NTFS_RW is not set
# CONFIG_HPFS_FS is not set
CONFIG_PROC_FS=y
# CONFIG_DEVFS_FS is not set
# CONFIG_DEVFS_MOUNT is not set
# CONFIG_DEVFS_DEBUG is not set
# CONFIG_DEVPTS_FS is not set
# CONFIG_QNX4FS_FS is not set
# CONFIG_QNX4FS_RW is not set
# CONFIG_ROMFS_FS is not set
CONFIG_EXT2_FS=y
# CONFIG_SYSV_FS is not set
CONFIG_UDF_FS=m
# CONFIG_UDF_RW is not set
# CONFIG_UFS_FS is not set
# CONFIG_UFS_FS_WRITE is not set

#
# Network File Systems
#
# CONFIG_CODA_FS is not set
# CONFIG_INTERMEZZO_FS is not set
# CONFIG_NFS_FS is not set
# CONFIG_NFS_V3 is not set
# CONFIG_NFS_DIRECTIO is not set
# CONFIG_ROOT_NFS is not set
# CONFIG_NFSD is not set
# CONFIG_NFSD_V3 is not set
# CONFIG_NFSD_TCP is not set
# CONFIG_SUNRPC is not set
# CONFIG_LOCKD is not set
# CONFIG_SMB_FS is not set
# CONFIG_NCP_FS is not set
# CONFIG_NCPFS_PACKET_SIGNING is not set
# CONFIG_NCPFS_IOCTL_LOCKING is not set
# CONFIG_NCPFS_STRONG is not set
# CONFIG_NCPFS_NFS_NS is not set
# CONFIG_NCPFS_OS2_NS is not set
# CONFIG_NCPFS_SMALLDOS is not set
# CONFIG_NCPFS_NLS is not set
# CONFIG_NCPFS_EXTRAS is not set
# CONFIG_ZISOFS_FS is not set

#
# Partition Types
#
CONFIG_PARTITION_ADVANCED=y
# CONFIG_ACORN_PARTITION is not set
# CONFIG_OSF_PARTITION is not set
# CONFIG_AMIGA_PARTITION is not set
# CONFIG_ATARI_PARTITION is not set
# CONFIG_MAC_PARTITION is not set
# CONFIG_MSDOS_PARTITION is not set
# CONFIG_LDM_PARTITION is not set
# CONFIG_SGI_PARTITION is not set
# CONFIG_ULTRIX_PARTITION is not set
# CONFIG_SUN_PARTITION is not set
# CONFIG_EFI_PARTITION is not set
# CONFIG_SMB_NLS is not set
CONFIG_NLS=y

#
# Native Language Support
#
CONFIG_NLS_DEFAULT="iso8859-1"
CONFIG_NLS_CODEPAGE_437=m
# CONFIG_NLS_CODEPAGE_737 is not set
# CONFIG_NLS_CODEPAGE_775 is not set
# CONFIG_NLS_CODEPAGE_850 is not set
# CONFIG_NLS_CODEPAGE_852 is not set
# CONFIG_NLS_CODEPAGE_855 is not set
# CONFIG_NLS_CODEPAGE_857 is not set
# CONFIG_NLS_CODEPAGE_860 is not set
# CONFIG_NLS_CODEPAGE_861 is not set
# CONFIG_NLS_CODEPAGE_862 is not set
# CONFIG_NLS_CODEPAGE_863 is not set
# CONFIG_NLS_CODEPAGE_864 is not set
# CONFIG_NLS_CODEPAGE_865 is not set
# CONFIG_NLS_CODEPAGE_866 is not set
# CONFIG_NLS_CODEPAGE_869 is not set
# CONFIG_NLS_CODEPAGE_936 is not set
# CONFIG_NLS_CODEPAGE_950 is not set
# CONFIG_NLS_CODEPAGE_932 is not set
# CONFIG_NLS_CODEPAGE_949 is not set
# CONFIG_NLS_CODEPAGE_874 is not set
# CONFIG_NLS_ISO8859_8 is not set
# CONFIG_NLS_CODEPAGE_1250 is not set
# CONFIG_NLS_CODEPAGE_1251 is not set
CONFIG_NLS_ISO8859_1=m
# CONFIG_NLS_ISO8859_2 is not set
# CONFIG_NLS_ISO8859_3 is not set
# CONFIG_NLS_ISO8859_4 is not set
# CONFIG_NLS_ISO8859_5 is not set
# CONFIG_NLS_ISO8859_6 is not set
# CONFIG_NLS_ISO8859_7 is not set
# CONFIG_NLS_ISO8859_9 is not set
# CONFIG_NLS_ISO8859_13 is not set
# CONFIG_NLS_ISO8859_14 is not set
# CONFIG_NLS_ISO8859_15 is not set
# CONFIG_NLS_KOI8_R is not set
# CONFIG_NLS_KOI8_U is not set
CONFIG_NLS_UTF8=m

#
# Console drivers
#
CONFIG_VGA_CONSOLE=y
CONFIG_VIDEO_SELECT=y

#
# Sound
#
# CONFIG_SOUND is not set

#
# USB support
#
CONFIG_USB=m
# CONFIG_USB_DEBUG is not set
CONFIG_USB_DEVICEFS=y
# CONFIG_USB_BANDWIDTH is not set
# CONFIG_USB_EHCI_HCD is not set
# CONFIG_USB_UHCI is not set
CONFIG_USB_UHCI_ALT=m
CONFIG_USB_OHCI=m
# CONFIG_USB_SL811HS_ALT is not set
# CONFIG_USB_SL811HS is not set
# CONFIG_USB_AUDIO is not set
# CONFIG_USB_EMI26 is not set
# CONFIG_USB_MIDI is not set
CONFIG_USB_STORAGE=m
# CONFIG_USB_STORAGE_DEBUG is not set
# CONFIG_USB_STORAGE_DATAFAB is not set
# CONFIG_USB_STORAGE_FREECOM is not set
# CONFIG_USB_STORAGE_ISD200 is not set
# CONFIG_USB_STORAGE_DPCM is not set
# CONFIG_USB_STORAGE_HP8200e is not set
# CONFIG_USB_STORAGE_SDDR09 is not set
# CONFIG_USB_STORAGE_SDDR55 is not set
# CONFIG_USB_STORAGE_JUMPSHOT is not set
# CONFIG_USB_ACM is not set
CONFIG_USB_PRINTER=m
CONFIG_USB_HID=m
# CONFIG_USB_HIDINPUT is not set
# CONFIG_USB_HIDDEV is not set
# CONFIG_USB_KBD is not set
# CONFIG_USB_MOUSE is not set
# CONFIG_USB_AIPTEK is not set
# CONFIG_USB_WACOM is not set
# CONFIG_USB_KBTAB is not set
# CONFIG_USB_POWERMATE is not set
# CONFIG_USB_DC2XX is not set
# CONFIG_USB_MDC800 is not set
CONFIG_USB_SCANNER=m
# CONFIG_USB_MICROTEK is not set
# CONFIG_USB_HPUSBSCSI is not set
# CONFIG_USB_PEGASUS is not set
# CONFIG_USB_RTL8150 is not set
# CONFIG_USB_KAWETH is not set
# CONFIG_USB_CATC is not set
# CONFIG_USB_AX8817X is not set
# CONFIG_USB_CDCETHER is not set
# CONFIG_USB_USBNET is not set
# CONFIG_USB_USS720 is not set

#
# USB Serial Converter support
#
# CONFIG_USB_SERIAL is not set
# CONFIG_USB_RIO500 is not set
# CONFIG_USB_AUERSWALD is not set
# CONFIG_USB_TIGL is not set
# CONFIG_USB_BRLVGER is not set
# CONFIG_USB_LCD is not set

#
# Support for USB gadgets
#
# CONFIG_USB_GADGET is not set

#
# Bluetooth support
#
# CONFIG_BLUEZ is not set

#
# Kernel hacking
#
# CONFIG_DEBUG_KERNEL is not set
CONFIG_LOG_BUF_SHIFT=15

#
# Cryptographic options
#
# CONFIG_CRYPTO is not set

#
# Library routines
#
# CONFIG_CRC32 is not set
# CONFIG_ZLIB_INFLATE is not set
# CONFIG_ZLIB_DEFLATE is not set

My problem isn't enabling High Memory support, or enabling support for my dual processors. The problem is that when I make the new configuration (2.4.24), compile, and start it... the system craps out right after getting to LILO.

I'm trying to keep a somewhat optimized kernel here. I really don't want to enable everything under the sun (like the old kernel - everything except my dual processors and 2GB of RAM, that is).

Okay, then, can you answer the question that trickykid asked you in Post #2?

What steps are you taking to compile the kernel? Specifically. If you don't remember, look at your bash history in your user directory by doing ->
$ pico .bash_history

It's going to be hard to help you when we have to guess at what method you used to compile your kernel, and what you mean by "the system craps out right after getting to LILO." There should be some error at that point, and the specific error message tells you what happened.

I *did* answered that. I followed the exact steps for slackware recompiled that's sticked the LQ forums. No guessing - the steps are followed to the letter.

I know how to enable the high mem support and CPU support in menuconfig. The problem is that after going through all the steps, the config, make *, etc,. and boot, I end up simply getting a "glowing blank screen". Nothing on it at all - and then eventually the Scaps Lock and Scroll Lock key turn on.

what if you compile a kernel with *exactly* the same settings that you already have? Make sure you change the name of the kernel so you don't overwrite the existing one. If this still does not work, you are doing something wrong during the compile and install process.

If you can a get a kernel with the original configuration to work, try with *only* high-mem support enabled and see if it works.

Etc. with every option you want to change. This will help pinpoint where the problem is occurring.

The reason you are asked the question is because there is more than one compile guide in these forums. There is one in the Slackware forum that has an important step left out at the beginning. If you follow that one "to the letter," when you finish you will be rebooting your original kernel. I would suggest following this guide posted by DrOzz. It works, and though I haven't tried the 2.6.x kernel, he seems to have update his guide to cover the steps that are now different.

just a suggestion...
 

I'm really not too clued in to the whole kernel issue and I'm struggling to compile my own kernel on a Dell Inspiron 4000 but I'll say this since I'm dealing with the same blank screen:
If you're using runlevel 3 you might be able to actually login (even though you can't see anything) and startx to get to your GUI. I can do this. Once the window manager starts the display is on. However, I'm not getting any pcmcia support at all from the 2.6.0, 2.6.1, or LQ kernels.
Maybe this will help. Adjust your console configuration and framebuffers when you recompile and you can probably get a display at boot.