In make menuconfig: device drivers => usb support

From the menuconfig: Device drivers --> USB support --> Support for Host-side USB

Hmm I didn't see the previous reply and repeated the same

So er I have to re-do the kernel compiling again?

Yup, basically you keep redoing it until you get the most minimal .config you can that still fully supports all the hardware you want. It takes a bit of mucking around with menuconfig and recompiling and rebooting, but at the end of the day you end up with a kick ass kernel, you've learnt a lot about what is and isn't in the kernel, and you can re-use that .config for later versions of the 2.6 kernel (so when 2.6.8 comes out you can just copy your .config to the new source tree and compile, you don't have to go through and redo all your settings in menuconfig again).

Then if I'm satisfied with the new kernel, how do I delete the old one?

btw, I still not sure what am I doing other than just upgrading kernel. Which step is building, compiling or re-compiling kernel?

When you are upgrading your kernel you are configuring then building your kernel. When you type 'make clean' you are cleaning it all up ready to configure then build again.

I wouldn't bother deleting your old kernel unless you are really strapped for space (a few megabytes!)

And configuring a kernel gets easier everytime, you just learn to remember what to do, plus you'll be compiling the 2.6.x series in the same way with nearly the same options. (In a later kernel version you may want an extra option or two)

Steve

You mean the old kernel only about few megabytes after the upgrade? Where exactly are the old kernel files located at?

I upgraded from 2.4.22 to 2.6.5 and then to 2.6.7. I have /usr/src/linux pointed to /usr/src/linux-2.6.7. If I ran the nvidia driver before changing the symlink from linux --> /usr/src/linux-2.6.5 to linux --> /usr/src/linux-2.6.7. Does it make it any difference?
I have another question. Since I have three kernel sources:
bash-2.05b# ls
2.4.22.nat.diff linux-2.4.22 linux-2.6.7 xfs-2.4.22
linux linux-2.6.5 rpm
Can I delele /usr/src/linux-2.4.22 and linux-2.6.5 and just keep 2.6.7??? will that mess up anything?? I am running out of space. I got 600 mb left (Damn Windows XP, it's using 75 GB out of my 80 GB drive).

XPediTioN

There is a good guide at kerneltrap.org, the url is http://kerneltrap.org/node/view/799. I had never compiled a kernel before, until 2.6.6 came out and found kerneltraps guide very useful. Try to use "make xconfig" if you have kde/qt installed, I find it easier than the other methods for compiling the kernel.

It's okay to delete them, but you may have to rerun the nvidia installer when you login again into your system. I would suggest renaming your old kernel source folders as backup files just in case you have a problem. I usually do the following for folders or files "mv file(or folder) file.bak (or folder.bak) so that if I have a problem I can revert the system to the way it was before.

forgot the make modules command: here's what I do:

#make menuconfig
#make
#make modules
#make modules_install
#make install
#pico /etc/lilo.conf (Change LILO configuration)
#mv /vmlinuz /boot/vmlinuz-*Kernel version*
#mv /System.map /boot/System.map-*Kernel version*
#lilo

I like to keep my original kernel as /boot/vmlinuz so if I boot from a boot disk, I can load more quickly. Also, remember that /boot/vmlinuz is the same thing as /boot/vmlinuz-ide-2.4.22 unless you removed /boot/vmlinuz.

sigh, messed up both my old and new kernel. Now, both have the graphics display problem when booting from lilo.

Currently, booting from floppy. Tried re-compiling kernel but to no avail. Looks like gotta re-install

btw, whats the difference with booting from floppy and from lilo? Why is it I'm able to boot from floppy with all my devices working? (Kernel 2.4.22)
Floppy is using its own vmlinuz?

What the floppy has on it is the original kernel that you used when you installed Slackware. It loads the kernel into your RAM, so it stays there until you do a system halt. You could try copying your kernel over from the cd or from your floppy after you've booted with the boot disk. What kind of problems are you having with your video? Perhaps it's a framebuffer problem? Did you make any changes to LILO?

How do I copy the kernel over?

Its the typical "no display" after compiling to kernel 2.6.7. But I'm sure I did add the necessary commands to the .config file before building the kernel. Furthermore, it also affects my vmlinuz.old.

It seems really odd that it would affect an old kernel. I'm guessing it overwrote it. I'm guessing that the problem has to do with the framebuffer. Try booting from a disk, disabling framebuffer support, and then reinstall the kernel. Either that, or instead of having your drivers in there as modules, you have them built into the kernel.