Ok to delete old kernels in /boot and /usr/src?
 

Hi, I'm a semi-noob (i think). Anyway, yesterday I endured the horror that is the gentoo linux stage1 installation (12 hours!). Everything went reasonably well, I'm proud to say, except for the kernel. I've actually configured a kernel all on my own once, but it was a 2.4. This time I opted for a 2.6, and I think I got everything right, except for the networking. So now I need to go back and change around the settings in the .config and recompile -- but once I do this, can I delete the old kernel whose nic driver didn't work? My /boot partition is 32megs, so I don't know how many kernels that will hold, and I dont have any use for a kernel without networking, anyway. Is it safe to delete old, unused kernels and kernel sources from /usr/src and /boot?

Oh, and would it be a better idea to go ahead and compile all the possible nic drivers (there are something like 4 or 5 tulip modules in 2.6) as modules, or should I just try each one so keep the kernel nice and monolithic? Any help would be appreciated.

yes if you feel that the newly installed kernel is stable and working properly and you
if you are positive that you won't need to fall back on the old kernel then go
right ahead and delete it ...
i know i personally wait a few months, just to make sure i have a good working one
but thats just me ... as long as you know the new one is fine, then there is no worrys
in deleting the old one ...
one of the main reasons of keeping the older working kernel, is just to fall back on
in case you run into problems with the new one ..

either way makes no difference .... believe me, this probably won't be the only time
you will ever compile a kernel, so maybe once you figure out which one you need
then the next time you compile then that can be the one you only select ...
unless you go through them all one by one, or just compile them all and find which
one it is that way .... if you don't mind compiling a few times, then go trial and error
until you find the proper one... if that is what you have to resort to, to find it ...