here! this is a excellent book for linux kernel inside out:
http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyT...scription.html
check this out at your nearest book store, if you are a die hard fan of linux/unix kernel and want to get into OS development then you should definitely give this book a read..
whenever i compile and install a new kernel and it gets broken then i
1: delete the corresponding files from /boot/ directory
2: remove its grub entry
3: delete the kernel source directory from /usr/src
and use the old kernel unless i decide to compile another/same kernel again
i hope this information will help you