Hi Im trying to compile the kernel...... After I compile the kernel. I get a boot error.
Well this is what I did tell me what im doing wrong to get an FS unable to mount FS on 3:40 something...
K I downloaded linux-2.4.17.tar.gz
then I untar it
went in the dir
and then
make mrproper
make xconfig
make dep
make bzImage
make modules
make modules_install

now all I do now is copy the bzImage to the boot folder and change the grub file

"title Red Hat Linux (2.4.17)
root (hd1,0)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.17 ro root=/dev/hdb2 hdc=ide-scsi
initrd /initrd-2.4.17.img"
Reboot and then I get the unable to mount FS kernel panic?

There are a couple of minor differences between your steps and the ones that I use. The one that is probably the killer here is after the make modules_install do a make install. This actually copies the image to the /boot dir.

After make dep I also do a make clean just because I am a paranoid developer.
Before make bzImage I add a unique label in the Makefile.

Also you do not need the initrd line in the grub.conf. It doesn't hurt but I have been leaving it out and everything works fine.

So if I just take out that one line in the grub file it might fix this?
"initrd /initrd-2.4.17.img"

or do you think I should re do it again from strach?

I think the problem lies in the make insttall part. You could go back and just do the make install then try it agan but it may require a full build.

Just wanted to thank everyone that tried to help me. I figure it out. I got
my SOND WORKING and also go the latest and greatest Kernel. IT turns
out that for some reason that my system or AMD or some other kind of reason
that Virtual memory file system support or (former shm fs) was giving me the
kernel panic error. Does anyone know why this doesn't work?