recent kernel probs

[George Gensure <werkt@csh.rit.edu>]

I've been keeping busy trying to keep a working kernel for a set of lab 
machines (indy r5ks) running linux, and as of a couple of days ago, I 
haven't been able to build a kernel that does not simply blank the 
screen and draw a non-blinking cursor where the mouse had been in the 
prom.  I can boot from the stock vmlinux-2.4.3.ecoff kernel, and i can 
write that kernel to the volume header to boot locally.  However, when I 
try to rebuild and boot a later kernel, with the X-ish support that I 
need, it errors as above.  It feels as if I've done something to the 
system to deserve this kind of punishment.  Can anyone help?
Thanks
George
werkt@csh.rit.edu