On Tue, 2011-08-02 at 13:38 -0400, Bluejay Adametz wrote:
> Thank you for the suggestions...
> 
> > I'm running kernel version 2.6.32-131.6.1.el6.x86_64 under SL6.0. Apparently, it's the latest version available if the sytem is current with all updates. It's been very stable so far.
> 
> I have it running on a couple other machines now too, with no issues.
> It would seem to be something peculiar to this Dell GX280 (I know ...
> don't laugh :)).
> 
> > As for you're situation, you can boot into your good configuration and check to see if your /boot/grub/menu.lst kernel options are the same for both kernels. It may be that something was incorrectly configured during the upgrade.
> 
> Options are the same for all kernels.
> 
> >You can also try booting the live-cd with various options if you want to do it that way instead. Try adding "noapic nolapic noacpi" (without quotes) and see if it boots.
> 
> None of those options changed anything. I also played around with the
> rdbreak option to see if I could tell how far it's getting. With
> =cmdline, =pre-udev, and =pre-trigger I make it to a command line.
> Trying to get any further, with =initqueue, =pre-mount, =mount, or
> =pre-pivot, I end up with a reset.
> 
> Just for the heck of it, I also tried 2.6.32-131.0.15.el6.i686, with
> the same (reset) result, as does the debug version of
> 2.6.32-131.6.1.el6.i686.
> 
> I tried blacklisting my video driver and CDROM drivers (since that's
> the last thing I can see being detected), also to no avail.
> 
>                                                         - Bluejay Adametz

Ok this may be a shot in the dark but, I remember using Ubuntu
10.04(2.6.32) on a Dell Optiplex and had an odd issue like this but not
exactly and the fix was to specify 1GB of ram in the kernel boot
parameters like this:
mem=1G 

Now if you have more than 1GB then you will obviously lose it, but it is
a start _IF_ it works. Like I said similar but not exact.

Best of luck!

/Dan