Folks....the X-Window system is working.  I feel like a total idiot and
looser because I had my head up my butt.  I still have some issues, but we
have things working WELL ENOUGH....

I cannot get the intel driver to work because it consistently messes up 
the agpgart
module....rendering the X system inop.  However, the vesa generic driver 
works
fine....we will just avoid using OpenGL, heavy-duty graphics intensive 
stuff until
proper drivers are available...but I have a GREAT, sharp image now at my 
desired
resolution...no flicker...fast enough graphics for the job we need done now.

We look forward to newer versions of Scientifi Linux Fermi down the road 
which WILL
catch up to the new hardware...the newest issue being that the sound 
doesn't work..but
I'll get to that and that's much less severe.

SpeedStep is back on in the BIOS....and what the heck was the problem 
the WHOLE TIME?
I turned off acpi, as suggested.  The PROBLEM was, when I put the 
boot-option in before,
I used the wrong flag...I said acpi=no instead of acpi=off.  So acpi was 
ON because the
"no" flag doesn't work.  Geez....three days of dickering for nothing.

Anyway, thanks a lot for a WONDERFUL community...Donna will be happy working
with her new system at Fermilab....and the transition to Linux...

Thanks again..

Bob Boehm
-- 

Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur.

(Whatever is said in Latin sounds profound.)