Hm... Just checking... Did you compile and install the modules?
(make modules ; make install_modules)
[ see the message that Nicholas sent you ]
> By the way, stupid question also, does anyone know where/if they log the
> boot up messages such as these in linux?
All the system logs are usually in /var/log and the messages about kernel
modules can probably be found in the file kern.log
> And then of course, there one other problem which I guess I could fix if i
> had networking going (just install new RPM's)
Did you keep the old kernel as backup? Booting up to your previous kernel
should restore your network capabilities. Check in /boot to see what
vmlinuz files are available, then if you're familiar with lilo, you can
setup a boot option to use a previous kernel. (Usually there's one named
vmlinuz.old, or it's linked to your previous kernel.) If you're not
familiar with lilo, an educational trip through the man pages and info
pages is in order.
> Does anyone know what this whole xdm/sessionmanage/GNOME thing could be or
> how to fix it?
It might be a complicated bug hunt... you may want to start with the xdm
and xsession config files in /etc/X11, then trace the script steps until
you isolate the problem. GNOME is very beta by nature at this moment, and
playing with it usually entails quite a bit of tinkering.
> I am so fed up with Redhat right now, there stuff just keeps
> breaking...and yes, I do know they are set to announce 6.0 on monday, and
> it will have a new kernel, KDE, and GNOME. But it'll probably break
> somehow....I so want to switch to Debian at the moment, in my opinion they
> have better integrity and a better rep for stability.
Redhat does hide some of the "ugly" stuff from you, and as a result,
sometimes some problems will be harder to isolate -- one of the prices for
ease of use, I guess.
Setting up a Debian system (especially a cutting edge one) would likely
require you to learn more about your system and as a result of you
becoming a better admin, your system may also run better. :)
Personally, I run Debian and am very happy with it (and have enjoyed
countless hours tinkering and messing around with it...).
-- # Ken Lai <min-ken.lai@yale.edu> also at ken.lai@WriteMe.com # http://pantheon.yale.edu/~ml267/ ICQ# 5845632