laptop: my own kernels don't work

[Pollywog <pollywog@shadypond.com>]

I installed Slink on a ThinkPad 560 and all is well, but if I install my
own kernel source in /usr/src/linux and compile it, this kernel will not
work; the machine goes into endless reboots even though I used 'make
bzImage'.  It will boot from floppy and also from hard drive when I use the
kernel built as part of the Debian installation.  I am using kernel 2.0.36
on the laptop.

Any ideas what the problem might be?
I did not use kernel package, I compiled this kernel the old fashioned way.

thanks

--
Andrew