cannot boot OldLinux

["Steve M. Robbins" <steven.robbins@videotron.ca>]

I have lilo set so that at bootup it shows me a menu with the ability
to boot the most recently installed kernel ("Linux") or the
penultimate kernel ("OldLinux").  I'm virtually certain that this
used to work, but it doesn't at the moment.

I run the stock debian kernel-image packages.  I had
kernel-image-2.4.19-686 (version 2.4.19-4) installed and running fine.
No other kernel images were on the system.  Then I installed
kernel-image-2.4.20-686 (version 2.4.20-2), which boots and runs fine.

If I choose "OldLinux" from the lilo boot menu (/vmlinuz.old is a
symlink to boot/vmlinuz-2.4.19-686), the kernel will load and boot.
However, I then see a whole slew of diagnostics ending with:

  modprobe: modprobe: Can't open dependencies file /lib/modules/2.4.19-686/modules.dep (No such file or directory)
  [... repeated a couple dozen times ...]
  mount: /dev2/root is not a valid block device
  warning: can't open /etc/mtab: No such file or directory
  pivot_root: No such file or directory
  /sbin/init: Cannot open dev/console: no such file
  Kernel panic: Attempted to kill init!

And the machine sits with Caps Lock and Scroll Lock LEDs blinking.

I don't know what to make of the diagnostic about modules.dep: that
file certainly exists and is readable.

I have tried lilo lilo version 1:22.2-3.1 and version 22.3.3-2 with
identical results.  The lilo config is at the end of this message.

I extracted the initrd.img file (it checked okay) using

    cramfsck -v -x /tmp/foo initrd.img-2.4.19-686

and modules.dep is in there and identical to the one on-disk.


In desperation, I booted 2.4.20, changed the /vmlinuz link to point at
boot/vmlinuz-2.4.19-686, removed /vmlinuz.old completely, and reran
lilo.  Next boot came up flawlessly in 2.4.19.


I'm at a loss now: where should I be looking next?

Thanks,
-Steve

----------------- lilo.conf -------------------

boot=/dev/hda
root=/dev/hda3
install=menu
map=/boot/map
vga=normal

# Needed for debian kernel packages
initrd = /initrd.img


# Show me the LILO prompt ...
prompt

# ... but wait no more than this (tenths of second)
timeout = 200


image=/vmlinuz
	label=Linux
	read-only


other=/dev/hda1
        label=Win
        table=/dev/hda


image=/vmlinuz.old
        label=OldLinux
        read-only
	optional

---------------------------------------------------