kernel-image-2.6.8-1-686 unable to mount root

[Eddy Jacob <hunt3r@gmail.com>]

Hi everyone,

I'm running debian, sarge. I installed the OS from Knoppix 3.4. I want
to use kernel 2.6.8, but I've got a problem on booting
kernel-image-2.6.8-1-686. I got this:

Kernal panic: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(3,7)

Currently I'm using kernel 2.4.26 default from Knoppix. I also got
similar error when trying kernel-image-2.4.26.-1-686. I really don't
know how to get it working.
I've tried googling the web and searching all debian's list archive,
and found many pages related to that specific error, but the solutions
suggested were to compile the kernel with file system driver compiled
and something about MSDOS partition support built into the kernel not
as module.

But I don't want to compile the kernel. What I don't understand is,
why the package I downloaded from debian sarge, causes that error? Is
it really because of the file system driver not compiled into the
kernel? I thought that packages from sarge should be common enough so
that user can just download them and use it.

Also, the kernel-image downloaded from debian is unable to use the
vesafb (I guess). my vga option in lilo.conf is vga=791, which is
working under knoppix default.

BTW, my lilo.conf is like:

image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.26
        label="Linux"
        initrd=/boot/initrd.img-2.4.26
        append="ramdisk_size=500000 lang=de apm=power-off hda=scsi
hdb=scsi hdc=scsi hdd=scsi hde=scsi hdf=scsi hdg=scsi hdh=scsi nomce"
        read-only

image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.26-1-686
        label="Linux-686"
        vga=extended
        initrd=/boot/initrd.img-2.4.26-1-686
        append="ramdisk_size=500000 lang=de apm=power-off hda=scsi
hdb=scsi hdc=scsi hdd=scsi hde=scsi hdf=scsi hdg=scsi hdh=scsi nomce"
        read-only

image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.8-1-686
        label="Linux-2.6"
        vga=extended
        initrd=/boot/initrd.img-2.6.8-1-686
        append="ramdisk_size=500000 lang=en apm=power-off hda=scsi nomce"
        read-only

I don't have a clue to why all hdx is equal to scsi. and what
apm=power-off means and nomce?

Anyone have a solution to this? I've been trying to find answer to
this for a week. Many thanks.