Guys, As a follow up, the post to kernel.org did not elicit any response. The folks at dm-devel suggested it may be a grub bug. So that leave me with two more avenues to try (1) the grub list, and (2) lilo test. I have also kept a running summary of the problem and input from the various lists and I've made it available here: http://www.3111skyline.com/dl/Archlinux/bugs/dmraid/dmraid-boot-fail-summary... I'll continue to add to it to capture relevant info concerning the history of this problem. The theory that the boot failure is a result of where initramfs gets placed on the disk doesn't seem like it is the issue. It's not ruled out, but I've created multiple initramfs images, installed the kernels in multiple different orders and the boot failures don't change. 2.6.35.8 & 2.6.36-3 fail, but booting 2.6.35.7, LTS, SuSE, etc. work just fine. I'll update the post with additional info as it becomes available (hopefully a solution). If anyone else has a stroke of genius, please let me know. Thanks. -- David C. Rankin, J.D.,P.E. Rankin Law Firm, PLLC 510 Ochiltree Street Nacogdoches, Texas 75961 Telephone: (936) 715-9333 Facsimile: (936) 715-9339 www.rankinlawfirm.com