2.6.0-test2 kernel freezes upon booting

[Robert P. J. Day]

  in my ongoing quest to still live dangerously, i downloaded,
configured and built the new 2.6.0-test2 kernel from ftp.kernel.org,
and very unpleasant things are happening.  (seems to have been a
sizable step up from test1 to test2).

  booting under a new 2.6.0-test2 kernel prints a pile of kernel
messages, up to:
--------------

  ide: Assuming 33MHz system bus speed for PIO modes, override with \
	idebus=xx
  ide-floppy driver 0.99.newide
  hda: 8032MB, CHS=1024/255/63
  hda: 
         [total lockup here, with disk activity light on solid]

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

  in the first place, it's not an 8G disk, it's 48G, and that's obviously
totally bogus geometry, but this has never caused a problem before.

  i did check the system bus, it's 66MHz, so i rebooted with (just to play
it safe):  ... acpi=off idebus=66

  same problem.  i'm open to advice.  it seems 2.6.0-test2 is fairly
confused by the hard drive, but i'm open to suggestions.

rday