binutils 2.11.90.0.1 unable to compile correctly linux kernel modules

[V-man]

HI,
i was trying to compile the new kernel modules for nvidia video cards
using binutils 2.11.90.0.1
and gcc 2.95.2 on a linux 2.4.2 system with glibc 2.2.2.
The card was continously hanging.
when i compiled the kernel module again with bintutils 2.10.1.0.4 all worked 
correctly.

So i went further and rebuilt full kernel modules
with the new binutils, and i noticed that most  of the kernel modules 
simply hanged my system with kernel oops

just for example i got

Mar 15 00:38:34 DarkStar kernel: Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer 
dereference at virtual address 00000000
Mar 15 00:38:34 DarkStar kernel:  printing eip:
Mar 15 00:38:34 DarkStar kernel: d0c23ce8
Mar 15 00:38:34 DarkStar kernel: *pde = 00000000
Mar 15 00:38:34 DarkStar kernel: Oops: 0000
Mar 15 00:38:34 DarkStar kernel: CPU:    0
Mar 15 00:38:34 DarkStar kernel: EIP:    
0010:[ne2k-pci:__insmod_ne2k-pci_O/lib/modules/2.4.2/kernel/drivers/net/ne+-611096/96]
Mar 15 00:38:34 DarkStar kernel: EFLAGS: 00013056
Mar 15 00:38:34 DarkStar kernel: eax: 00000000   ebx: 00000000   ecx: 00000000
 edx: cb717f24
Mar 15 00:38:34 DarkStar kernel: esi: 00000010   edi: 00000000   ebp: ca243bec
 esp: ca243bd8
Mar 15 00:38:34 DarkStar kernel: ds: 0018   es: 0018   ss: 0018
Mar 15 00:38:34 DarkStar kernel: Process X (pid: 468, stackpage=ca243000)
Mar 15 00:38:34 DarkStar kernel: Stack: 00000000 00000010 d5cf9004 00008000 
00000000 ca243c14 d0c2408b d5cf9004
Mar 15 00:38:35 DarkStar kernel:        00000010 ca243c0c ffffffff d0c9d1c0 
cb717440 00003286 cb717f24 ca243c40
Mar 15 00:38:35 DarkStar kernel:        d0c1c140 d5cf9004 ca243e74 00000010 
00000041 ca243cb0 00000002 00002100
Mar 15 00:38:35 DarkStar kernel: Call Trace: [<d5cf9004>] 
[ne2k-pci:__insmod_ne2k-pci_O/lib/modules/2.4.2/kernel/drivers/net/ne+-610165/96]
 [<d5cf9004>] 
[ne2k-pci:__insmod_ne2k-pci_O/lib/modules/2.4.2/kernel/drivers/net/ne+-114240/96]
 
[ne2k-pci:__insmod_ne2k-pci_O/lib/modules/2.4.2/kernel/drivers/net/ne+-642752/96]
 [<d5cf9004>] 
[ne2k-pci:__insmod_ne2k-pci_O/lib/modules/2.4.2/kernel/drivers/net/ne+-114400/96]
Mar 15 00:38:35 DarkStar kernel:        
[ne2k-pci:__insmod_ne2k-pci_O/lib/modules/2.4.2/kernel/drivers/net/ne+-625509/96]
 [<d5cf9004>] 
[ne2k-pci:__insmod_ne2k-pci_O/lib/modules/2.4.2/kernel/drivers/net/ne+-626096/96]
 [<d5cf9004>] [<d5cf9004>] 
[ne2k-pci:__insmod_ne2k-pci_O/lib/modules/2.4.2/kernel/drivers/net/ne+-637180/96]
 [<d5cf9004>] 
[ne2k-pci:__insmod_ne2k-pci_O/lib/modules/2.4.2/kernel/drivers/net/ne+-524207/96]
Mar 15 00:38:35 DarkStar kernel:        [<d5cf9004>] 
[ne2k-pci:__insmod_ne2k-pci_O/lib/modules/2.4.2/kernel/drivers/net/ne+-520781/96]
 [<d5cf9004>] 
[ne2k-pci:__insmod_ne2k-pci_O/lib/modules/2.4.2/kernel/drivers/net/ne+-520753/96]
 [<d5cf9004>] [<d5cf9004>] [<d5cf9004>] [<d5009004>]
Mar 15 00:38:35 DarkStar kernel:        
[ne2k-pci:__insmod_ne2k-pci_O/lib/modules/2.4.2/kernel/drivers/net/ne+-519303/96]
 [<d5cf9004>] [<e0000000>] 
[ne2k-pci:__insmod_ne2k-pci_O/lib/modules/2.4.2/kernel/drivers/net/ne+-581867/96]
 [<d5cf9004>] 
[ne2k-pci:__insmod_ne2k-pci_O/lib/modules/2.4.2/kernel/drivers/net/ne+-478698/96]
 [<d5cf92bc>] [<d5cfe094>]
Mar 15 00:38:35 DarkStar kernel:        
[ne2k-pci:__insmod_ne2k-pci_O/lib/modules/2.4.2/kernel/drivers/net/ne+-471332/96]
 [<d5cf9004>] [<d5cf92bc>] 
[ne2k-pci:__insmod_ne2k-pci_O/lib/modules/2.4.2/kernel/drivers/net/ne+-473658/96]
 [<d5cf9004>] [<d5cf92bc>] [<d5cf9468>] [<d5cf9004>]
Mar 15 00:38:35 DarkStar kernel:        
[ne2k-pci:__insmod_ne2k-pci_O/lib/modules/2.4.2/kernel/drivers/net/ne+-381672/96]
 [<d5cf9004>] [<d5cf9004>] [process_timeout+0/72] [do_page_fault+0/1036] 
[do_con_write+898/1584] [__alloc_pages+219/720] [__alloc_pages+219/720]
Mar 15 00:38:35 DarkStar kernel:        [<ddd3e040>] [<ddd3e004>] 
[ne2k-pci:__insmod_ne2k-pci_O/lib/modules/2.4.2/kernel/drivers/net/ne+-114240/96]
 
[ne2k-pci:__insmod_ne2k-pci_O/lib/modules/2.4.2/kernel/drivers/net/ne+-649175/96]
 
[ne2k-pci:__insmod_ne2k-pci_O/lib/modules/2.4.2/kernel/drivers/net/ne+-114240/96]
 [<ddd3e004>] 
[ne2k-pci:__insmod_ne2k-pci_O/lib/modules/2.4.2/kernel/drivers/net/ne+-648230/96]
 
[ne2k-pci:__insmod_ne2k-pci_O/lib/modules/2.4.2/kernel/drivers/net/ne+-114240/96]

that happened with aic7xxx module, NVdriver (third part) module, ne2k module
and so on.
somehow new binutils are misscompiling the code.

thanx for your time

Luigi Genoni
Unix System Manager Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa