VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(0,0)

[Kurt Newman]

Problem:

I created my own custom Linux kernel (2.6.11-8).  I've compiled pretty
much everything that has no reason to leave this box into the kernel
(SATA drivers, fs [ext2 and ext3], etc).  To compile the kernel I
simply,

> cd /usr/src/linux
> make menuconfig (then do my configing)
> make clean bzImage modules
> make modules_install
> make install

make install creates the initrd for me (which always eeems to be one of
the "solutions" to people's problems.. apparently not for me) and even
modifies my grub.conf using grubby.  Yet, when I boot, I continue to get
the output listed in the topic during startup.  At the stage in the
game, the kernel is mounting all the necessary partitions it needs and
grub should long be gone.

I have read through the GNU Grub online manual (twice now.. though I'm
still not really sure how much works), many google searches of proposed
solutions to this problem, looked through RedHat's source rpm spec file
%post tag, and I've still been unable to figure out why this is
occurring.

Since editing my /etc/grub.conf and replacing 'root=LABEL=/' with
'root=/dev/sda7' WORKS.. I'm trying to figure out why using LABEL=/ does
not.

Here's some discovery info I'm providing in case it's needed.

At the grub prompt during boot, pressing 'c':

grub> root
 (hd0,0): Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83

===============

The entry I'm attempting to use:
 root (hd0,0)
 kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.11.8-custom ro root=LABEL=/
 initrf /initrd-2.6.11.8-custom.img

===============

Using the pre-installed kernel that came with this Fedora Core 2 updated
release, then at the console typing, grub --no-floppy (this box doesn't
have a floppy):

grub> root
 (fd0): Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x0

grub.conf:

===============

> cat /boot/grub/grub.conf

#boot=/dev/sda
default=0
timeout=10
splashimage=(hd0,0)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
title Fedora Core (2.6.11.8-custom)
   root (hd0,0)
   kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.11.8-custom ro root=LABEL=/
   initrd /initrd-2.6.11.8-custom.img
title Fedora Core (2.6.5-1.358smp)
   root (hd0,0)
   kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.5-1.358smp ro root=LABEL=/
   initrd /initrd-2.6.5-1.358smp.img
title Fedora Core (2.6.5-1.358)
   root (hd0,0)
   kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.5-1.358 ro root=LABEL=/
   initrd /initrd-2.6.5-1.358.img

===============

> cat /boot/grub/device.map

# this device map was generated by anaconda
(hd0)    /dev/sda

===============

> cat /etc/fstab

LABEL=/        /       ext3 defaults 1 1
LABEL=/boot    /boot   ext3 defaults 1 2
etc...

I've been working on this out for about 1.5 days now.  Could anyone lend
a helpful hand?

Regards,
Kurt