Grub boot loader
To install grub do
>> apt-get install grub
Then to activate grub on the MBR do
>> grub-install /dev/hdXX #(device where to put the bootloader - generally the / partition if you run mount)
To create the /boot/grub/menu.lst you do
>> update-grub
around the top is the line
default 0
This sets the option that will be run by default (starts at 0 and goes up). Look at the options and see which one will be run - it seems to want to put 2.4 kernels ahead of 2.6 kernels!
You don't have to run grub again, it just works after the reboot.