Help Please! Can Install, but not boot Linux...

[canyonwlf7]

I apologise if you are not allowed to post in more than one category,
I have used Linux for many years, since 1997. I have converted a friend of mine to Linux awhile back. He just upgraded his computer and wants me to install Linux again for him. He has a brand new computer but still has his old hard drive along with a brand new Maxtor hard drive. In Windows the old hard drive is configured as the "F" drive. It looks like the old hard drive is an IDE type, it has a grey flat ribbon cable attatching it to the motherboard (915g Combo) The new hard drive, where he has his latest install of XP and all of his wifes files is a different type of drive, it has an orange cable attatched to it, I think it says Serial ATA and it is connected to the motherboard also. there is also a connector of some type with red,black and yellow wires connecting the two hard drives together. Is this a Raid? When I go into the Bios there is an option for boot sequence, besides the floppy and two cd drives of, HDD: Pm-Maxtor and Raid: WDC. I have managed to install both Suse 9.1 and Mandrake 2005 Le, the install goes flawlessly, but when I try to boot into the install, (Windows boots by the way), I get the following error message: Kernel Panic, not syncing: attempting to kill init
Can someone please help me?? I've tried messing around with the Bios settings, but not sure what the problem is............

[a thing]

Post at least 10 lines before the kernel panic. Kernel panics can be caused by many things.

[canyonwlf7]

call trace: pcibios_sort
pcibios_init
init
init
kernel_thread_helper

Code: 2e 8a 83 96 04 00 00 66 5b 8a d8
kernel panic: attempted to kill init:

I'm not sure if this is a Sata Maxtor hard drive problem, or a grub problem or a 915g MSI motherboard problem.