cannot boot into updated kernal 2.6.24-21 or 2.6.24-22

I am somewhat of an linux noob so I apologize if I'm missing pertinent info in this post and I will try to provide missing info promptly if needed.

I can only boot into the 2.6.24-18 kernal listed upon startup. If I try to boot into an updated version, the startup freezes at the Ubuntu progress bar (before login). I cannot log into recovery mode for the recent versions either.

Looking for help with diagnosing and fixing the problem.

Thanks!

When starting without the splash screen it seems that the system is hanging on this message,

syscall_call+0x7/0xb

I just upgraded to 8.10. Startup is working fine.