*** Please upgrade your binutils to 2.9.5.
...

Checking into binutils, it looks like 2.9.5.0.31-3 is installed right now.

Hmm, that should have worked. Are you sure you checked the binutils for cross-compilation rather than the native ones installed on your system? Do 'arm-linux-ld -v'.

I remember having a lot of trouble finding a combination of gcc and binutils that would compile a 2.2.14 arm kernel. gcc 2.91.66 and binutils 2.9.5.0.22 finally did the trick.

Borislav