GDM fonts too small. How do I change this?

Hi all, Two question: 1. I have Suse 9.0 and I am using the gdm login manager. The problem I have is the fonts in the login box and the log-off menu font are small. Does anyone know the fix for this? 2. Suse 9.0 will not run on my laptop, it is IBM Thinkpad 390x --kernel panic error on the splash screen "serial driver version 5.05c (2001-07-08)....divide error...." I have to used the fail-safe and it boot ok. What is the different between the regular boot up kernel and the failsafe kernel beside the kernel options listed? Thanks in advance for your help. MichaelT