>> ... I was able to run the Open Source Software
  >> install program to retweak the right stuff once I
  >> got a new /usr/src tree installed. ...

  Craig> ... Your OSS mods are in /usr/src? The source
  Craig> should be there but I thought the mods for OSS
  Craig> would goto /lib/modules/2.x.xx/ and to /sbin.

Good point. You are probably right. It's a certainty
that I did *not* rebuild a new kernel, because that
would have required a make dep and copying the new
kernel to /boot, rebooting, and all that. The reality
is that whatever actually happens upon running the
oss-install program, which is a GUI-based ELF binary
program, so I can't look inside it, all takes place in
a total of about 15-20 seconds after I press the right
button.

Computer systems are sometimes inhabited by evil
trolls. (Even Linux systems.) I've never yet owned one
that didn't periodically get sick and then heal itself
for no explainable reason, except for maybe my
Commodore 64, which was a very predictable machine.

The bottom line is that I do not have an explanation
for this particular turn of events. All I know is that
I tweaked some kernel-related things, ran oss-install,
and it worked once again. It's human nature to assume
there was some sort of cause and effect relationship.

Until it breaks again (which will probably happen when
Linux 7.3 comes out), I'm closing the books on this
problem.

Thanks to Craig and anyone else who scratched his (or
her) head over my troubles.

I've now got another problem that's easy to explain,
but hard to figure out. I'll post it in about five
minutes.

-- 
Lynn David Newton
Phoenix, AZ