i start trying to compile the kernel and i get quite a bit of errors:

i type make menuconfig under /usr/src/linux-2.6.13/; it acts like its going but right before it does i get:
HOSTCC scripts/basic/fixdep
HOSTCC scripts/basic/split-include
HOSTCC scripts/basic/docproc
SHIPPED scripts/kconfig/zconf.tab.h
HOSTCC scripts/kconfig/conf.o
HOSTCC scripts/kconfig/kxgettext.o
HOSTCC scripts/kconfig/mconf.o
SHIPPED scripts/kconfig/zconf.tab.c
SHIPPED scripts/kconfig/lex.zconf.c
HOSTCC scripts/kconfig/zconf.tab.o
HOSTLD scripts/kconfig/mconf
HOSTCC scripts/lxdialog/checklist.o
HOSTCC scripts/lxdialog/inputbox.o
HOSTCC scripts/lxdialog/lxdialog.o
HOSTCC scripts/lxdialog/menubox.o
HOSTCC scripts/lxdialog/msgbox.o
HOSTCC scripts/lxdialog/textbox.o
HOSTCC scripts/lxdialog/util.o
HOSTCC scripts/lxdialog/yesno.o
HOSTLD scripts/lxdialog/lxdialog
scripts/kconfig/mconf arch/i386/Kconfig
#
# using defaults found in /boot/config-2.6.8-2-686
#
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:84: trying to assign nonexistent symbol X86_EMU486
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:133: trying to assign nonexistent symbol PM_DISK
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:175: trying to assign nonexistent symbol CPU_FREQ_PROC_INTF
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:181: trying to assign nonexistent symbol CPU_FREQ_24_API
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:334: trying to assign nonexistent symbol MTD_ELAN_104NC/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:386: trying to assign nonexistent symbol PARPORT_PC_CML1
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:391: trying to assign nonexistent symbol PARPORT_OTHER
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:476: trying to assign nonexistent symbol IDE_TASKFILE_IO
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:495: trying to assign nonexistent symbol BLK_DEV_ADMA
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:586: trying to assign nonexistent symbol SCSI_MEGARAID
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:629: trying to assign nonexistent symbol SCSI_PCI2000
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:630: trying to assign nonexistent symbol SCSI_PCI2220I
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:667: trying to assign nonexistent symbol MCD
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:668: trying to assign nonexistent symbol MCD_IRQ
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:669: trying to assign nonexistent symbol MCD_BASE
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:700: trying to assign nonexistent symbol FUSION_ISENSE
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:754: trying to assign nonexistent symbol NETLINK_DEV
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:762: trying to assign nonexistent symbol IP_ROUTE_NAT
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:764: trying to assign nonexistent symbol IP_ROUTE_TOS
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:859: trying to assign nonexistent symbol IP_NF_NAT_LOCAL
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:877: trying to assign nonexistent symbol IP_NF_COMPAT_IPCHAINS
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:878: trying to assign nonexistent symbol IP_NF_COMPAT_IPFWADM
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:957: trying to assign nonexistent symbol DECNET_SIOCGIFCONF
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:979: trying to assign nonexistent symbol NET_HW_FLOWCONTROL
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:1143: trying to assign nonexistent symbol ETHERTAP
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:1227: trying to assign nonexistent symbol EEPRO100_PIO
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:1229: trying to assign nonexistent symbol E100_NAPI
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:1439: trying to assign nonexistent symbol IPHASE5526
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:1544: trying to assign nonexistent symbol ISDN_DRV_TPAM/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:1606: trying to assign nonexistent symbol INPUT_MOUSEDEV_PSAUX_ENABLE
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:1618: trying to assign nonexistent symbol SOUND_GAMEPORT
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:1622: trying to assign nonexistent symbol GAMEPORT_VORTEX
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:1624: trying to assign nonexistent symbol GAMEPORT_CS461x
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:1669: trying to assign nonexistent symbol JOYSTICK_TWIDDLER
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:1673: trying to assign nonexistent symbol INPUT_JOYDUMP/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:1720: trying to assign nonexistent symbol SERIAL_8250_MULTIPORT
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:1735: trying to assign nonexistent symbol QIC02_TAPE
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:1736: trying to assign nonexistent symbol QIC02_DYNCONF/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:1849: trying to assign nonexistent symbol AGP_INTEL_MCH/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:2038: trying to assign nonexistent symbol DVB_TWINHAN_DST
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:2041: trying to assign nonexistent symbol DVB_SP887X_FIRMWARE_FILE
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:2042: trying to assign nonexistent symbol DVB_ALPS_TDLB7
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:2043: trying to assign nonexistent symbol DVB_ALPS_TDMB7
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:2046: trying to assign nonexistent symbol DVB_GRUNDIG_29504_491
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:2047: trying to assign nonexistent symbol DVB_GRUNDIG_29504_401
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:2052: trying to assign nonexistent symbol DVB_TDA1004X_FIRMWARE_FILE
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:2074: trying to assign nonexistent symbol DVB_B2C2_SKYSTAR
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:2111: trying to assign nonexistent symbol FB_MATROX_G450
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:2112: trying to assign nonexistent symbol FB_MATROX_G100
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:2272: trying to assign nonexistent symbol SND_VXP440
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:2383: trying to assign nonexistent symbol USB_STORAGE_RW_DETECT
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:2388: trying to assign nonexistent symbol USB_STORAGE_HP8200e
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:2420: trying to assign nonexistent symbol USB_HPUSBSCSI/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:2504: trying to assign nonexistent symbol USB_TIGL
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:2523: trying to assign nonexistent symbol USB_GADGET_SA1100
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:2599: trying to assign nonexistent symbol DEVFS_FS
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:2600: trying to assign nonexistent symbol DEVFS_MOUNT
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:2601: trying to assign nonexistent symbol DEVFS_DEBUG
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:2615: trying to assign nonexistent symbol ASFS_FS
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:2616: trying to assign nonexistent symbol ASFS_RW
/boot/config-2.6.8-2-686:2628: trying to assign nonexistent symbol JFFS2_FS_NAND

Your kernel configuration changes were NOT saved.

im running Debian 3.1r0a. any suggestions would be appreciate. im trying to get my sound working and im pretty sure its in the kernel.

All of the non-existent symbol messages might be because it is using a config file (probably from your current kernel 2.6.8) that is not for the same kernel version that you are compiling (2.6.13). But usually this doesn't happen when you are moving to a newer kernel version. Is that all of the output that you get? No other errors?

You need to have ncurses installed to use menuconfig so make sure you have that. But I would think you would get an error if you didn't have it.

Also another minor thing. Normally you want to create a soft link to the kernel source like this:
that way apps that need to find the kernel source can just go to /usr/src/linux

You can then cd to /usr/src/linux and do make menuconfig as before

Did you get the kernel source from apt? I don't think 2.6.13 is in there yet. It is a good idea to always use the kernel source available in apt because it has some debian specific stuff in there. You can get linux-source-2.6.12 in the unstable branch.

i got it from kernel.org, and thats the only errors i get

I have used a kernel from kernel.org before and it seemed to work OK, but everyone in this forum always recommends to use a kernel from the apt repositories. You may want to use the 2.6.12 kernel from debian testing repositories. You can try to install a precompiled kernel image first if you don't want to compile it yourself.

apt-cache search linux-image-2.6.12

then pick one for your architecture and install it.

If it doesn't have the module that you need then you will have to compile it yourself. The kernel source is called: linux-source-2.6.12

Also here is a good tutorial on how to compile it the debian way http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...hreadid=206992

neither show up, what sites do u have on ur sources.list

i did that and it work, thanx for ur help