i've been reading some tutorial/guide things on how to build a new kernel, but when they get to the part about making your config file they all just say "since your options here will vary with your hardware, etc. just run menuconfig with this config file i've linked to here and you should be fine". i've been able to build and boot from my own 2.6.13 kernel this way, but i want to really tweak and configure my own kernel. My problem is, i have no idea what many of the options in menuconfig mean. is there some mini guide for the latest kernel that will explain each category and option, possibly give some hints as to whether they're needed like: "you'll want to enable this option if you're going to use wi-fi" that kind of thing.

What I did my first time was boot up knoppix then run;
Then I wrote that information down.Next I ran dmesg and wrote down what looked important.Then run make menuconfig and toggle to help, it explains the options so-so. The main thing is to make sure you have one kernel that works.The new one if something doesn't work you can do it again.You will learn from trial and error.

For the 2.6.x.x series kernels, I much prefer "make xconfig" to
"make menuconfig" as far as being able to see the options in
a better layout, and the help is all on the right hand side with
the options. You can't make your own kernel based upon some
other computers hardware, or usage preferences. The best
thing to do is to build your kernel slowly, not in a hurry, and to
use Google <Linux> to lookup anything you don't understand.
For those options which you don't have a clue about, you can
usually select M (module) and it will load if you need it, but
not if you don't.

Kwan Lowe's Kernel Build HOW-TO is good, and the instructions
that Linus Torvald includes in the kernel sources are excellent.
You should definitely read ./linux-2.6.13/README as well as any
of the files under ./linux-2.6.13/Documentation/ that apply to
your computer.

Most people today are reluctant to read, and I know it's not as
fun as "jumping in with both feet," but in the long run it's good
to learn and get a solid foundation.