I have just installed kernel 2.6.10-generic but it does not include emu10k1

I tried to recompile my kernel to include this sound driver, made a hash of it, and spent two hours recovering the damage.

Is there a way that I can just compile the module emu10k1 and then modprobe it.

The kernel from kernel.org has it,did you do it this way;
http://handbook.madpenguin.org/
look under Configuring your first linux 2.6 kernel

Yep pretty much identical, I must have made a mistake in the config stage, probably forgot to compile reiserfs into the kernel.

I will try again, but my track record is one correct kernel compilation since redhat 5.2, so my chances are not good.

There must be an easier way. I have always thought that if distos like knoppix can auto detect and configure all your hardware, then it must be possible for the same auto detect system to create a unique kernel for your hardware, then again I'm just a user not a programmer, I suppose the downside would be that you would have to recompile every time you added a bit of hardware, but then again you sometimes have to anyway.

I now have sound.

I didn't install the new alsa-driver from the testing directory.

emu10k1 is still missing but I enabled the on-board ac97 sound card, ran alsaconf and all is now well.

Samac