Okay, I FINALLY got it. The trick was to disable the ati-ixp modem in the kernel configuration, which is listed in the sound section right under ati-ixp sound in menuconfig. So I guess this means I'll have no modem... which is okay because I'm on a DSL. If I ever really need one, I suppose I could get one for USB or PCMCIA. Or maybe by then Linux will support my hw better.

Well, thanks for trying to help me, at least. I guess this problem was a bit more advanced than this forum is intended for.