for a kernel recompile, I had trouble using the xconfig tool: (make config
and make menuconfig started up, though)

this example occurs on piglet-0301 build:

[root@test95 linux]# pwd
/usr/src/linux
[root@test95 linux]#

[root@test95 linux]# make xconfig
rm -f include/asm
( cd include ; ln -sf asm-i386 asm)
make -C scripts kconfig.tk
make[1]: Entering directory `/usr/src/linux-2.2.14/scripts'
gcc -Wall -Wstrict-prototypes -O2 -fomit-frame-pointer -c -o tkparse.o
tkparse.c
gcc -Wall -Wstrict-prototypes -O2 -fomit-frame-pointer -c -o tkcond.o
tkcond.c
gcc -Wall -Wstrict-prototypes -O2 -fomit-frame-pointer -c -o tkgen.o
tkgen.c
gcc -o tkparse tkparse.o tkcond.o tkgen.o
cat header.tk >> ./kconfig.tk
./tkparse < ../arch/i386/config.in >> kconfig.tk
drivers/char/Config.in: 120: can't handle dep_tristate condition
make[1]: *** [kconfig.tk] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/linux-2.2.14/scripts'
make: *** [xconfig] Error 2
[root@test95 linux]#