expr: non-numeric argument - make: ***[.tmp_vmlinux1] Error

[tbg]

I have a kind of funky method I have developed for building my kernel with the necessary SCSI drivers built-in. This method is described in this thread:

https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=224311&highlight=

I've been able to modify build my 2.6.7-based kernel for a while using the hack described at the end of the thread, but today I am getting an error at the end of the "make", right after it has compiiled things in arch/i386/lib and immediately after "GEN .version" - here is what I am seeing

[ ... tons of compiles...]
CC arch/i386/lib/usercopy.o
AR arch/i386/lib/lib.a
GEN .version
expr: non-numeric argument
make: *** [.tmp_vmlinux1] Error 3

and that's it. there is no bzImage created in arch/i386/boot

any idea what this is? I am starting to look at the target .tmp_vmlinux1 in Makefile...

[Mango Madness]

I've been getting a similar error.

sound/built-in.o(.text+0x2658a): in function 'ad18xx_resume': undefined
reference to 'snd_ac97_restore_status'
make: *** [.tmp_vmlinux1] Error 1

Using love-sources 2.6.10-r3-r1 on gcc 3.4.3-r1 with
-march=athlon-xp -O3 -pipe -fomit-frame-pointer

Something fishy with alsa maybe?