Suggested configuration changes:

features for small systems/load all symbols - disable
general/VM event counters - disable
general/SLUB debugging support - disable
loadable module support/{forced loading, forced unloading, versioning} - enable
processor type/smp - disable
processor type/{toshiba, dell} laptop support - disable
processor type/IRQ balancing - disable (should auto go away when disabling smp)
processor type/timer freg - set at 300hz for best video I/O
processor type/kernel crash dumps - disable
CPU freq scaling/ACPI - disable
CPU freq scaling/C7 e_powersaver - build in
CPU freq scaling/ /proc/acpi/processor - disable (use /sys path instead)
bus options/PCI Express ASPM - enable

** bus options/ISA support - leave it enabled - the North Bridge/South Bridge comm link is on ISA **
** 00:11.0 ISA bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8237S PCI to ISA Bridge
** 00:11.7 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8251 Ultra VLINK Controller

bus options/PCI hotplug - enable (maybe - PCI Express hotplug required this at one time)
networking/GRE over IP - enable
networking/Ethernet Bridging - enable
networking/VLAN support - enable
networking/IrDA - disable (like ISA, until someone hacks in the hardware ...)
networking/RF switch - enable (so folks can turn the Wifi transmitter off)
plug&play support/BIOS support - enable
block devices/Network block device - enable
block devices/Packet writing on CD/DVD - enable
block devices/ATA over Ethernet - enable
SCSI transports/iSCSI - enable
device drivers/Firewire - enable (Firewire in PCI Express card slot)
network device support/{Dummy, Bonding, TUN/TAP} - enable
network device support/PHY Device - enable for Broadcom ++
network device support/10,100,1000 - enable any that can be plugged in as Express card
network device support/USB Network device - enable

device drivers/character devices/IPMI message handler - enable
SPI support - enable
Hardware monitoring support - enable
Multimedia devices/Load and attach modules as needed - enable
Multimedia devices/modules to build - modules-all
Multimedia devices/Radio - modules-all (some are USB)
Multimedia devices/DAB - modules-all (some are USB)
Graphics support/AGP - enable all (AGP devices can live on Express Cards)
ALSA/PCI devices - enable all (Sound devices can live on Express Cards)
ALSA/USB devices - enable all
USB support - modules-all (except USB Gadget - I really do need the serials)
Userspace I/O drivers - enable (I think FUSE uses this)
Firmware drivers - enable all non-Dell
File systems/Reiserfs(3) - build in
File systems/Kernel automounter - enable
File systems/FUSE - enable (Truecrypt amoung other things needs this)
File systems/XFS - leave it disabled - HP-2133 does a "power off" on low battery
not a clean shutdown - which guarantees to corrupt XFS systems.
File systems/MS - ntfs write support - disable - install ntfs-3g instead.
File systems/Misc - see if squashfs has been ported yet - auFS ready next monday.
File systems/Partition types - enable WLDM
File systems/Distributed lock manager - enable