Strange GDM problems!?

[list]

This is strange indeed--I have installed ubuntu sucessfully on this  
computer (and haven't changed ANY hardware). I screwed up some libraries  
and did a clean install (with the same exact CD).

I install everything and get all the stuff from the internet and then  
login for the first time and gnome works and everything. Now I do a  
synaptic refresh and update (w/ only the default sources selected). Then I  
reboot. Upon attempting to re-login, I find that once I put my password  
into gdm and press enter, I get the ubuntu splash screen, but nothing else  
happens. I can alt+ctrl+bkspace to restart the login, or I can alt+ctrl+f1  
to a console.

I mess around to try to fix it with no luck--I assume that it was the  
update that had the bug. I do another COMPLETELY clean install on the  
system and get logged back into gnome for the 1st time, and then decide to  
see what happens if I reboot. I reboot the system and when I get back to  
gdm, I have the same issues as above--so it definitely wasn't the updates.

I did some looking in log files, and the best thing I could find was my  
/home/dean/.xsession-errors file it is as follows:


***************************
/etc/gdm/PreSession/Default: Registering your session with wtmp and utmp
/etc/gdm/PreSession/Default: running: /usr/bin/X11/sessreg -a -w  
/var/log/wtmp -u /var/run/utmp -x "/var/lib/gdm/:0.Xservers" -h "" -l ":0"  
"dean"
/etc/gdm/Xsession: Beginning session setup...
SESSION_MANAGER=local/dim:/tmp/.ICE-unix/4998
/dev/dsp: No such device
/dev/dsp: No such device
/dev/dsp: No such device
/dev/dsp: No such device

IMPORTANT (FOR BREVITY'S SAKE, I DELETED ABOUT 300 OF THE "/dev/dsp: No  
such device" ERRORS!!!!)

/dev/dsp: No such device
/dev/dsp: No such device
/dev/dsp: No such device
/dev/dsp: No such device

** (gnome-session:4998): WARNING **: Esound failed to start.
***************************


I am using a Sound Blaster Audigy Gamer card (and in my 1st install, sound  
worked perfectly without me touching anything)

I also grabbed a few other log files, but I won't post them here unless  
someone wants something specific. This is a very strange problem, and I  
hope that someone has some insight.

Thanks,

Dean