Hi,
> % /etc/init.d/alsa reload
> /etc/init.d/alsa: Warning: Processes using sound devices: 4530(pulseaudio)
> 10005(gkrellm). {...etc.}
>
> Maybe the 'reload' won't work until those processes are shut down. So
> far I've been unable to shut down 'pulseaudio' while X is running. Even
> this fails:
You could try a "force-reload".
I'll look at your strace files in one of the next days.
Joost