iMac with 2.6 does not see keyboard

[Mario Frasca <mfrasca@zonnet.nl>]

so I managed to install the new 2.6.8 kernel and boot it.  I
understand that this is more modular, or maybe I should say
module oriented, so I have to load explicitly ethernet (or put
it into /etc/modules).

my problem is that it looks like also usb has to be loaded as
a module, isn't it so?  and I've got only one computer at
home, so I can't start this one, log in from the other (as I
said, I haven't got the other one!) and try which module to
load.  

you figure the situation: I boot it, I see that the mouse does
not react at all, the keyboard is totally dead, I panic quite
a lot more than the kernel, manage to wait five minutes hoping
that most disc activity has come to a pause, then I push the
switch and swear I won't start this again before being 100%
sure this is not going to happen again.

any hints?  but please, with something like 95% accuracy...

the machine is a iMac (early 2001), NewWorld, 750CX, 500MHz
revision : 34.21 (pvr 0008 2215)

thanks,
Mario.