OK, news: I successfully installed your provided kernel on that machine, rebooted without the camera plugged in, unplugged everything except keyboard and mouse, did

tail -f /var/log/messages

and tee'd that to another file, then plugged in the camera. This happened:
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  621.850038] usb 2-8: new full speed USB device using ohci_hcd and address 8
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.083800] usb 2-8: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.167463] Linux video capture interface: v2.00
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.182881] gspca: main v2.7.0 registered
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.199060] Lee - <NULL> - Enter
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.199110] Lee - ^C - Enter
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.199113] STV06xx: Probing for a stv06xx device
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.199117] Lee - ^C - Enter
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.199119] gspca: probing 046d:08f5
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.199124] Lee - ^C - Enter
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.199126] STV06xx: Configuring camera
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.199129] Lee - <NULL> - Enter
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.199131] STV06xx: st6422 sensor detected
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.199134] Lee - <NULL> - Enter
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.199136] STV06xx: Initializing camera
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450062] Lee - <NULL> - Enter
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450165] PGD aa4b9067 PUD a4290067 PMD 0 
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450186] CPU 2
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450189] Modules linked in: gspca_stv06xx(+) gspca_main videodev v4l1_compat v4l2_compat_ioctl32 rfcomm sco bridge binf
mt_misc stp bnep l2cap vboxnetflt vboxdrv snd_hda_codec_via ipt_REJECT ipt_LOG xt_limit xt_tcpudp ipt_addrtype xt_state snd_hda_intel snd_hda_codec snd_hwdep
 snd_pcm_oss snd_mixer_oss snd_pcm snd_seq_dummy ip6table_filter snd_seq_oss ip6_tables snd_seq_midi nf_nat_irc snd_rawmidi nf_conntrack_irc snd_seq_midi_eve
nt nf_nat_ftp nf_nat nf_conntrack_ipv4 nf_defrag_ipv4 snd_seq nf_conntrack_ftp nf_conntrack snd_timer snd_seq_device iptable_filter ppdev nvidia(P) btusb ip_
tables lp snd parport_pc psmouse vga16fb edac_core soundcore vgastate serio_raw bluetooth i2c_nforce2 edac_mce_amd snd_page_alloc usblp x_tables parport fbco
n tileblit font bitblit softcursor uvesafb usbhid hid floppy sata_nv forcedeth pata_amd
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450286] Pid: 9542, comm: modprobe Tainted: P           2.6.32-26-generic #45 MCP61M05
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450291] RIP: 0010:[<ffffffff812b93d9>]  [<ffffffff812b93d9>] strnlen+0x9/0x40
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450299] RSP: 0018:ffff8800a4327978  EFLAGS: 00010086
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450303] RAX: ffffffff8170c16a RBX: ffffffff81999fc0 RCX: 0000000000000002
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450307] RDX: 0000000000001440 RSI: ffffffffffffffff RDI: 0000000000001440
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450310] RBP: ffff8800a4327978 R08: 0000000000000073 R09: 0000000000000000
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450314] R10: 0000000000000005 R11: 0000000000000000 R12: ffffffff81999bc6
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450318] R13: 0000000000001440 R14: 00000000ffffffff R15: 0000000000000000
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450323] FS:  00007f715d9f2700(0000) GS:ffff880028300000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450327] CS:  0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 000000008005003b
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450330] CR2: 0000000000001440 CR3: 00000000bf85c000 CR4: 00000000000006e0
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450334] DR0: 0000000000000000 DR1: 0000000000000000 DR2: 0000000000000000
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450338] DR3: 0000000000000000 DR6: 00000000ffff0ff0 DR7: 0000000000000400
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450343] Process modprobe (pid: 9542, threadinfo ffff8800a4326000, task ffff88011aa316e0)
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450349]  ffff8800a43279b8 ffffffff812bb2d0 0000000000000000 ffffffff81999bc6
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450355] <0> ffffffffa0c213c8 ffffffffa0c213c6 ffff8800a4327b28 ffffffff81999fc0
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450362] <0> ffff8800a4327a58 ffffffff812bc360 0000000000000004 0000000affffffff

Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450376]  [<ffffffff812bb2d0>] string+0x40/0x100
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450383]  [<ffffffff812bc360>] vsnprintf+0x310/0x5f0
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450392]  [<ffffffff812bc306>] ? vsnprintf+0x2b6/0x5f0
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450399]  [<ffffffff812bc751>] vscnprintf+0x11/0x30
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450409]  [<ffffffff81066a40>] vprintk+0xb0/0x470
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450418]  [<ffffffff81541364>] printk+0x41/0x45
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450429]  [<ffffffffa0c1dc1e>] stv06xx_write_bridge+0x4e/0xd0 [gspca_stv06xx]
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450437]  [<ffffffff81076b12>] ? del_timer_sync+0x22/0x30
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450447]  [<ffffffffa0c20701>] st6422_init+0x201/0x220 [gspca_stv06xx]
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450455]  [<ffffffffa0c1d4a2>] stv06xx_init+0x42/0x80 [gspca_stv06xx]
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450466]  [<ffffffffa0c17a88>] gspca_dev_probe+0x168/0x2e8 [gspca_main]
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450474]  [<ffffffffa0c1d0c6>] sd_probe+0x56/0x70 [gspca_stv06xx]
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450486]  [<ffffffff813db4a5>] usb_probe_interface+0xe5/0x1d0
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450494]  [<ffffffff8136ade5>] really_probe+0x65/0x170
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450499]  [<ffffffff8136af35>] driver_probe_device+0x45/0x70
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450506]  [<ffffffff8136affb>] __driver_attach+0x9b/0xa0
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450511]  [<ffffffff8136af60>] ? __driver_attach+0x0/0xa0
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450516]  [<ffffffff8136a248>] bus_for_each_dev+0x68/0x90
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450521]  [<ffffffff8136ac5e>] driver_attach+0x1e/0x20
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450526]  [<ffffffff8136a51e>] bus_add_driver+0xde/0x280
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450531]  [<ffffffff8136b330>] driver_register+0x80/0x150
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450536]  [<ffffffff81541364>] ? printk+0x41/0x45
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450542]  [<ffffffff813db1d8>] usb_register_driver+0xb8/0x130
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450549]  [<ffffffffa0ba5000>] ? sd_mod_init+0x0/0x42 [gspca_stv06xx]
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450556]  [<ffffffffa0ba502c>] sd_mod_init+0x2c/0x42 [gspca_stv06xx]
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450567]  [<ffffffff8100a04c>] do_one_initcall+0x3c/0x1a0
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450575]  [<ffffffff810a0c4f>] sys_init_module+0xdf/0x260
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450582]  [<ffffffff810121b2>] system_call_fastpath+0x16/0x1b
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450659]  RSP <ffff8800a4327978>
Oct  8 09:11:18 lilypad kernel: [  622.450667] ---[ end trace 4500c68b68b57e60 ]---

No program would subsequently recognize the camera. I tried unplugging both cam and keyboard, then just plugging in the keyboard, but all that happened was that the keyboard usb disconnect event was recorded and then *nothing* else. Not even the webcam being plugged in again. It also failed to recognize they keyboard when I plugged that in again. I rebooted with the camera, keyboard, and mouse plugged in. No dice. Same trace as above, with the keyboard and mouse working, but not the camera.

I wonder if exactt or anyone else had similar results...