CentOS - Feb 2005 - 4.0_rc1 new install fails to enable mixer devices

I've just installed 4.0_rc1 to evaluate and compare with FC3 for a
local project. The installation and initial usage of the two distros
is almost identical. up2date and yum work well on either.

The one problem I have is with sound. CentOS has loaded snd_intel8x0
and all the usual suspects, but the mixers (GNOME volume controls,
etc., do not work because there is no /dev/xxx for the mixer device.
FC3 did not have this problem, and sound worked AOK, or at least as
good as it gets for my miserable builtin card.

I might note that I had a similar problem on gentoo (which also uses
udev), and I have to preload some of the alsa modules or I get the
same results.

Does anyone have experience with this on CentOS? I haven't done a
comparison of the alias files, etc., between CentOS and FC3.

Is there a way to preload modules on CentOS prior to udev/hotplug action?

TIA,
-- 
 Collins