I did apt-get install upstart as root, then re-booted. The problem persists. When I plug the phone into a W7 laptop via USB, W7 gives an "unknown device" message & says the device could not be installed. An N900 folder appears in the windows explorer, but it is empty when clicked. The filesystem of the phone, both onboard & SD card, are still unavailable via USB & WinSCP. Have I missed something?