Thanks to all for your replies.

mstatglfr, Yeah I was looking into replacing the entire crankset as an option, but I had recently replaced the BB which is an octalink V2. (I know, I know, should've done the entire drivetrain at once instead of piece meal fashion like I'm doing now). So I'm kinda stuck going down this path.

Tim Iowa, yes the crankset if for indexed shifting. Its a Deore LX M571 crankset. Also, your right, I never looked at it before, but my small, 22t, chainring has no ramps or pins. Its pretty much a smooth cog. It is a 64mm BCD however. I've used indexed shifting on my mountain bikes for years and like your friction shifters, has been fool proof.

So this is where I'm at. I was able to locate a new Shimano exact replacement 22t and 32t chainring and so far I have $32 into it. Now I'm looking for a 44t chainring. So based on what Tim Iowa was saying about matched middle and outer chainrings, I should probably look for a M571 44t chainring.

Or maybe not. Are Mega 9 chainrings with 104mm BCD ramps and pins pretty much standard?