Replying to Gray Star:

I believe I did state that my intent is to use the SB-600 mounted on the D7000 hot shoe for AF assist in dim light. So the questions were: (1) what is the correct setting in the camera, and (2) what is the correct setting on the flash. Those questions have been answered in this forum. When the SB-600 is on the hot shoe, apparently it does not matter what the flash settings on the camera are; only the custom setting on the SB-600 must be set to AF assist.

I did not go into the particular application, but it is AF assist for photographing ballet under dim stage lighting, as suggested to me by Stan in St. Petersburg (I forget the handle) elsewhere in this forum.

I can see that I was confusing the focus mode (9-point dynamic area autofocus) with the metering mode (single point metering).

Also to dm1dave:

I appreciate all the help. I had in fact recently come to the conclusion that the forum people know more than the Nikon support people, even when those people get the camera off the shelf. When I got my D90 a few years ago, support from the Dominican Republic office was so bad that I spoke to the Nikon mgr in upstate NY. He told me that they had hired a lot of new people. I suggested that they get the camera in their hands if they don't know the answer, and stop guessing. I believe that this suggestion was implemented (although it does not guarantee a correct answer -- the person who told me to set e3 had the camera, he said). Anyway, now that they have relocated the support operation to PA, it's deja vu all over again. New people there. But now I have you people!

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