# No sound with alsa and gentoo-dev-sources 2.6.5 r1

## Maxwells Silver Hammer

Hey,

a few days ago I installed gentoo (kernel 2.6.5 r1 dev-sources). My sound doesn't work. I looked through the gentoo linux alsa guide and read lots of forum discussions where people had the same problem. Couldn't get it to work though.

My kernel configuration looks like this:

 *Quote:*   

>   │ │            <*> Sound card support
> 
>   │ │                Advanced Linux Sound Architecture  --->
> 
>   │ │                Open Sound System  --->
> ...

 

Then I changed compiled the kernel with

```
root@boss linux # make && make modules_install
```

and copied the files over to boot.

I didn't add any modules to 

```
root@boss linux # /etc/modules.autoload.d/kernel-2.6
```

 but I still did modules-update (Just to be sure it has no modules loaded).

After that I started alsasound:

```
root@boss linux # /etc/init.d/alsasound start
```

At this point, sound couldn't be played. I believe this is because the volume is still muted by default.

Like explained in the alsa guide I typed in the following and got these replies:root@marius 

```
root@boss init.d # amixer set Master 100 unmute

amixer: Unknown playback setup 'unmute'..

 

root@boss init.d # amixer set PCM 100 unmute

amixer: Unable to find simple control 'PCM',0
```

Somewhere in this forum I read that the problem is solved by taking away the unmute at the end. I did that and got the following:

```
root@boss init.d # amixer set Master 100

Simple mixer control 'Master',0

  Capabilities: volume cswitch

  Playback channels: Front Left - Front Right

  Capture channels: Front Left - Front Right

  Limits: -50 - 100

  Front Left: 100 [100%] Capture [on]

  Front Right: 100 [100%] Capture [on]

root@boss init.d # amixer set PCM 100

amixer: Unable to find simple control 'PCM',0
```

I did all this with root privileges. Somebody else solved this problem by logging on as root. Didn't work for me.

I've also tried to stop /etc/init.d/alsasound and run alsaconf. It was looking for soundcards and said: *Quote:*   

> No supported PnP or PCI card found.
> 
> Would you like to probe legacy ISA sound cards/chips?

 

I selected yes and got *Quote:*   

> No legacy drivers available.

 

I don't know anything about my soundcard, but it's some standard basic thing. Nothing complicated.

Any ideas?

Thanks for the help!

----------

## John5788

what is your sound card and did you configure the device?

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## Maxwells Silver Hammer

Is there an easy way to figure that out with a linux tool? For the first time in my life I just looked in the handbook of my computer but there's nothing but pointless information. I guess that's why I never look at it  :Smile: .

I haven't configured my sound card anywhere. I didn't install any specific sound card modules in the kernel. In /etc/make.conf I left it to via82xx.

The command

```
# grep -i audio /proc/pci
```

doesn't work for me. It simply doesn't produce any output... After a second, it just prints the next line (username@computername folder # ).

----------

## gentood

Try this command: lspci.

If it doesnt find the command you need to emerge pciutils.

----------

## Maxwells Silver Hammer

Output of lspci: *Quote:*   

> # lspci
> 
> 0000:00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corp. 440BX/ZX/DX - 82443BX/ZX/DX Host bridge (rev 03)
> 
> 0000:00:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corp. 440BX/ZX/DX - 82443BX/ZX/DX AGP bridge (rev 03)
> ...

 

What does that tell me about my soundcard though?

Thanks for the help!

----------

## PatBrugge

Like do you see any soundcard in that output?

I dont so I guess you have forgotten to build any drivers for it into your kernel.

next time a "lspci | grep audio" will give an cleaner output course it will only lookup your sound device (just a small tip).

----------

## Maxwells Silver Hammer

But what sound drivers could I build into my kernel?

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## John5788

do you know what sound card you have? if you do, use this http://www.alsa-project.org/alsa-doc/

----------

## Maxwells Silver Hammer

Alright, I'm real confused now.

Linux:

   I type in the command

             modprobe -c | grep -E "^[[:space:]]*alias[[:space:]]+snd-card-[[:digit:]]"

   I get this:

             alias snd-card 0 snd-via82xx

But I know now after looking through lots of stuff that I have a soundcard ES1869.

I checked out that matrix at the alsa project's website and found out that I have to install the module snd-es18xx into the kernel. I did that and my computer finds it if I look for modules with:

find /lib/modules/2.6.5-gentoo-r1/ -type f -iname '*.o' -or -iname '*.ko'

I updated the /etc/modules.d/alsa file. It now says

alias snd-card-0 snd-es18xx

I made a modules-update and everything looked fine. I started alsasound:

/etc/init.d/alsasound start

I received this error message:

     Loading: snd-via82xx

     FATAL: Module snd_via82xx not found.

snd_via82xx was the module that was once written down in /etc/modules.d/alsa. It was never compiled into the kernel and I changed the alsa file so it should start the real module snd-es18xx. What could be wrong? Any ideas?

Thanks for all the help, I really appreciate that!

----------

## John5788

try recompiling the kernel with es18xx compiled in the kernel and remove via82xx from being built as a module and off the the kernel

----------

## Maxwells Silver Hammer

Alright. Via82xx was never in the kernel. I figured out something.

Before I changed the file

/etc/modules.d/alsa

earlier, I made a copy of the file called

/etc/modules.d/alsa.copy

Well, after changing the alsa file, the alsa guide tells you to do modules-update. This step merges the alsa file into the /etc/modules.conf file. The funny thing is, that it doesn't only merge the alsa file, it also merged my copy of it (alsa.copy). That's why it still tried to load the Via82xx module and gave me an error message because it couldn't find it.

Now that I deleted the alsa.copy file, it merged the one configuration into modules.conf and the file is good now.

Next problem though  :Sad:  After all this I started alsasound:

/etc/init.d/alsasound start

This is the output: *Quote:*   

>  * Loading ALSA drivers...
> 
>  * Using ALSA OSS emulation
> 
>  * Loading: snd-es18xx
> ...

 

Why can't it find the module? It's definetely here:

/lib/modules/2.6.5-gentoo-r1/kernel/sound/isa/snd-es18xx.ko

Any more ideas?  :Smile:  I'm about to go crazy!

----------

## Maxwells Silver Hammer

WOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!

YEAH!

I RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUULE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

IT WORKS

IT WORKS

IT WORKS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alright, for everybody who might have the same problem, here's what's up!

My soundcard is connected through some PCI to ISA bridge or whatever. Everything what I configured concerning my sound was right! BUT THERE WAS ONE THING I DIDN'T THINK ABOUT! Tonight, 0.47AM, I'm about to say screw this, when I thought I should maybe check my kernel config one more time. And there it is! It was in the menu Device Drivers -> Plug and Play support! "ISA Plug and Play support"!!! I'm not the hardware expert, but when I checked the Knoppix config files earlier, I read something about a PCI to ISA bridge, so I compiled this ISA Plug and Play support in the kernel.

And................... IT WORKS!!!!!!!!!! UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!!!! LINUX RULES!!!!!! KNOPPIX RULES!!!!!!!!!! GENTOO RULES!!!!!!!!!!!! ALSA RULES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!

I'm gonna go ahead and enjoy my speakers now  :Smile: 

Thanks to everybody who tried to help me on this and the other stuff that I need help on in this forum!

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## Deathwing00

Moved from Multimedia.

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## twoblink

I've compiled ISA PnP support etc..  Still no sound    :Shocked:   :Crying or Very sad:   :Crying or Very sad: 

Any other ideas?  Using 2.6.6

Should I trade up for 2.6.7?

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## Maxwells Silver Hammer

I don't think changing the kernel will make a difference.

What soundcard do you have?

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## [Lx]-=Mystify=-

@maxwell:

'modules-update' merges ALL files in '/etc/modules.d' into '/etc/modules.conf.

so if you make a copy of one file into that folder, then both files will be merged...

----------

