# No support for my Soundcard ?

## Kopernikus

Hi all,

I've got an Asus M2N32-Sli Deluxe Motherboard.

This Motherboard comes with an integrated  soundcard.

I wanted to install ALSA and because of that I followed the ''Alsa Guide'' on www.gento.org.

The Alsa Guide tells me that I have to go to http://www.alsa-project.org/alsa-doc/ to find out the Modul which is used by my Soundcard onBoard.

But when I go there I can't find my SoundCard.

The output of 'lspci -v | grep -i audio' is here:

```

00:0e.1 Audio device: nVidia Corporation MCP55 High Definition Audio (rev a2)

```

Because I couldn't find my Card there I searched the Gentoo-Forums.

My results:

https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-479299-highlight-mcp55.html

and

https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-488934-highlight-mcp55.html

Does that mean that my SoundCard is not supported at this point?  :Rolling Eyes: 

Regards,

Kopernikus

----------

## NTT

Use the drivers from NVidia; http://www.nvidia.com/object/linux_nforce_1.11.html

----------

## nixnut

Moved from Installing Gentoo to Kernel & Hardware.

hardware question, so moved here.

----------

## Kopernikus

Sorry but I don't understand what you mean.

There isn't any Nvidia in the Kernel.   :Rolling Eyes: 

In the Kernel under 'PCI Devices ----->' there is 'Intel HD audio'

Could it be that?

Sorry I'm a newbie and don't understand very much.   :Rolling Eyes: 

Regards,

Kopernikus

----------

## hilbert_space

Check out

```
http://www.alsa-project.org/alsa-doc/index.php?vendor=vendor-Nvidia
```

If this matches your soundcard, add the driver intel8x0 to your kernel.

If not, you have to install a 3rd party driver from nvidia, this is mostly an extra kernel module provided by the downloadable zip file. Check out nvidia's hompage and the nvidia linux forum (take the url given by NTT).

You could also try to use the Intel-HD-Sound driver, it's possible that this driver works because these chips are sometimes the same with different names and features.

-Thomas

----------

## Kopernikus

Hi,

my Soundcard doesn't work.  :Sad: 

Here are the things I made:

First I moved into the Kernel.

In theKernel I did the following:

```

Device Drivers  --->

             Sound  --->  

                     <M> Sound card support     

                                <M> Advanced Linux Sound Architecture                           

                                <M>   Sequencer support          

                                <M>   OSS Mixer API

                                <M>   OSS PCM (digital audio) API  

                                [*]   Support old ALSA API 

                                 PCI devices  --->

                                          <M> Intel HD Audio

                                          <M> Intel/SiS/nVidia/AMD/ALi AC97 Controller

                                          <M> Intel/SiS/nVidia/AMD MC97 Modem (EXPERIMENTAL)      

```

Then I quit the Kernel and saved it. And then I made 'make && make modules_install'.

After that I copied /arch/x86_64/boot/bzImage to /boot and then I edited the grub.conf.

So, now I followed the  Alsa Guide  at Gentoo.org.

And this Guide says that I now have to install Alsa-utils, so I emerged them. 

After that was finished I made: 

```
# alsaconf
```

Then the 'Alsa Configurator' started. 

It detected two devices:

```

1. hda-intel     nVidia Corporation MCP55 High Definition Audio (rev a2)

2. legacy         Probe legacy ISA  (non-PnP)  chips

```

I selected the first one (hda-intel     nVidia Corporation MCP55 High Definition Audio).

Then the 'Alsa Configurator' configured  the 'snd-hda-intel'.

And when it had finished it gives me a Message like that:

```

Ok sound driver is configured !

ALSA CONFIGURATOR

will prepare the card for playing now.
```

Then he did that.

The Alsa Guide  says, that I now have to go to Alsa Mixer so I typed:

```
# alsamixer
```

Then the Alsa Mixer opened but there was only one channel!

The 'PCM' channel.

The Guide says that normally the Sound should work.

But it doesn't!

There weren't any errors or fails through the whole installation of Alsa!

Did I do something wrong?

I'm really despaired now!

What should/can I do now ?

Regards,

Kopernikus

----------

## Kopernikus

bump!

----------

## hilbert_space

Your configured the sound card well, let's search for the problem.

Did you start the init-scipt?

```
/etc/init.d/alsasound start

```

What does a 

```
cat /proc/asound/cards 
```

say ?

And have a look at your kernel messages to search for problems with the modules:

```
dmesg | grep snd
```

and at the list of loaded modules:

```
lsmod
```

-Thomas

----------

## Kopernikus

Hi,

 *hilbert_space wrote:*   

> 
> 
> Did you start the init-scipt?

 

```
Gentoo chh # /etc/init.d/alsasound start

 * WARNING:  alsasound has already been started.

```

Ok, I think it has started. I restarted it, but no change.   :Sad: 

 *hilbert_space wrote:*   

> 
> 
> What does a 
> 
> ```
> ...

 

Output of  'cat /proc/asound/cards':

```

Gentoo chh # cat /proc/asound/cards

 0 [NVidia         ]: HDA-Intel - HDA NVidia

                      HDA NVidia at 0xfe020000 irq 10

```

 *hilbert_space wrote:*   

> 
> 
> And have a look at your kernel messages to search for problems with the modules:
> 
> ```
> ...

 

Hm, that gives me no output.   :Rolling Eyes: 

 *hilbert_space wrote:*   

> 
> 
> and at the list of loaded modules:
> 
> ```
> ...

 

That gives me this output:

```

Gentoo chh # lsmod

Module                  Size  Used by

snd_seq                51936  0

snd_hda_intel          19100  0

snd_hda_codec         162376  1 snd_hda_intel

snd_pcm                81928  2 snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec

snd_timer              23560  2 snd_seq,snd_pcm

snd                    46480  5 snd_seq,snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec,snd_pcm,snd_timer

soundcore              12192  1 snd

snd_page_alloc         11792  2 snd_hda_intel,snd_pcm

nvidia               5426228  8

```

Hope, that helps.   :Rolling Eyes: 

Regards,

Koernikus

----------

## NeddySeagoon

Kopernikus,

You have the right sound module - snd-hda-intel but there are several variations on this sound chip.

You need to pass the module a parameter when it loads.

```
modinfo snd-hda-intel
```

will tell you what parmaters the module accepts, then its a case of 

```
modprobe -r snd-hda-intel

modprobe snd-hda-intel <some-param>
```

and see what works.

----------

## Kopernikus

Hello,

When I do 

```

modinfo snd-hda-intel

```

the output is:

```

Gentoo chh # modinfo snd-hda-intel

filename:       /lib/modules/2.6.17-gentoo-r7/kernel/sound/pci/hda/snd-hda-intel.ko

description:    Intel HDA driver

license:        GPL

alias:          pci:v000010DEd00000371sv*sd*bc*sc*i*

alias:          pci:v000010DEd0000026Csv*sd*bc*sc*i*

alias:          pci:v000010B9d00005461sv*sd*bc*sc*i*

alias:          pci:v00001039d00007502sv*sd*bc*sc*i*

alias:          pci:v00001106d00003288sv*sd*bc*sc*i*

alias:          pci:v00001002d00004383sv*sd*bc*sc*i*

alias:          pci:v00001002d0000437Bsv*sd*bc*sc*i*

alias:          pci:v00008086d0000284Bsv*sd*bc*sc*i*

alias:          pci:v00008086d0000269Asv*sd*bc*sc*i*

alias:          pci:v00008086d000027D8sv*sd*bc*sc*i*

alias:          pci:v00008086d00002668sv*sd*bc*sc*i*

depends:        snd-pcm,snd-page-alloc,snd-hda-codec,snd

vermagic:       2.6.17-gentoo-r7 SMP mod_unload gcc-3.4

parm:           index:Index value for Intel HD audio interface. (int)

parm:           id:ID string for Intel HD audio interface. (charp)

parm:           model:Use the given board model. (charp)

parm:           position_fix:Fix DMA pointer (0 = auto, 1 = none, 2 = POSBUF, 3 = FIFO size). (int)

parm:           probe_mask:Bitmask to probe codecs (default = -1). (int)

parm:           single_cmd:Use single command to communicate with codecs (for debugging only). (bool)

parm:           enable:bool

```

I don't know really what is a parameter there, but I think a parameter is something like   'id' , 'model' or  'position fix' , isn't it?

So then I did:

```

modprobe -r snd-hda-intel 

```

That didn't give any output.

And after that I did this:

```

modprobe snd-hda-intel id

```

But that gave me this output:

```

Gentoo chh # modprobe snd-hda-intel id

FATAL: Error inserting snd_hda_intel (/lib/modules/2.6.17-gentoo-r7/kernel/sound/pci/hda/snd-hda-intel.ko): Invalid argument

```

Then I tested it with all the other things like 'model' , 'position fix', 'index' and all the others.

But everytime the same output:

```

FATAL: Error inserting snd_hda_intel (/lib/modules/2.6.17-gentoo-r7/kernel/sound/pci/hda/snd-hda-intel.ko): Invalid argument

```

Don't know what I should do.   :Rolling Eyes:   :Sad: 

Regards,

Kopernikus

----------

## NeddySeagoon

Kopernikus,

These are the useful paramaters:-

```
parm:           index:Index value for Intel HD audio interface. (int)

parm:           id:ID string for Intel HD audio interface. (charp)

parm:           model:Use the given board model. (charp)

parm:           position_fix:Fix DMA pointer (0 = auto, 1 = none, 2 = POSBUF, 3 = FIFO size). (int) 
```

You use them with 

```
modprobe snd-hda-intel <param_name> <value>
```

Unfortunately, valid values for ID and model are not provided there. (Many modules do give this information)

----------

## Kopernikus

And what should I do now?

I did:

```

modprobe snd-hda-intel position_fix 0

```

But as every time before this error:

```

FATAL: Error inserting snd_hda_intel (/lib/modules/2.6.17-gentoo-r7/kernel/sound/pci/hda/snd-hda-intel.ko): Invalid argument

```

Then I did:

```

modprobe snd-hda-intel model charp

```

But the same error

I tested all the parameters, but everytimes same output!

Is my Card not supported?

Regards

Kopernikus

----------

## NeddySeagoon

Kopernikus,

It loks like the syntax is wrong then.

```
modprobe snd-hda-intel position_fix=0 
```

Syntax is module dependent, some use a space, some use '=" others use ':' between the parameter name and value.

----------

