Sound problems with FC3 - Now FC4 still working on it - help!

[DamselNDistress]

I don't know how to find the answer to these questions. Sorry.

[DamselNDistress]

Is this what you're looking for?

[root@localhost ~]# ls /dev/
apm_bios       fd0u1440   loop5        ram15    tap7     tty36  ttyS1
arpd           fd0u1660   loop6        ram2     tap8     tty37  ttyS2
audio          fd0u1680   loop7        ram3     tap9     tty38  ttyS3
console        fd0u1722   lp0          ram4     tcpdiag  tty39  ttyS4
core           fd0u1743   lp1          ram5     tty      tty4   ttyS5
cpu            fd0u1760   lp2          ram6     tty0     tty40  ttyS6
device-mapper  fd0u1840   lp3          ram7     tty1     tty41  ttyS7
dm-0           fd0u1920   MAKEDEV      ram8     tty10    tty42  urandom
dm-1           fd0u2880   mapper       ram9     tty11    tty43  usersock
dmfm           fd0u3200   md0          ramdisk  tty12    tty44  vcs
dnrtmsg        fd0u3520   mem          random   tty13    tty45  vcs1
dsp            fd0u360    mice         root     tty14    tty46  vcs2
event0         fd0u3840   mixer        route    tty15    tty47  vcs3
event1         fd0u720    mouse0       route6   tty16    tty48  vcs4
fd             fd0u800    net          rtc      tty17    tty49  vcs5
fd0            fd0u820    nflog        shm      tty18    tty5   vcs6
fd0CompaQ      fd0u830    null         skip     tty19    tty50  vcs7
fd0d360        floppy     par0         snd      tty2     tty51  vcs8
fd0D360        full       parport0     stderr   tty20    tty52  vcsa
fd0D720        fwmonitor  parport1     stdin    tty21    tty53  vcsa1
fd0h1200       gpmctl     parport2     stdout   tty22    tty54  vcsa2
fd0h1440       hda        parport3     systty   tty23    tty55  vcsa3
fd0H1440       hda1       port         tap0     tty24    tty56  vcsa4
fd0h1476       hda2       ppp          tap1     tty25    tty57  vcsa5
fd0h1494       hdb        ptal-printd  tap10    tty26    tty58  vcsa6
fd0h1660       initctl    ptmx         tap11    tty27    tty59  vcsa7
fd0h360        input      pts          tap12    tty28    tty6   vcsa8
fd0H360        ip6_fw     ram          tap13    tty29    tty60  VolGroup00
fd0h410        kmsg       ram0         tap14    tty3     tty61  xfrm
fd0h420        log        ram1         tap15    tty30    tty62  XOR
fd0h720        loop0      ram10        tap2     tty31    tty63  zero
fd0H720        loop1      ram11        tap3     tty32    tty7
fd0h880        loop2      ram12        tap4     tty33    tty8
fd0u1040       loop3      ram13        tap5     tty34    tty9
fd0u1120       loop4      ram14        tap6     tty35    ttyS0

snd is in there, and it's blue.

[pbharris]

hello,
nope - my bad again - i menat hardware browser...

[DamselNDistress]

The only things in system devices are four listings for host controllers and the high speed hub.

As far as bios goes, I don't know how to check that. I do know that the bios (if I'm understanding this properly) was overwritten by a linux installation previous to my ownership of the laptop. I did see a link somewhere but I couldn't figure out how or where to load it, so I've been ignoring that little problem.

[mojo jojo]

[quote author=DamselNDistress link=board=1;threadid=10571;start=0#msg95026 date=1120942198]
As far as bios goes, I don't know how to check that. I do know that the bios (if I'm understanding this properly) was overwritten by a linux installation previous to my ownership of the laptop. I did see a link somewhere but I couldn't figure out how or where to load it, so I've been ignoring that little problem.
[/quote]

to check your bios restart it and push "del" or "f2" when you first turn it on.

linux didn't overwrite your bios, it orverwrote the partitions you had before.

[trickster]

also, run the command

/sbin/lspci

That should give a list of the hardware devices on your system.

[Tyr_7BE]

Do you have XMMS on your system? Try opening up XMMS and go Options->Preferences. On the first page you'll see "Output Plugin". Try changing it to OSS and to ALSA, and try playing music with XMMS for both cases (an MP3 or ogg or something, NOT a cd!!). Do you hear any sound? If so, then it's a problem with Gnome's volume control applet. If not, it's a problem with ALSA.

Make sure all your volumes are good by running alsamixer beforehand.

[DamselNDistress]

[quote author=trickster link=board=1;threadid=10571;start=0#msg95030 date=1120962576]
also, run the command

/sbin/lspci

That should give a list of the hardware devices on your system.
[/quote]

This returns -

[root@localhost ~]# /sbin/lspci
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corp. 440BX/ZX/DX - 82443BX/ZX/DX Host bridge (AGP disabled) (rev 02)
00:07.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corp. 82371AB/EB/MB PIIX4 ISA (rev 02)
00:07.1 IDE interface: Intel Corp. 82371AB/EB/MB PIIX4 IDE (rev 01)
00:07.2 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82371AB/EB/MB PIIX4 USB (rev 01)
00:07.3 Bridge: Intel Corp. 82371AB/EB/MB PIIX4 ACPI (rev 02)
00:08.0 VGA compatible controller: Chips and Technologies F65555 HiQVPro (rev a8)
00:11.0 CardBus bridge: Texas Instruments PCI1220 (rev 02)
00:11.1 CardBus bridge: Texas Instruments PCI1220 (rev 02)
01:00.0 USB Controller: NEC Corporation USB (rev 43)
01:00.1 USB Controller: NEC Corporation USB (rev 43)
01:00.2 USB Controller: NEC Corporation USB 2.0 (rev 04)

There's a new hitch to all of this - of course. I'm working in KDE now, and I have some sound, I think. Here's what happens.

When KDE starts up I get a constant annoying sound from the speakers. Sounds like a constant drumbeat or a staccato system bell - like the beep gets repeated before it's finished - tatatatatatatatatatatatatatata.

This is what happened with Ubuntu, too. Still nothing in gnome, which seems to have been fouled up somehow overnight anyway, so....

The PCM level on the alsamixer adjusts the volume of this tatatata. So right now, it's all the way down.

I'm going to shut down now and try the bios thing.

[trickster]

The output of lspci shows all the devices on your system. However, none of the ones shown seem to be a soundcard. So my guess, as someone previously mentioned, is that the soundcard is disabled on the BIOS/CMOS.

Though I have never see this before (BIOS menu being accessible by software), it seems ou are right about the partition having been overwritten.

According to this link, somepeople mention having the same problem and thus, not being able to access the BIOS (and in your case, check and see if the sound card is enabled.)

They post a link, however, that says how to reinstall that partition. However, that might be dangerous as messing with the partitions can destroy your current ones. I'd suggest backing up your data before doing so.

This is a link with the software to reinstall the partition.
Also, This gentleman wrote a step by step procedure on how to set up the sound.

Hope that helps!

[DamselNDistress]

[quote author=The Great Mojo Jojo link=board=1;threadid=10571;start=0#msg95027 date=1120948590]
[quote author=DamselNDistress link=board=1;threadid=10571;start=0#msg95026 date=1120942198]
As far as bios goes, I don't know how to check that. I do know that the bios (if I'm understanding this properly) was overwritten by a linux installation previous to my ownership of the laptop. I did see a link somewhere but I couldn't figure out how or where to load it, so I've been ignoring that little problem.
[/quote]

to check your bios restart it and push "del" or "f2" when you first turn it on.

linux didn't overwrite your bios, it orverwrote the partitions you had before.
[/quote]
Tried this. Restarted with F2, DEL and F10 (which I saw somewhere was the way to get to the bios or diagnostics on the Armada 1700. (Which I have instead of the 1750 mentioned earlier, sorry.)

I pushed these right as the computer started - have a "Compaq" splash screen. It does not have a white blinky in the upper right hand corner, which (according to something I have seen somewhere) indicates that the bios or diagnostics is intact.

I'm sorry for the "seen somewhere" references, but I've been working on this problem for at least six months now, and I can't remember where I've picked up these little tidbits. I did find a reference yesterday to this being a problem with this Compaq setup - that the bios is loaded as a partition initially and if you don't manually partition to keep it then it gets overwritten, or hidden, sent into the bowels of the machine never to be heard from again.

Anyway, neither the F2 or F10 or DEL worked. Just took me to the blue "choose your os" screen, which had only one choice. Do I need to choose command and enter something?

One possible sign of hope - when I pushed the function keys at startup, they beeped at me. I'm taking this to mean that sound is enabled on some basic level.

Also, KDE now gives me a more pleasant dingadingadingadinga instead of the previous tatatatata. Still annoying.

Could I have some problem that is keeping me in constant error mode? Is there anyway to figure out what this is?

Again, thanks for all your help will this. I hope I'm not being too obtuse - if there were a linux-baby or linux-idiot board I'd quit bothering y'all.