Sound problem [SOLVED!]

[sylvanus]

Alsasound loads up modules fine, but gnome-volume-manager doesn't detect it. When i run "cat /dev/urandom > /dev/dsp", there is no sound. I'm using archck-sources-2.6.15-r1

I'm not sure whether the problem lies with alsa-utils or gnome-volume-manager. I've tried recompiling both of them, tried using alsa-driver, but no luck
In the past, it worked. But after reformatting, sound doesn't seem to work anymore. It can't be the card, cuz I can hear the system sounds (AC Adapter plugged in/out)

Sound card:

[potatoface]

i had problems with alsa too some time ago.
there are problems when you use the in-kernel driver...
i would try to recompile alsa-lib, alsa-headers and alsa-utils (although you have done it before...)
i would use alsa-mixer rather than gnome-volume-manager. on my system alsa-mixer works and gnome-volume-manager not..

hope could help you a bit..
_________________
The generation of random numbers is too important to be left to chance.
Adopt an unanswered post.

[sylvanus]

erm, well did that but still doesn't work. Alsamixer shows Master and PCM 100% but there's still no sound

[potatoface]

[dumb question]
have you unmuted the channels?
[/dumb question]
_________________
The generation of random numbers is too important to be left to chance.
Adopt an unanswered post.

[sylvanus]

yep, all of them in fact

[sylvanus]

btw, I'm using reiser4 + jackass-2005.2 (not sure if this is the cause)

[sylvanus]

Just managed to solve it after reading a previous post

[XioXouS]

I have a laptop that has used the alsa-driver package with ALSA_CARDS="intel8x0" for well over a year without any problems until just the other day (2006-01-14 or 2006-01-15). The modules still load fine and I can aplay a .wav file with out any error messages, but there is no sound, even though master and pcm are both at full blast and unmuted - I've also tried several other combinations as suggested. I don't have those mixer controls that you referenced, although I seem to remember seeing them in the past, but then again I might be imagining that. Has anyone else had this problem or have _any_ ideas of what I should do to try and fix it?

Currently its using alsa-driver-1.0.10

Here's a list of things I've tried so far without success:

-rebuild with newer alsa-driver (1.0.11_rc2)
-rebuild with an older one (1.0.10_rc3)
-tried the enable parameter on the snd_intel8x0 module
-in kernel modules (vanilla-sources-2.6.14, suspend2-source-2.6.14-r7, archck-source-2.6.15_p2 = current)
-lapic kernel parameter (a wild guess, but in the past my laptop operated with this disabled by the bios, and usually when i tried to use the multimedia keys on the keyboard the bios reports that they're all muted or only at one notch in nice little osd sort of thing, even though alsa was playing just fine. Now they report 1/2 volume, but that may have changed months ago for all I know, and may not have any bearing on this).

I'm about to try Windows on another hd to try and see if its operating system related.

Needless to say, I'm very frustrated, so any thoughts would be most welcome.

[XioXouS]

I haven't tried in it Windows yet, but here's some other things I can say:

Before I load the modules the BIOS keys show that the Volume is Muted. Once I load the modules they say they're at 3 bars, or about half volume, but I can't actually hear anything, not even static. This is true even with alsa-drivers as far back as 1.07 and when using a Live-CD, which I assumed would be less drastic than trying to install windows but still give a good test. It seems that Windows would be my last definitive test, but so far, except for the fact that it still loads fine and shows up in lspci, it really seems like I've now got a laptop with a dead soundcard.