[ltp] Help, no sound fc4, A20m

[Bert Haskins]

Thanks Helen.
Thanks Jiang
Well, I upgraded a few apps that really should not have had anything to do
with this problem and the sound now works!

Go figure

Helen, more follows

Helen Borrie wrote:

> At 11:24 PM 3/09/2005 -0400, you wrote:
>
>>> 2) Shut down any [gui setup interface] and any applications that may 
>>> be accessing the sound driver. Make sure to check the taskbar for 
>>> any running apps like Kmix volume level or Amarok... There's a 
>>> command to check what apps are running, but I can't remember what it 
>>> is.
>>
>>
>> top.. and it doesn't show any sound aps running
>
>
> Use ps.  top only shows the top (n) users of cpu. 

This is weird:
fuser /dev/dsp is accepted with no messages
ps shows
2955 pts/2    00:00:00 bash
2990 pts/2    00:00:00 ps

modeprobe - r snd-cs46xx
still gives:
FATAL: Module snd_cs46xx is in use.
FATAL: Error running remove command for snd_cs46xx

So is this true?
The module is in use but nothing is using it?

>>
>> Alsa is running... I can do aplay ( a *.wav file ) and it plays... 
>> dead silent.
>> xmms also runs, plays all the way through the wav file also... dead 
>> silent.
>
>
> OK, you are where I am right now with the sound driver for *my* 
> Thinkpad (not the same one as you are dealing with).  Like you, I 
> think there is a missing something.  I *have* had sound working past 
> this point, before my unsuccessful trial of Mandriva 2005 last weekend.
>
> In older Linuxen, we had sndconfig.  I wish we could get it back.  
> :-(  My big frustration is that I'm on Mandrake and its drakconf 
> front-end to the hardware and system configuration is tres, tres 
> buggy.  There's a "System" tool that is supposed to report running 
> services and allow you to start and stop them.  In summary, it is 
> totally inaccurate and useless about what is happening on the system.
>
>
>>> 5) Type "cd /sbin" to go to the sbin directory
>>> Type "./lsmod" to find what sound module is running. mine had 
>>> 'snd-CS46xx 81896 7'
>>> Type "./modprobe -r snd-CS46xx" to remove the sound module and 
>>> change 'snd-CS46xx' to whatever yours is from the lsmod command if 
>>> necessary
>>
>>
>> This is interesting, if I do modeprobe - r snd-cs46xx
>> I get:
>> FATAL: Module snd_cs46xx is in use.
>> FATAL: Error running remove command for snd_cs46xx
>>
>> This happens if I do it right after boot-up, top reports 2 running
>> and shows X, rhn-applet-gui, gnome-terminal, top , init
>> hald nifd show up now and then.
>>
>> I think that this is ( Module snd_cs46xx is in use ) must be the 
>> problem.
>> Now how do I find out what is using it?
>
>
> Again, try ps, e.g.
>
> ps -ax | grep alsa
>
> and also grep on various other sound components that you do know of.
>
>
>> One other strange thing, if I press either the A20Ms volume up or 
>> down buttons,
>> I get a speaker beep.
>
>
> Lucky you.  I got either no response or a piercing squeal that 
> wouldn't go away except by a halt -np 

A "piercing squeal" is usually microphone feedback.
Try lowering the gain.

>
>
> When I get time, I'm going to go through everything and try to work 
> out what is really happening under the hood.  I'm thinking about 
> pulling mine back to a 2.4 kernel, not least for the smaller 
> footprint.  The 2.6 kernel seems to be fine on my P4 notebook (w. 1.5 
> Gb RAM) and on my AMD 2.2 GHz server (with 2.5 Gb) so I'm tending to 
> accept that a 256Mb with a 333 Mhz cpu might just be a tad 
> overwhelmed, even if it *is* a Thinkpad.
>
> Is there some irrational temptation to try and put our vintage TPs at 
> the bleeding edge and subject them to the rigours of the fattest 
> kernel ever?  Really, my Thinkpad's raison d'etre is to be a 
> transportable database server for conference/boardroom demos and 
> such.  It does that flawlessly.  I should just get happy and stop 
> toying with it.  Do Thinkpads turn everyone into a dilettante, or is 
> it just me?  :-) 

Maybe its something like the story about the guy who hit himself on the 
head with a hammer because it felt
SO GOOD when he stopped.

Thanks,
   Bert

>
>
> Helen
>