i have an abit micro atx motherboard(NF-M2S) with dream linux installed on it. everything works perfectly except the sound device. it has a built in sound card. i don't won't to go buy a sound card to add to it, it may not work as well, besides the built in one is 7.1 hd audio sound card by realtek. i went to their site and downloaded the driver they have for linux, but i don't know how to install it. i'm an ex-windows doof, i'm used to everything installing itself without any work on my part. i'm trying to learn the ropes, but am just a novice. can someone help me with my seemingly helpless state?????

I'am fairly sure the web site where you d/l the drivers has a readme file with instructions on how to install.

When you post a question like this you need to put in way more details on your machine specs and you need to be specific. For example you would need to specify the file names you downloaded, which company?

With short post like these, many experts won't even bother to answer you.

Give some details. You'll have more success.

You may want to look a other threads to familiarize yourself with a proper posting, or the forum rule section on this mather.

Otherwise people may want to help you, but they cannot guess what they don't know.

motherboard specs:
*CPU
Socket AM2 Processor dual core(which is connected)
*Chipset
NVIDIA GeForce®6100+405 single chip
*Memory
- 2 X 240-pin DIMM sockets support max. memory capacity 2GB
- Supports Dual channel DDR2 800/667/533 Un-buffered ECC/Non-ECC memory (1 GIG of RAM)
* Graphics
- Integrated NVIDIA GeForce®6100 Graphics
- Windows® Vista Premium H/W Ready
* LAN
- On board GbE LAN
* Audio
- On board HD 7.1 CH Audio CODEC
* Expansion Slots
- 1 x PCI-E X16 (PCI-E X 8 bandwidth)
- 1 x PCI-E X1
- 2 x PCI
*HDD
Seagate Baracuda 160 GB @ 3GB/s

-all my sound, lan/network card, ond so forth are onboard. i don't have anything added to the pci slots.

-this is the driver source code which i don't know how to use:

The source code copy from www.alsa-project.org. ver:3.3-4
Linux Source Code for ALC audio codec
Support Codec list:
====AC97 Codec=====
ALC100,100P
ALC200,200P
ALC650D
ALC650E
ALC650F
ALC650
ALC655
ALC653
ALC658
ALC658D
ALC850
ALC101
ALC202
ALC250
ALC203

====HD Audio codec ====
ALC260
ALC262
ALC268
ALC660
ALC660VD
ALC861
ALC861VD
ALC880
ALC882
ALC883
ALC885
ALC888
ALC889A

Installation:
This Source Code is from www.alsa-project.org.
For driver installation, please follow below steps.

Automatic install:
execute

./install

Manual install:
Step 1. unzip source code
tar xfvj alsa-driver-1.0.xx.tar.bz2

Step 2. Turn on sound support (soundcore module, default turn on)

Step 3. Complied source code
a. cd alsa-driver-1.0.xx
b. ./configure
c. make
d. make install
e. ./snddevices

Step 4. Edit your /etc/modules.conf or conf.modules depending on the distribution
(Please refer to the attached modules.conf)

snd-xxxx is the card ID.

-- Azalia controller --ALC880 ALC882 ALC260 ALC262 ALC883 ALC885 ALC888
--- Intel ICH6 ICH7 ---------
snd-hda-intel
--- ATI chipset -----
snd-atiixp

-- AC97 controller --ALC655 ALC650 ALC250 ALC255
--- Intel ICH6 ICH7 , SiS 7012 and NVidia----------
snd-intel8x0
--- Via8233 Via686a -------------------------------
snd-via82xx
--- ATI Chipset -------------------------------
snd-atiixp

Copy and paste this to the bottom of your /etc/modules.conf or /etc/modprobe.conf file.
# ALSA portion
alias char-major-116 snd
alias snd-card-0 snd-xxxx
# OSS/Free portion
alias char-major-14 soundcore
alias sound-slot-0 snd-card-0
# card #1
alias sound-service-0-0 snd-mixer-oss
alias sound-service-0-1 snd-seq-oss
alias sound-service-0-3 snd-pcm-oss
alias sound-service-0-8 snd-seq-oss
alias sound-service-0-12 snd-pcm-oss

Step 5. reboot your machine

Step 6. Use the alsamixer the disable mute (All audio line default is mute)
*Must to compile and to install the ALSA library and utility. (Use automatic install is already install)
excute alsamixer

Note: 1. The most detail information, can refer the alsa-kernel/Documenttation/ALSA-Configuration.txt in the azx-021705.tar.bz2.
2. Kernel Version must be 2.2.14 or later.
3. All mixer channels are muted by default. You must use a native
or OSS mixer program to unmute appropriate channels.
4. If can not compile the source code, try to rename the /usr/src/linux-2.x -> /usr/src/linux.
5. The driver added to support the SPDIF functoin.
6. a. You can download the alsa-lib-1.0.9 and alsa-utils-1.0.9a form the www.alsa-project.org, then unzip and install them.
b. Suggest use "alsamixer" to control mixer function.
c. Used "alsaconf" can autodetect which drive you need to install (step 4).
7. SUSE Distribution must install the ncurses package.

i have the abit drivers cd that came with the motherboard but don't know how to install them, being that i'm a linux newbie. i think that's about it. thanks

I did some research and users having similar problems updated their Alsa driver to version 1.0.14 and solved the problem.

Although it is always a possibility, having to compile software and drivers by hand yourself is not necessary nowadays in modern Unix/Linux distributions. Albeit sometimes, in very rare case it is the only way, but you need to be somewhat knowledgeable.

Dream Linux is a Debian based distribution and comes with the Debian package managers such as apt-get from the command line and Synaptic with a GUI. Both are very easy to use. (Synaptic is in your program menu)

Now you need to open Synaptic (it will ask for your root password) and enter "alsa" in the search box. This will show you everything alsa. You can also tell Synaptic to only show installed packages so you won't see all that is available to install.

You should be able to see your current installed version and it will also show any new available versions. If you see a more recent version is available, select it to be installed and click on "apply" on the toolbar above.

(As always reboot your machine if you install a new hardware driver)

Report back on your results.

tried what you said but the latest version that it's showing is 1.0.3-5 . what about the file i pasted to the message? that has the driver i need, i just don't know how to use it.

Then you will have to search for a .deb package yourself on google. Are your software repositories all configured for Synaptics?

If you don't have all the sources you are missing software packages.

What you pasted is a method to compile a driver by hand. I don't reccommend it. You need a package created for your distribution (Debian)

You seem very new to Linux and you have to learn new ways of doing things. You are going to have to read and research yourself.

Until you are familiar enough. Why don't you just get yourself a good old 16 bit PCI audio card with a CMI chipset and that'll work fine. Last time I looked they cost about 15$.

You will have sound and time to learn your new OS.

well, can't i just add repositories to synaptic to update alsa? i have alsa v. 1.0.13-5 right now, but the available v.1.0.14 exist.aslo, ehrn i run alsa, it doesn't list my soundcard. can't i just add my sound card to the soundcard list in alsa? yes i'm new to linux, but 'm not afraid to try things. i'm more familiar with ubuntu. dream linux is a combo of debian and xfce. it not very common, so i don't think that there's a debian package that i can use. i've been googling for the past week and a ahlf now. no luck as of yet. the only way is if some one is willing to go out on a limb to help me out. as far as another soundcard, who's to say that the one i add will be picked up by dreamlinux? thanks again.

Had to manually install my driver. But now I installed Dreamlinux beta 3 and it auto configed. Thanks -Kevin