LinuxQuestions.org - Sound not working on a7n8x motherboard, slackware

- Linux - Hardware (https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-hardware-18/)

- - Sound not working on a7n8x motherboard, slackware (https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-hardware-18/sound-not-working-on-a7n8x-motherboard-slackware-143818/)

Sound not working on a7n8x motherboard, slackware

Hi all! I recently took the plunge and wiped my windows XP, then replaced it with slackware. This is my first time configuring linux as a desktop, not a webserver, so I am not all that good with peripherals..the problem I have is with my a7n8x motherboard(also has 2500+ barton, 512 MB pc3500 RAM, geforce4 ti-4200 8x vid card). The onboard sound doesnt work! I installed the tarballed drivers from nvidia's site, and the GART and nvnet drivers work great, but no sound! In my kernel messages, I have "in function nvaudio_init_module" repeated several times, and no sound! My desktop interface is KDE, just FYI. ANy help would be appreciated!

Re: Sound not working on a7n8x motherboard, slackware

Quote:

Originally posted by orbitalnerd
Hi all! I recently took the plunge and wiped my windows XP, then replaced it with slackware. This is my first time configuring linux as a desktop, not a webserver, so I am not all that good with peripherals..the problem I have is with my a7n8x motherboard(also has 2500+ barton, 512 MB pc3500 RAM, geforce4 ti-4200 8x vid card). The onboard sound doesnt work! I installed the tarballed drivers from nvidia's site, and the GART and nvnet drivers work great, but no sound! In my kernel messages, I have "in function nvaudio_init_module" repeated several times, and no sound! My desktop interface is KDE, just FYI. ANy help would be appreciated!

Welcome to LQ!

Please post the output of
# lspci
to determine which soundcard you have. I believe it's an Intel 810, but not certain.
I've used the ALSA drivers for sound under Slack and they work just fine. The link is
ALSA and you'll need to get the 3 files in the Stable release column -> Driver, Library, Utilities
then go to Supported soundcards and enter your card under 'Choose manufacturer for more details'
then follow the directions for your particular chipset.

Thanks bud! I will try that out right away...

alsa went in ok, but im still not getting any sound, here is the output from lspci...thank you again!

00:00.0 Host bridge: nVidia Corporation: Unknown device 01e0 (rev c1)
00:00.1 RAM memory: nVidia Corporation: Unknown device 01eb (rev c1)
00:00.2 RAM memory: nVidia Corporation: Unknown device 01ee (rev c1)
00:00.3 RAM memory: nVidia Corporation: Unknown device 01ed (rev c1)
00:00.4 RAM memory: nVidia Corporation: Unknown device 01ec (rev c1)
00:00.5 RAM memory: nVidia Corporation: Unknown device 01ef (rev c1)
00:01.0 ISA bridge: nVidia Corporation nForce2 ISA Bridge (rev a4)
00:01.1 SMBus: nVidia Corporation nForce2 SMBus (MCP) (rev a2)
00:02.0 USB Controller: nVidia Corporation nForce2 USB Controller (rev a4)
00:02.1 USB Controller: nVidia Corporation nForce2 USB Controller (rev a4)
00:02.2 USB Controller: nVidia Corporation nForce2 USB Controller (rev a4)
00:04.0 Ethernet controller: nVidia Corporation nForce2 Ethernet Controller (rev a1)
00:05.0 Multimedia audio controller: nVidia Corporation nForce MultiMedia audio [Via VT82C686B] (rev a2)
00:06.0 Multimedia audio controller: nVidia Corporation nForce2 AC97 Audio Controler (MCP) (rev a1)
00:08.0 PCI bridge: nVidia Corporation: Unknown device 006c (rev a3)
00:09.0 IDE interface: nVidia Corporation nForce2 IDE (rev a2)
00:0d.0 FireWire (IEEE 1394): nVidia Corporation nForce2 FireWire (IEEE 1394) Controller (rev a3)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: nVidia Corporation nForce2 AGP (rev c1)
01:07.0 Multimedia video controller: Conexant: Unknown device 8800 (rev 03)
02:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation NV28 [GeForce4 Ti 4200 AGP 8x] (rev a1)
root@bigdog:~#

Did you use these ALSA directions for the via82c686?

I was guessing at your module, because ASUS didn't list it on their website.
That's why I asked for the output of # lspci first. Which set of instructions did
you use? If Intel, we can fix it - just let us know.

After you insert the modules, you must run as normal user ->
$ alsamixer
and unmute all the channels with the M key of your keyboard, and then turn up the volume.
Next, as super user (su) (root) run ->
# alsactrl store
so that your sound settings will be stored for the next time you reboot.

Have you done these things and still have no sound?

yeah I sure did, something is messed up..:)

Quote:

Originally posted by orbitalnerd
yeah I sure did, something is messed up..:)

Please post the output of ->

Just the sound section of /etc/rc.d/rc.modules and it will look like ->

Code:

$ cat /etc/rc.d/rc.modules

<snip, snip>

### OSS Sound support ###

### (Old Sound System ;-)

# Sound Blaster Pro/16 support:

#/sbin/modprobe sb io=0x220 irq=5 dma=3 dma16=5 mpu_io=0x300

# Sound Blaster Live support:

/sbin/modprobe emu10k1

# MAD16 support:

#/sbin/modprobe mad16 io=0x530 irq=7 dma=0 dma16=1

# AD1816(A) sound driver:

#/sbin/modprobe modprobe ad1816 io=0x530 irq=5 dma=1 dma2=3 ad1816_clockfreq=33000

# Crystal CS4232 based (PnP) cards:

#/sbin/modprobe cs4232

# ES1370 support, such as Sound Blaster 128PCI:

#/sbin/modprobe es1370

# ES1371 support, such as Sound Blaster 64V PCI:

#/sbin/modprobe es1371

# ESS Maestro, Maestro2, Maestro2E:

#/sbin/modprobe maestro

# ESS Maestro3/Allegro:

#/sbin/modprobe maestro3

# VIA VT82Cxxx Audio Controller

#/sbin/modprobe via82cxxx_audio

# (For information on configuring other sound cards with Linux,

# see the documentation in /usr/src/linux/Documentation/sound/,

# and /usr/src/linux/Documentation/Configure.help.

<snip, snip>

and in the sound section of your present kernel config file, look to see if you have
sound as a module or not. If you still have the default kernel, the file will be here ->

Code:

$ cat /boot/config-ide-2.4.22

<snip, snip>

# Sound

#

CONFIG_SOUND=m

<snip, snip>

Do you still have the default kernel?

asus a7n8x uses Via VT82C686B which does work in my Red Hat Linux 9.0 without any problem at all.
this is the soundcard part in my /etc/modules.conf
alias sound-slot-0 i810_audio
post-install sound-slot-0 /bin/aumix-minimal -f /etc/.aumixrc -L >/dev/null 2>&1 || :
pre-remove sound-slot-0 /bin/aumix-minimal -f /etc/.aumixrc -S >/dev/null 2>&1 || :

hope it helps or just "modprobe i810_audio" manually and see if it gets your sound card working.

Quote:

Originally posted by orbitalnerd
something is messed up..

The way I was telling you to get sound was using ALSA. It seems that the nVidia Linux nForce Driver has sound support.
After reading tricky_linux reply I browsed to the Nvidia site and read, because that mobo is not an Intel chipset, and
I didn't see how his advice could work for your nVidia nForce2-S chipset mobo.

You need to read this nVidia help file thoroughly for it tells you what to do. Here's just a little snipet, which let me
know you don't use the correct module for the VT82C686B sound chip, but rather, the one that tricky_linux
states that's acutally for the Intel chipset modo. I've found Nvidia to be very strange in their drivers. :{

Quote:

What the Package Does

This package will build a network driver and an audio driver, then place them in the appropriate locations for loadable kernel modules. The network driver is from NVIDIA, the audio driver is based on the open source i810 audio driver but has been modified to work with NVIDIA hardware. A kernel patch to enable GART support on nForce chipsets is also supplied, this patch must be merged into the kernel to be used.

The binary packages will also update the modules configuration file, commenting out existing network, audio and usb entries, and add entries for the new drivers. A backup file is created before any changes are made to the configuration file. If the binary package is uninstalled, the package attempts to restore the original version of the file from this backup.

The tar files don't try to modify the module configuration files. You should make sure the following lines are in the configuration file (it will be named /etc/modules.conf on most current distributions):

* alias eth0 nvnet
* alias sound-slot-0 nvaudio
* alias usb-interface usb-ohci

Neither the binary nor the source packages will load the kernel drivers during the installation. You can do this manually using insmod or modprobe. (USAGE: 'insmod modulename' or 'modprobe modulename') Upon reboot, the kernel modules should insert themselves automatically.

I think you should read the information in that file and maybe even print it, then see if you can get sound that way.

Thanks tricky_linux for your post.

you could compile nvaudio if you compiled Intel, NVIDIA sound support in your kernel.
it does support NVIDIA because when you compile the sound support the Intel and NVIDIA's. they use same driver or i810_audio.
you must know that if you ever compile a 2.4.2* series kernel .