I have come back to RedHat Linux after several years (utilized 5.2 back in 1999) and am trying to get this installation of RedHat Linux 9 to recognize my Yamaha OPL-SAx soundcard. This card has a game port on it as well. I checked its config under Windows 98 and it is set for IRQ 9 and 11 there. I made sure that during POST IRQ's 9 and 11 are set in the BIOS to Legasy/ISA (the card is in an ISA slot). (This is a Pentium 233 with a couple of ISA and PCI slots). Before, those two IRQ's were set to PNP BIOS. Amazingly, Windows 98 still boots with this and no IRQ conflicts. But this did not clear my problem. Still no sound in my installation of RedHat. I experienced the same problem with Mandrake 10 as well.

1. sndconfig does not get installed on my system by default. It is on CD #3. I have tried to install it with RPM - RPM responds with "Updating system packages" when I double click the file on the /mnt/cdrom and then just disappears! And still, sndconfig is not under /usr/sbin. I have tried running it directly from the CD with no luck, and copying it to my hard drive -still no luck. Yes, I am logged in as root when I tried this. I have not tried the actual RPM command on the command line.

2. In Mandrake 10, I was able to run sndconfig and it flat out told me I didn't have a soundcard installed.

3. In this RedHat I cannot find the isapnp file, or even if I should be looking for it in the first place! But it's not there either. Nor would I know how to alter it to make it recognize the soundcard. (I am using the "find" command for all this).

4. So far I have utilized the graphical interface for installation - and it runs "kudzu" which insists my soundcard is a TOPTEK model. It does not give me an option to change it. When I click on "configure" it happily configures it as a TOPTEK. My other options are to ignore it and continue on with the installation. If I ignored it, would the installation automatically include sndconfig as a installed package?

5. Should I try a command line installation and perhaps I'll have the opportunity to configure it there?

6. I really need sound enabled on this machine under RedHat 9. Help! (Thanks for your time).

Hi alex2325, welcome to lq. Have you tried a pnpdump? That should produce the isapnp file. Something else you may want to look into is the alsa packages. You can read more here.

http://www.alsa-project.org/

good luck.

Thank you Peacedog for the advice. I re-installed this Linux but was unable to find pnpdump (not really sure how you run this). One good bit of news though - I was able to install sndconfig using RPM from the command line. That was so much easier for me (used to working from the command line in Solaris and AIX). When I ran sndconfig it did ask me to specify the jumper settings on the soundcard. Guess I'm going to have to open the computer up no matter what.

Also, I noticed that when my system boots (after POST and before the MBR is accessed) it briefly spits out that my soundcard is INDEED a Toptek model. Now in Windows 98 it uses the Yamaha OPL3-SAx driver to make the card work. So I'm a little confused. Like I mentioned before - I have my BIOS set so that IRQ 9 and 11 are Legacy/ISA. The only reason I did that is because I made note of the system IRQ configuration while running Windows 98. I really don't know how the card is jumpered - but I noticed that sndconfig really looks like it's asking for me to specify the physical jumper settings. The GUI it uses looks like an old-timey IBM XP diagnostic program we used to use to troubleshoot computers way way back.

I do believe this Bad Baby is going to have to be in the kitchen for a while torn apart until I figure this out. I really do need sound to work on this machine. I am planning on networking it and using it as an MP3 jukebox hooked to the living room stereo. Why? Because it's a challenge and I just might pull it off after all.

If anyone has advice on this hardware aspect, please let me know. Thanks again Peacedog and I am planning on researching ALSA this weekend. The pnpdump thing I just don't know about. Do I run that under "vmlinuz"? I remember in Solaris we ran "vmunix" which allowed us some important troubleshooting tools you couldn't access even in Single User mode. Thank you all for your time and help.

For pnpdump have a look here.

http://www.roestock.demon.co.uk/isap...pnpdump.8.html

http://linux-sxs.org/housekeeping/pnpdump.html

Alsa may also be an option.
good luck.

Last night I started with good intentions (looking for pnpdump) and I spent all day at the same time downloading Suse Linux Eval CD just to try for grins and see if it would recognize the soundcard right off. It booted fine and ran and I tried configuring the board thru it. I noticed my CD-RW would slow down and then speed up. I went to gracefully shutdown (logoff) and the darn cd partially ejected and you know what? Now the darn thing won't even recognize a CD when inserted (in DOS mode, full blown Windows, Linux, or whathaveyou!).

Please let me know what you think about maybe a dirty lens now, a firmware screw-up created from running the Live Eval of Suse, or that maybe my CD-RW just plain kicked the bucket. Thanks again, I appreciate the advice - gotta get thru this now. I will not give up.

Could be just a dead cdrw, check the manufacturers website for firmware or known bugs. Check suse's errata for any such bugs as well. I've never heard of suse having a problem with cd roms of any type, but about a year or so ago mandrake 9.2 had some problems with lg drives. A little googling should produce something.
good luck.

Thank you Peacedog. I will get back with you and everyone sometime this next week - will concentrate on this CD-RW prob right now. I'll be back. Thanks again.

Your welcome, I've just found out that suse doesn't have much of an errata page. With that in mind googling and a search of the suse forums for a similar problem may help.

http://forums.suselinuxsupport.de/in...?act=Search&f=

Searching these forums wouldn't be a bad idea either.
good luck.