Installing SiS audio driver
 

I have no sound from my new Shuttle SS51G mini running Mandrake 8.2. I found the Linux drivers at the SiS website for my chipset (7012). I do know that I have ac97 sound enabled in the bios and soundcard.o and ac97_codec modules.

The readme file is most confusing to this n00b.

"Check that you have kernel-source in /usr/src/x.x.x" What am I checking for (what is kernel-source?) and with what do I replace x.x.x.?

"Change linux_src_directory to correct path in "config.in" What is the correct path and how do I do it?

"Modify the file "/etc/modules.conf". Add two lines into it :
alias sound-slot-0 sis7012" This looks like one line to me. Why do they call it two?

"Reboot your computer and configurate sis7012." How do you "configurate"?

"Check that you have kernel-source in /usr/src/x.x.x"

They mean that you have to have a copy of the linux kernel. This is normally put in /usr/src/linux.

On mandrake you have to download a kernel from http://www.kernel.org heres the latest stable version 2.4.19.

>"Modify the file "/etc/modules.conf". Add two lines into it :
alias sound-slot-0 sis7012" This looks like one line to me. Why do they call it two?
Hmm, maybe they smoked funny tobacco they day they made the readme....

Normally you don´t have configure a module, so there i can´t help you.

The thing that you have got is a "kernel module" kernel modules a the drivers for your system which is being loaded when the system boots. But since the kernel in mandy 8.2 is 2.4.18 (isn´t it?). IT should be better if you could get a hold of that one, don´t know if you can get older versions on kernel.org.

Thanks for your reply. Now I'm even more confused.

When I install Mandrake 8.2 don't I install the 2.4.18-6 kernel?

How can I run Linux at all if I don't have the kernel installed?

OH sorry. Yes off course you have the kernel (otherwise you wouldn´t run linux :))

What i ment was that you install the source for the kernel, that has to be compiled, to be used.

You should actually check out how to compile at your own, it´s not that difficult, and you can optimize your computer pretty much. Check http://www.linuxnewbie.org .

I´m not so deep into installing modules (drivers) into linux, since i have never had to use 3rd part modules, put try to search google , linuxnewbie.org or http://www.tldp.org there´s pretty much info on it.

it should work with oss and the trident driver.Don't know about alsa.I tried once for the heck of it but didn't further investigate since I don't use it.
Oss and the trident driver should be in your mdk kernel by default.

How do I find these and how do I "activate" them? I did lsmod and neither of them were listed.

I fear that i can't be much help to get sound working with mdk - got no idea how it is configured there.
You can try a search here or/and at google for mandrake sound and sis or trident.
Alternatively just open a soundapp like xmms with a terminal as root and see what errormessages it spits out.

This thread has gotten a little off track. I would like help understanding the instructions in the readme file I originally posted so I can see if the sis driver solves my problem.

Unless someone has another solution to get my sound working besides the sis driver.