day 1: I have my xp running only. I already reserved some unallocated hard disk space for Linux use.
day 2 yesterday: Assume I installed Linux Mint and it is now running along side with xp (sort of dual boot)
day 3 today: I encounter at least one problem (no sound) while running Linux. No sound problem when running XP. What can I do?


option a) IF I suspect I was using the wrong media when installing Linux on day 2. Assuming I'd re-generated a new media (CD or USB) and want to re-install. I am experienced how to re-install in case it is a dual boot between Win7 and Linux because there is a boot partition I can update. In my case it is dual booting with XP I am unsure where the trick is as there is no boot partition. please advise the steps I should take.

option b) If I don't re-install Linux are there ways to ask Mint to re-install drivers like what we can with XP? I think
in XP there is an update drivers function. Usually I can also remove it and let the system re-detects the requirements and it will then install the correct drivers again.

Thanks in advance to help this newbie.

There also an "add drivers" option in Mint just search "drivers" in the app search bar

Thanks for reply and I shall try.

Does anyone have an answer to the original request: "proper steps to re-install Linux onto a system that has ALREADY setup to dual boot Linux + XP"?

I am unsure if I have to make the system to "forget" it was already setup for dual boot. I can easily delete the Linux partition using GPART but I wonder if it will mess things up.

Apparently the following link has helped me:
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-...t-environment/

The steps are:
1) delete Linux Partitions
2) Run the recovery console from Windows XP CD and then type fixmbr when at the command prompt

Welcome your comments.

that is if you want to get back your booting into just xp, repair boot I think is the command you'll also need to run to while your in the windows repair mode, I know I did. But it was not xp that i did that with so, you might want to google that to insure that. plus I do not remember the exaict syntax to type but it has to do with repairing the boot sector for windows, after you repair the mbr

I found it for yaa

then look under Related Topics look for Fixboot

How about diagnosing and fixing the problem? Instead of reinstalling - which probably won't fix anything anyhow.

First test: run a liveCD. Do you have sound?

2 members found this post helpful.

Some tips here to try: https://itsfoss.com/fix-sound-ubuntu-1304-quick-tip/

Thanks for your having an interest.

I've success in system reset (the above 2 steps I found do work).

Re-install is currently in progress. Therefore I can no long run your suggested test as the first step. But it does not stop me to run a similar test either based on a live CD or based on a Linux Mint bootable USB. I'll try doing it after the re-installation is completed.

Yes. I've followed all the stated instructions from the above link but it did not help.
From the many feedback replies to this "how to" link it indicates the fix is only hit and miss.

Did you never have sound? Or did you have sound at one point and it went away for reasons you're unsure of? And since you've now reinstalled it, do you have sound now?

If you had sound initially but now it's gone, then you'd likely need to mess around with a mixer to raise the sound levels or whatever. If you never had sound, and still don't after a reinstall, then you'd need to check what your sound device is and figure out if there are drivers that need to be installed.

Try the following commands: "sudo lspci | grep Audio" or "sudo lshw | grep Audio" or "sudo dmidecode | grep Audio". If it shows a result, then run the command without the "grep Audio" addition to get the full output (and then search for the readout on the Audio stuff). From it, I get the following,

An internet search for "Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7" brings up the following site, showing that my sound should work for me.

Back in the days when ALSA was the main system for Linux, one could always rely on "alsaconf". Alas, those days are gone. Seems Pulseaudio is more in use now for some Linux systems (I think). Does your panel on your desktop have a sound control app on it? If not, or even if it does (and especially if sound is not working) then try installing "pavucontrol" and enabling that in the panel (if using XFCE, I don't know about Cinnamon or others regarding the desktop settings). See link that mentions this as a possible solution to sound issues in Mint -- the site refers to the Cinnamon desktop, but it also applies in XFCE, dunno about KDE or MATE though, but I'm guessing it may help regardless. It might be useful to let us know what desktop you're using.

1 members found this post helpful.

Pulseaudio is just a layer, without ALSA there will be no sound.

if you haven't tried this well here ya go
because a LOT of the times all it is is the volume is muted on start up by default one just needs to unmute it

pulseaudio pavucontrol

MINT LINUX

Unmute the sound card using the ALSA utils

Thanks for the clarification. My main point was to acknowledge Pulseaudio and try pauvcontrol.

Sorry.

A) Hi there. It never has sound and never a problem linked with mute/unmute. Linux favour under testing is Mint with Mate desktop, 32 bit Kernel. As initially expected, re-install had not helped (I had liked to because I already tried out fixes using commands and was afraid of having something messed up by those "fixes").

B) the following is the lspci command output for my case:
00:1e.2 Multimedia audio controller: Intel Corporation 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) AC'97 Audio Controller (rev 03)
Subsystem: Hewlett-Packard Company 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) AC'97 Audio Controller
Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 0, IRQ 21
I/O ports at 1000 [size=256]
I/O ports at 1400 [size=64]
Memory at cfdc0400 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=512]
Memory at cfdc0600 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=256]
Capabilities: <access denied>
Kernel driver in use: snd_intel8x0
Kernel modules: snd_intel8x0

I am unsure where I can check whether MINT needs drivers for the build-in sound card of this old HP Dx6120 computer for our mum. ARE THERE SOMEONE WHO KNOW?

By the way, thanks for someone's idea to use a live CD test to avoid messing up the system in the disk during application of fixes.