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Having trouble installing a piece of hardware? Want to know if that peripheral is compatible with Linux?

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Old 04-16-2003, 04:59 PM   #16
lezek
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Quote:
Originally posted by yowwww
there should be at least one place where you can connect an audio cable (it is black and has a very thin, flat shape.
Not on a Compaq motherboard. If you're using onboard sound, you're almost certainly out of luck - but by all means check the manual.
 
Old 04-18-2003, 05:31 PM   #17
tktim
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Linux not able to keep up with Intel?

I may not understand this completely, but it looks like Linux or Linux Applications are not able to keep up with Intel.

Intel has released new chipsets that have graphics and 6 channel Dolby Digital sound included in them. There is no need for an external sound card or graphics card. It seems that the intent of Intel was to integrate all of this so cables would not be necessary, lower costs and more reliable functions, etc. I think the intent of Intel was to use the ribbon cables from the CD, and DVD. I think extra cables for these things are a thing of the past for Intel.

Right?

Not sure if it's a Kernel or Application (KDE, GNOME) problem on Linux. I think the Kernel supports Intel 845 and ICH4 in general.

400Mhz Bus
Intel® 845GL chipset w/Intel® Extreme Graphics
Intel® 82801DB I/O Controller Hub 4 (ICH4)
AC97
 
Old 04-18-2003, 06:48 PM   #18
lezek
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Quote:
Originally posted by tktim
[B]Linux not able to keep up with Intel?

I may not understand this completely, but it looks like Linux or Linux Applications are not able to keep up with Intel.

Intel has released new chipsets that have graphics and 6 channel Dolby Digital sound included in them. There is no need for an external sound card or graphics card. It seems that the intent of Intel was to integrate all of this so cables would not be necessary, lower costs and more reliable functions, etc. I think the intent of Intel was to use the ribbon cables from the CD, and DVD. I think extra cables for these things are a thing of the past for Intel.

Right?
Completely wrong. The CD Audio cable continues to be the accepted way to play audio CDs. The CD ROM drive is able to handle reading and playing audio CDs independently, and the output is fully analogue and is passed through a CD audio cable to the sound card (or to the motherboard if you're using onboard sound). Some CD ROM drives also support digital sound output, although this is useful only if your sound card (or motherboard) supports digital sound input.

In this use, your CD ROM drive acts exactly like an audio CD player. Signals sent to the drive by the CPU act like the 'buttons' on the front of an ordinary audio CD player, and output is passed to the sound card to be mixed with other sound sources instead of to an amplifier. The advantage of this system is that the processor in your computer simply has to tell the drive which track to play, and then the drive handles this independently of the rest of the computer, meaning that while CD audio is playing the processor and IDE cable are unused and free to perform other tasks.

For many years, however, some PC manufacturers like Compaq have decided, in order to reduce costs by a small amount, not to provide an input for CD audio on their motherboards (which include onboard sound) and not to provide a CD audio cable. Instead, they provide drivers for Windows which simulate the usual functionality by using the main processor to read audio information from the CD (via the IDE cable), convert this into a format useful for the sound card, and send the resulting information to the sound card. Thus, without a CD audio cable, a tremendous and unnecessary load is placed on both the CPU and the IDE channel, slowing down the rest of the system whenever CD audio is played. On modern systems, this should be hardly noticable, but is still highly wasteful.

It should be noted that this is a non-standard way of playing audio CDs and that it is not officially supported by any operating system; Windows included. You experience the expected functionality in Windows only because Compaq have provided software to reproduce functionality which would otherwise be far more effectively and inexpensively provided by a simple cable and analogue input on your motherboard. No such driver exists for Linux because Compaq have not provided one, and nobody else has seen fit to provide one. If you play audio CDs via XMMS, however, there is a plugin (xmms-cdread) that reads audio CDs using the same non-standard method supported on Compaq machines that may help you.

The integrated, onboard sound that you mention, by the way, is designed not to reduce the amount of cabling required but simply to reduce cost, the idea being that including sound functionality on the motherboard works out cheaper than using a seperate card. Owing to the lack of space and unspecialised nature of onboard sound, however, sound cards invariably produce higher quality output. The vast majority of motherboards that support onboard sound also feature at least one analogue input suitable for CD-audio; mine includes three. The vast majority of onboard sound systems are fully supported by Linux.

Quote:
Not sure if it's a Kernel or Application (KDE, GNOME) problem on Linux. I think the Kernel supports Intel 845 and ICH4 in general.

400Mhz Bus
Intel® 845GL chipset w/Intel® Extreme Graphics
Intel® 82801DB I/O Controller Hub 4 (ICH4)
AC97
It isn't a problem with any part of Linux or any of the software on your system, it's a probelm with your hardware. Compaq have elected not to provide an analogue input for your sound hardware and not to provide a cable to support an analogue transmission between your CD-ROM and sound hardware and thus CD audio does not function in the expected manner. It is possible to work around the problem by reading data digitally of the CD and playing it through the sound card in software, but this method is highly inefficient and not recommended, therefore nobody has bothered to implement it in the Linux kernel. My advice is, if you really need CD audio use the XMMS plugin I wrote about, or buy a sound card and a CD audio cable. In future, it's advisable to avoid Compaq hardware since it's produced at very low cost and many corners are cut - despite the high price which is charged to the customer.
 
Old 04-19-2003, 06:41 PM   #19
tktim
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Mother Board has vacant connection as follows:

P6=Speaker
P7=CD AUDIO
P11=AUX AUDIO
P16= Intrusion

P4 2.26GHZ

Not sure if these are inputs or outputs. So far can't find out any information other that the labels. Still looking for information.

When I bought the PC the plan was to use Windows. Now I'm slowly trying to force myself to use Linux RH8. Price is relative, but at the time I got a really great price compared to any other Major Brand. Custom order with about 3 or 4 rebates and no one could beat the price. Now when I look at Compaq's web site it clearly states that these PC's are NOT for Linux use. The say the reason is drivers. I know I can get a sound card and make it work. But I'm trying to take this slow and learn something in the process. I know now that I can't recommend someone to switch to Linux, that easily. The average person buys a major brand PC off the shelve, right or wrong. For Linux Hardware is a big deal. I have other things to still work out on Linux, but I'm going very slow, otherwise I will give up. Now I make sure everything I buy works on Linux or I don't buy it. I wanted to buy a Canon scanner (mainly due to the compact size) but it works poorly on Linux, so I didn't. I already have an HP scanner that is not supported

Thanks again.

Last edited by tktim; 04-23-2003 at 09:31 PM.
 
Old 04-19-2003, 07:07 PM   #20
DavidPhillips
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if you run aumix or another mixer and you have a volume for cdrom then your MB should work, just look at the connector type ( there are two popular types ) get a cable and hook it up. You will be in business.
 
Old 04-19-2003, 07:53 PM   #21
lezek
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Quote:
Originally posted by tktim
Mother Board has vacant connection as follows:

P6=Speakers
P7=CD AUDIO
P11=AUX AUDIO
P16= Intrusion
Then you're in business. Just buy a CD audio cable that fits the connectors on your drive and motherboard and plug it in and you'll have no troubles.

Quote:
Not sure if these are inputs or outputs. So far can't find out any information other that the labels. Still looking for information.
P7 and P11 are audio inputs. Not sure what P6 is for. P16 is in case you want to use a simple switch that allows the PC to alert you when the case is opened.

Quote:
When I bought the PC the plan was to use Windows. Now I'm slowly trying to force myself to use Linux RH8. Price is relative, but at the time I got a really great price compared to any other Major Brand. Custom order with about 3 or 4 rebates and no one could beat the price. Now when I look at Compaq's web site it clearly states that these PC are NOT for Linux use.
In the case of CD Audio it's nothing to do with drivers. Just the lack of two bits of wire.
 
Old 04-19-2003, 09:47 PM   #22
tktim
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As soon as I can get to a store. I will buy the cables and give it a try.

Thanks
 
Old 04-23-2003, 09:31 PM   #23
tktim
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Installed cable to the CD Audio (p7) to CDRW.

SOUND WORKS!


Going to get another cable for the DVD and connect to Aux Audio (p11).

THANKS AGAIN!
 
Old 04-28-2003, 02:50 PM   #24
tktim
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Installed cable to Aux Audio (P11) to DVD.

SOUND WOKRS!
 
  


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