Sound Conflict and Other Issues

Trip in VA · 07-08-2005, 09:32 AM

Been a long time since I've been here. And I'm not quite sure if this message belongs here, but whatever.

But I'm back. I've tried RH9, then RH9 again, then SuSE 9.1 until my partition table corrupted under it, then used just Windows XP until a few weeks ago, when I got a hold of Fedora Core 4.

I've only used Windows for a few minutes in the last 48 hours--the rest of the time has been FC4. But I still have some issues. First, here's my comp. It's a laptop.

Toshiba A15-S157
Intel Celeron 2.2 GHz (ick)
512 MB RAM
(Newly upgraded) 80GB Western Digital Hard Drive (12GB ext3 part, 600MB swap, rest is two NTFS parts)
DVD-ROM/CD-RW
Integrated Intel Video, Audio, Winmodem, LAN, Wireless
USB Mouse

Now, my biggest issue at the moment is a sound conflict. All of my MP3s are on /dev/hda5 which I mount manually as /mnt/y (because it's my Y: drive on Windows and because I have no clue how to get it to automount). I tried to run XMMS, but it would play one song then crash. Running it in the terminal showed it had a "segmentation fault." So I downloaded Beep Media Player which works now.

But whenever I'm running anything at all that wants to use sound, Beep stops at the end of the track and claims that something's blocking the sound driver. Then I have to close whatever program wanted the sound, then go into plugins and change the sound off of OSS, close plugins, go back into plugins, set it back to OSS, then it plays. I'm not sure if this is a Fedora issue or a Beep issue; if it is a Beep issue I will ask about it on their forums.

That's not my only issue, however. I tried to use my integrated wireless on a trip to Lynchburg to go shopping yesterday (I live in the sticks) and try as I might, I could not connect to a single wireless network. Anywhere. I'm on one now, my own, which was autoconfigured. I'm guessing my issue stems from my wireless being configured as 'eth1' and not 'wlan0' but I don't know how to change this. Does anyone know anything about this?

I'd ask how to make my Winmodem work, but hopefully I'll have wireless broadband by the end of the month which will make it unnecessary. (For anyone wondering how I'm online with FC4 without my modem and without broadband, I'm using a Windows XP comp downstairs which is dialed in, then shares that connection through my wireless)

As you can tell, I'm very new at this. But for someone as new as I am, I think I'm doing very well. The only thing I've gone back to Windows for is my DeLorme TopoUSA 5.0 which I'm pretty sure isn't ported to Linux (though I'm going to download Wine later and try it there).

Thanks for any help that y'all can provide.

- Trip

Simon Bridge · 07-08-2005, 11:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Trip in VA
Been a long time since I've been here. And I'm not quite sure if this message belongs here, but whatever.

Well, you'll soon find out. Though when you have more than one Q it is best to post them seperately.

Quote:

First, here's my comp. It's a laptop.

Oooh - FC4 and laptops: did you read the release notes? Have you visited the unnofficial fedora faq page? (So far it is for FC1,2,3 ... but the general advice will work.) However - you got it going so you can't have been far off

Quote:

Now, my biggest issue at the moment is a sound conflict. All of my MP3s are on /dev/hda5 which I mount manually as /mnt/y (because it's my Y: drive on Windows and because I have no clue how to get it to automount).

You have to edit /etc/fstab to include a line like this:

Code:

/dev/hda5  /mnt/y  vfat  auto,user,umask=000  0  0

Read the man/info pages for fstab and mount to see what other options are available.

Quote:

I tried to run XMMS, but it would play one song then crash. Running it in the terminal showed it had a "segmentation fault." So I downloaded Beep Media Player which works now.

XMMS comes not with FC4 - so you downloaded and compiled it right? Did you yum it up from the extras or compile from source? Whatever - I've met this too: it dosn't happen if I exit the first sound app by it's "exit" or "quit" option but it does happen when I exit by closing the window: the next sound app will return an error "sound device already in use". I've got this on my "tackle later" list. Oh - BTW: the conflict vanishes for me if I open the alsamixer.

Quote:

But whenever I'm running anything at all that wants to use sound, Beep stops at the end of the track and claims that something's blocking the sound driver. Then I have to close whatever program wanted the sound, then go into plugins and change the sound off of OSS, close plugins, go back into plugins, set it back to OSS, then it plays. I'm not sure if this is a Fedora issue or a Beep issue; if it is a Beep issue I will ask about it on their forums.

This may be a problem with OSS then. FC4 does not support OSS - though the OSS emulation in ALSA is there. If Beep will output directly to ALSA then you should set it up to do so.

Quote:

That's not my only issue, however. I tried to use my integrated wireless on a trip to Lynchburg to go shopping yesterday (I live in the sticks) and try as I might, I could not connect to a single wireless network. Anywhere. I'm on one now, my own, which was autoconfigured. I'm guessing my issue stems from my wireless being configured as 'eth1' and not 'wlan0' but I don't know how to change this. Does anyone know anything about this?

You use the network configuration tool - remove the existing eth1 wireless connection and then add a "new wireless connection" for your card.

Quote:

I'd ask how to make my Winmodem work, but hopefully I'll have wireless broadband by the end of the month which will make it unnecessary.

Visit the linmodem project - it is just possible you can get a linux driver for your modem. Otherwise: I wouldn't bet on it.

Simon Bridge · 07-09-2005, 12:02 AM

For the sound conflicts - have you seen this thread?

Trip in VA · 07-09-2005, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Simon Bridge
Well, you'll soon find out. Though when you have more than one Q it is best to post them seperately.

Thanks for responding anyway. In the future I will do that. I've had experience at other forums I visit (non-computers) that it's best to combine where possible.

Oooh - FC4 and laptops: did you read the release notes? Have you visited the unnofficial fedora faq page? (So far it is for FC1,2,3 ... but the general advice will work.) However - you got it going so you can't have been far off

No, neither. Why, was there something weird about the installation?

You have to edit /etc/fstab to include a line like this:

Code:

/dev/hda5 /mnt/y vfat auto,user,umask=000 0 0

Read the man/info pages for fstab and mount to see what other options are available.

Thanks!

XMMS comes not with FC4 - so you downloaded and compiled it right? Did you yum it up from the extras or compile from source? Whatever - I've met this too: it dosn't happen if I exit the first sound app by it's "exit" or "quit" option but it does happen when I exit by closing the window: the next sound app will return an error "sound device already in use". I've got this on my "tackle later" list. Oh - BTW: the conflict vanishes for me if I open the alsamixer.

I used yum indirectly. I downloaded Smart Package Manager to give yum a GUI I could work with and got it through that.

Actually, I just tried to use yum and it gave me this error:

"Cannot open/read repomd.xml file for repository: livna-stable
failure: repodata/repomd.xml from livna-stable: [Errno 256] No more mirrors to try."

This may be a problem with OSS then. FC4 does not support OSS - though the OSS emulation in ALSA is there. If Beep will output directly to ALSA then you should set it up to do so.

Hmm. Because the only way audio works at all is with OSS set manually in the Control Center. Setting it to ALSA gives me...

"Error initializing the sound driver: device: default can't be opened for playback."

Doesn't work in Beep either.

EDIT: Actually, after looking at that other thread, I got rid of that message and a few more tweaks got Beep working. Thanks!

You use the network configuration tool - remove the existing eth1 wireless connection and then add a "new wireless connection" for your card.

What, you mean Network Device Control? Or something else? Because in Network Device Control, number one when I delete and try to readd it doesn't have my card listed and then whatever I choose still gives me eth0-eth7.

Visit the linmodem project - it is just possible you can get a linux driver for your modem. Otherwise: I wouldn't bet on it.

I'm not messing with my winmodem, but thanks.

- Trip

Trip in VA · 07-09-2005, 01:44 PM

Woops. Just had another audio conflict with Beep. Was playing a game of Konquest and in between songs it made it's little noise when a screen popped up and now it doesn't want to play.

- Trip

Simon Bridge · 07-10-2005, 01:46 AM

Me: You use the network configuration tool - remove the existing eth1 wireless connection and then add a "new wireless connection" for your card.

Trip: What, you mean Network Device Control? Or something else? Because in Network Device Control, number one when I delete and try to readd it doesn't have my card listed and then whatever I choose still gives me eth0-eth7.

logged in as root: Gnome > System Tools > Intenet Configuration Wizard

select: "new wireless connection" and it'll try to detect your card.

good luck - some cards are tricky - particularily type g.

Trip: (about YUM) "Cannot open/read repomd.xml file for repository: livna-stable
failure: repodata/repomd.xml from livna-stable: [Errno 256] No more mirrors to try."

Yeah - the livnia YUM repository wasn't well set up. It will be a while before the third-party repositories will be geared for FC4 - it's too new you see. However - xmms is available from the fedora extras repository (on RHN). You may need to edit your /etc/yum.conf however, I don't have the details right now.

You should visit the official fedora forum. Read through the faqs. And while you are going to all that effort - try this guy ... look through the other pages in this excellent fedora howto site.

As for the sound problems - this sounds like it is common... still working on my own issues but you could try searching bugzilla?

Trip in VA · 07-10-2005, 07:45 AM

I'm now back in Windows. I deleted the entry for eth1 in the Network configuration then followed your instructions. And it hangs when it tries to save the network configuration. I don't know why.

I'm posting a thread in the Wireless Networking forum about it. Assuming I get it working again, I'll try the yum suggestion and the reading around. (I'd prefer to be in Linux when doing these things)

- Trip

Trip in VA · 07-16-2005, 10:18 PM

Hello again:

I've reinstalled FC4 since I became so desperate to get my wireless working again. This time I managed to get yum to work (barely, times out very easily) but smart doesn't seem to work this time (without manually entering the repository info). I was able to install Beep with an RPM this time (because in yum.conf I added repositories that had it) and I haven't had any more sound conflicts! (GAIM is making all kinds of noise right along side BMP)

Only problem I'm having this time is (once again) my wireless is showing at eth1 and not wlan0. But I'm not uninstalling it again. I'll just live with it.

Amazing what a reinstallation and 18 hours (14 of them consecutive) can result in.

- Trip

Simon Bridge · 07-16-2005, 11:42 PM

I've run into this with fedora before. Thire wizards, especially internet configuration, are fine as long as you get it right first time. But fiddling around can mess things up so you don't know if you're coming or going. Reinstall usually sorts out the mess by giving you back your clean slate.

I have yet to have a Red Hat version without having to reinstall twice. After that, however, I can install right first time on any elses machine ... so it is a user issue rather than a OS one.

(My current version is in it's second install - but I tried an upgrade first...)

It is possible that your wireless card just looks like an ethernet card ... so you could always see if it will work configured as a wireless card plugged into an ethernet nic ??? Somehow I doubt it. It'll also give you a multi-homed host.

You could leave it - but use the wizard to configure "a new wireless connection" and see if that correctly identifies your card? Just go step-by-step through the standard config without trying anything special.

Have you read the fedora faq page?

How about the mjm resources?