I installed the drivers for a Conexant Riptide sound card. Now, in order to use the drivers, I'm trying to change the permissions on /dev/sound/dsp and /dev/sound/mixers. To do this, i browse to the files in Konquerer, right click, select the permissions tab, and change the permissions. Then, when I logout and back in, the permissions don't stick. I get the same results when I try changing them from a console. Having superuser permissions also doesn't seem to help, and I've tried reinstalling the files. Any other ideas?

What is the command you use to change the permissions in a console?

Are you running KDE all the time (i.e., you log out to the KDE login
manager), or do you log out of KDE back to a console, then restart X and
KDE? If you are restarting KDE, it may be unloading your sound modules,
which would cause the files to disappear and then reappear when you
start KDE again.

Have you tried this in the non X environment -- just your basic console?

To make sure the permissions are always correct on reboot, there are
several things you can try:

1) Least dangerous, most sloppy: I think in RH, Mdk, there is a directory
called /etc/init.d where initialization scripts are kept. I BELIEVE that if
you put an executable file in there, it will be run on boot, but I'm not
sure. Anyway, if that's the case, you could make a file called sound.sh
and in it write a script like so:

#!/bin/sh
if [ -f /dev/sound/dsp ]; then
chmod 777 /dev/sound/dsp
fi
if [ -f /dev/sound/mixers ]; then
chmod 777 /dev/sound/mixers
fi

You would then chmod +x /etc/init.d/sound.sh. The chmod line assumes
you want everyone to be able to do everything to the files, which may not
be the case.

man chmod

If you already have a sound initialization script, you could just add the
if-then statements above to the end of said script.

2) Much more dangerous, needs lots of reading (and understanding) on
your part. You may be running something called devfs, which is the
kernel's new way of dealing with devices. Currently, if you have
devices that need to have different from default permissions, you need
to set that up in the /etc/devfsd.conf file. This is NOT a file that you
can just simply edit with impunity. It can very easily make your system
unbootable. Read the man pages on devfsd, read the documentation
in /usr/src/linux/Documentation/filesystems/devfs (if it exists), then
reread it all. I have had to use my boot CD several times because of a
slight mistake in syntax or whatever.

If dir /etc/security exists you could try setting the permissions from moses' 1st suggestion in /etc/security/console.perms.
Dunno if this works if for level 5 logins tho.