ok guys, heres my prob:

i have a awe64 (PnP) soundcard, which id like to get running on linux (Mandy 9.1).
so far ive gotten the sound to play about 0.5 secs audio, then i get no sound for whatever reason.
after some research i found out that id be better off using the alsa drivers, so i installed them.
but, when i try to load the module for the alsa drivers, as showed at linuxhq:
i get an error stating that such a device cannot be found
any help for a newbie like me?
thx alot in advance, chup.

hmmm, im running knoppix 3.3 now, and although it detected my audio card correctly, i still have the same probs.
now i definately hate my old audio hardware!
could it be that its just bad hardware (but on windows it worked )?

well....i just found that no one has till now replied to your post......I dont know the exact solution for your problem either.....However, I can at the most suggest you some ways to get your sound working...

1. First thing you should check is the mixer settings. Most of the time, guys forget to turn up the volume options(bass, treble, mic, line-in, digital...etc). Make sure that the level is 100%. In case the controls are disabled, then it is a different case.

2. Now check if the respective module for your soundcard is loaded into memory or not. To check the modules loaded currently in memory, give the following command:

lsmod | more

3. If you see entries similar to the name of your soundcard name, that means the soundcard module is loaded. If it is not, then you need to find out the name of the soundcard module for your particular module.....For example, I have the yamaha opl3 sa3 soundcard, but I use the opl3sa2 module. Search google to find out the module for your soundcard. I cant guide you regarding alsa as i myself use OSS driver.

4. If the module is not loaded, then give the following command to load the module in memory:

modprobe <your-soundcard-module-name>

5. Now try and play an mp3 file to see if you are getting any sound or not.....

See, I am also a beginner as far as Linux is concerned...So i can only able to suggest you ideas as far as my experience with linux goes.....so if this dosent solve your concern, hope that another of our friends will come to your aid...

good luck

thx alot for the reply!
1. its not the mixer settings, i checked em.
2. i tried loading a boatload of modules, of which some loaded correctly, and some i got insmod errors.
and btw, i think i also have more success using the OSS drivers instead of the ALSA drivers, because when i select OSS in xmms i get at least 0.5 secs of sound, where ALSA gives no sound and says to configure/install my card.
maybe i should change "alias /dev/dsp sb" in /etc/modules.conf
to "alias /dev/dsp snd-sb16" or something?
any further help on this would once again be greatly appreciated.

Have you tried running sndconfig and changing some of the io and dma settings?

yeah, i did run sndconfig and checked the settings.
but it all doesnt matter anymore...

i just went to the store and got myself a sb live!
i now finally have 5.1 surround and it was the easiest solution
i kinda needed a new soundcard anyway

still alot of thanks for your help guys!