two identical computers and OS's no sound on one
 

I have 2 MS Surface Pro 3s. I installed Debian Bookworm on both of them. On one the sound output worked 'out of the box', and the other only shows dummy output.

Why would this happen?

I have also been trying various Linux distros, hoping one would configure the silent computer automagically. Tried Mint, but as it is a Debian based distro, I am not surprised it failed.

Tried Fedora, still no luck.

On debian, check to see if the package firmware-sof is installed on the one it's not working on.

Out of curiosity, how old are they and did you buy them new or used? I ask because I had an SP3 which worked great with Tumbleweed, and one day the typepad cover just stopped working. I had bought it used, so I chalked it up to use and bought a different keyboard, but kept the old one. And when I got an SP7 to replace things, the old type-cover worked fine...it was the port on the SP3. Could be bad hardware.

Also, have you checked the BIOS to see if the device(s) are enabled?

hardware problem?

I'd also make sure both devices have latest/same bios version.

Microsoft Surface Pro does not have a BIOS. You need to have Windows installed and running, then do all the Windows Software Updates, which will also update the UEFI Firmware.

Sorry, no. I've had several and they ALL have BIOS, even according to Microsoft:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/...0few%20seconds.

I stand corrected. Anyway, if one goes ahead and installs all the Windows Updates, it will also update the firmware of that particular Microsoft device. I own four different Microsoft devices, all of which I have installed the Windows Updates. I noticed that the Microsoft firmware updates made it more difficult to install Linux on my 2-in-1 Microsoft Tablets.

Does not Debian come with inxi? Then one could post computer specs on both.

You might notice in the same Microsoft article you linked, that in newer devices, a SURFACE UEFI replaces the BIOS. I only have newer Microsoft Surface devices, four to be exact, none of which have a BIOS.

Gonna have to hang my head in shame. Sorry for wasting everybody's time.

Yes, MS Surface Pro 3 has a bios and the ability to disable onboard audio. The main page only has a couple of options, and I thought the "Device Information" page was read only. As Bugs would say, "What a maroon!"

Might have to get a dunce cap for an avatar. Embarrassing indeed.

Audio works fine, after enabling it.

It's always the little things. Glad it's sorted.

Good news. Would be nice to mark the thread as solved.