Hi,

I'm having trouble getting my onboard soundcard working. I'm running mandrake 8.2, ive installed the kernel sources in order to be able to compile the alsa driver ... However, whenever I try and compile it, I'm told that I'm 'probably missing usr/src/linux/include/linux/version.h' - this file is present, in that exact place ...



I have no idea where to go from here. Somebody gimme a hand please?

You need to make the link to /usr/src/linux with:
ln -sf /usr/src/linux-2.4.18-mdk /usr/src/linux

The first part of that (/usr/src/linux-2.4.18-mdk) is probably slightly off from what you have in there. Go over to /usr/src and locate the folder I am referring to, it will be closely named to what I have used in my example. Use that instead of my closely related example

Cool

I already have a link in there (called linux) which points to my source directory ... It was created when I installed a source package I think?

Would deleting it and recreating it be worthwhile?

Did you also install the kernel header files? I would think that if you have that link there, and it's still missing that file, then this would be the logical next thing to check out. This too should be on your distro's cdrom.

No, deleting and recreating it would just be extra, non-essential work. As long as it's pointing to the correct directory, don't worry about doing that.

Cool

There are numerous horror stories out there with the onboard ac97 sound. It appears from what ive read and my own experience is that it works great, or not at all..... Not at all in my case unforanately... Doing a search on google news will turn up lots of information on this.... Good luck, or do what i did and buy a cheap sound blaster

Yeah, that's really a decent idea if you want to just get sound working, and not learn how to fix your problem, or eventually find out that it won't work in the end. For me, I prefer to try everything to death, and then some.

Anyway, your choice. SB Live's are getting pretty cheap now, like 35 bux or so US.

Cool

When I first started this linux lark, Chad (MasterC) was the man!!!, using his suggestions, I got my AC97 working (ish), I could play some audio with kscd but I never did get any of the boot up base jingle from KDE, the cure that got it was to do an edit to the modules.conf file. You could try reading the thread called "stumped by sound AC97" started by me (bigjohn) and see if your modules.conf is similar.

One of the other problems seems to be that the different AC97 manufacturers have made it do slightly diferent things and some of the terminology is also confusing. For example, both the 8.2 and the 9.0 mandrakes, seem to identify my sound device as an intel 82801BA/BAM which I suppose is the chip architecture, but under window$ XP it is also refered to as an Advance ALS200, which I am presuming is the manufacturer, I don't really know, though some of the kmix settings info that I can bring up also says the ALS200 bit, but the module that is loading for sound is the i810 module, see what I mean by confusing.

I am intending to go out and try the sound blaster live 4.1 because though its getting on a bit, it would appear that it will probably work without much hassle and at the moment, I have no need of the 5.1 standard sound.

Go on, give it the "spanish archer" (elbow) and put a proper sound card in, because otherwise you end up like me, all bitter and twisted !!! (and stressed to the point of threatening to beat 10 bells of shit out of your monitor - now that would be an expensive thing to do!!!)

regards

John

Heh, I pre-empted the advice about replacing the card ... Was gonna get rid of the AC97 shit anyway =)

My new soundblaster live works much better ... dead cheap too!

Thanks to everyone who offered help/advice ... I guess it's like they say:

"If Linux doesn't have the solution to your problem, you've got the wrong problem!"

Yo Aphix

which sound blaster card did u get? I have looke up the price for the "live 4.1 digital" at about 25 quid and the "live 5.1 digital" at about 50 quid.

But I'm still undecided whether the 5.1 is worth the extra dosh, as the 4.1 seems to get quite a few votes when I look around. not that I know the difference between the two standards anyway!

regards

John

Well, I have SBLive! not 5.1, I have two speakers and a sub, and sound is great, I don't even think about getting a new sound card, 'cause I think what I have is enough. And setting it up wasn't muxh of a hassle, on RH/Mandy setup it was picked up automatically during install, on Slack it was a matter of
/sbin/modprobe emu10k1
Real easy, I got mine for 70 bucks more than a year ago, I think it runs about 40 now (it was X-Gamer edition, but it ain't matter, all SBLive!'s are the same hardware, just software package is different, except a cheap SBLive!Value card - it lacks some inputs/oututs - I am not sure which one though, probably digital in)

I got the Live 4.1, 29 quid in the end methinks ... Sound quality is more than good enough for me =)

Mmmm ... Linux ....

Yo Boris,

I suspect that the nonclamenture is a little different over here, because if my memory serves me correctly, both the 4.1 and 5.1 are marketed as soundblaster live 4.1 and 5.1 - or that's what I seem to recall from my last visit to the local PCWorld branch. The one that is available (i think) that was called just the soundblaster live is available as a special order and quite expensive - though I definitely could be wrong.

and thanks for that Aphix, I been looking at both on the dabs site and at PCW and with probably go for the 4.1 because by the time I want something better the audigy ones will probably have come down low enough for me to try them.

I also seem to recall that creative do a set of 4 speakers and a woofer for about 50 quid, so i might even try to track them down and get my girlie to stump up for them at crimbo.


regards

john

p.s. hot off the press, dabs no longer list the straight SBlive! so it will have to be the 4.1 or 5.1