Before I begin heres some info on my Computer

Distro: Mandrak 10.0
Sound Card information:

Vendor: ‎VIA Technologies

Alternative drivers: ‎via82cxxx_audio

Bus: ‎PCI

Bus identification: ‎1106:3058:e11:3d

Location on the bus: ‎0:14:5

Description: ‎VT82C686 [Apollo Super AC97/Audio]

Module: ‎snd-via82xx

Media class: ‎MULTIMEDIA_AUDIO


Now heres my problem, I cant use sound if another porgram uses sound. For example I cant run xmms if gaim is running, and I cant hear gaim noises if xmms is running. And when teamspeak is running I cant hear the other programs sounds either. But if I close the program that I can hear sounds it shuts off, then I hear the sounds from the other programs. For example

Close xmms, then immediatly heare the gaim im rcv 5 or 6 times

Now Please help me, im a total noob to linux

Oh and one last question how do I close the "x" server so I can install nvidia driver updates.

You should go from runlevel 5 to 3 (from graphical to console)

in console:

su , and your root password (you become root)
init 3

Either that went way over my head or that's a total non-sequitur.

Original poster:
You need to use a soundserver. I'm assuming you're using KDE. Configure the sound server to start at boot (do this in the KDE preferences). Then configure both Xmms and Gaim to output their sound through aRts. (Install the Xmms-arts output plugin from your distro discs if it isn't already installed).

Well I wasn't clear (my mistake ) I responded at (see startpost):

Oh and one last question how do I close the "x" server so I can install nvidia driver updates.

I shoulda read the whole initial post. My bad, sorry.

Can you explain that in newbish

Well he thought my hint was about your soudserver; which makes indeed no sense.

But it's about getting out of X.....

Hint for the topic starter: next time please split the topics to prevent these incoveniences.

System->Configuration->KDE->Sound->Sound System. Enable the sound system.

Xmms: in preferences (ctrl-P) go to Output Plugins tab. Select "arts driver". If arts driver is not in the list, you need to install it. Use rpmdrake (System->Configuration->Packaging->Install Software) and search for xmms-arts or something lik e that. Install it and restart Xmms, and select the output plugin.

I don't know about Gaim so you'll have to figure that part out yourself. Maybe it doesn't support aRts, in which case you're screwed. You could always try Kopete maybe, but I don't know about that program either.

To explain a little: aRts is a program that mixes various channels of sound together. Instead of all your various programs trying to write to the sound device directly, they write instead to this middleman program which mixes the sounds and feeds them to the sound card.

Well what the hell, I have other programs too that probably need this ( I think ) Like zsnes, teamspeak etc

So im just f*cked over, god damn

Does anyone have a second opinion on this?

Hmmm... okay, another opinion. The doctor says, lose weight and get a cane!!
Maybe you don't need all these bleeps and bloops? If your sounds are fighting, maybe you can go into the sound preferences as listed above and just turn stuff off. Keep sound for what you really need. Does Gaim need sound, or is it like the AOHell Slime/Warner Buddy-Beep thing? I thought Gaim was a real-time typing thing.
This might be an easier solution.
Also, here's another way to leave the x server:
The x server is on one of many possible "screens" and you can go to other ones, all of which are command-line screens, by hitting CTRL ALT F# (like F2 or F3) all at the same time. To get back to the graphical page, it's always on CTLR ALT F7.
You can also open a terminal from KDE. I think it's called terminal (but I'm not sure) and might even have its own icon on your screen.
See, Linux is fun! 'cause you can do something a hundred millioin different ways OR you can just bare-bones use it like me (I turn it on, log on, start X, go online, get my info, log off, poweroff :)
gaviidae

I just remembered, for programs that don't have aRts output capability, you can always launch them from the command line using the artsdsp utility. If you were going to run Return to Castle Wolfenstein, say, you would enter:

artsdsp wolfsp

instead of just wolfsp. This would make wolfsp play all its sounds through aRts, although wolfsp itself wouldn't know about this. Try it and good luck!