Description of problem: Hopefully, this is posted in the right place. If not then moved it. By default, sound doesn't play on my laptop after installing FC4 and rawhide. The problem lies in the value of a single switch in the alsa settings. The sound card is as follows (using lspci): 00:1e.2 Multimedia audio controller: Intel Corporation 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) AC'97 Audio Controller (rev 03) To solve the problem I have to do this: 1. Click Applications > Sound and Video > Volume Control 2. Select Edit > Preferences 3. Select External Amplifier from the list. It's down the bottom and it's not checked by default. 4. In the Volume Control dialog, select the switches tab and then check external amplifier (again, it's not checked by default). Now sound works. While external amplifier doesn't need to be in the Volume Control dialog, it seems that, for my sound card, it needs to be on by default.
Which driver do you use? If I understand well, you need to mute this switch?
I didn't actually choose a driver. I just took the default that was offered. During firstboot the sound card check doesn't work, but I ignored it knowing that I could fix it later. The driver appears to be: snd_intel8x0m Here's the output of /sbin/lsmod [rodd@localhost ~]$ /sbin/lsmod Module Size Used by arc4 1985 1 ieee80211_crypt_wep 4801 1 udf 83781 1 parport_pc 27909 0 lp 12937 0 parport 35465 2 parport_pc,lp autofs4 19525 2 rfcomm 38873 0 l2cap 25921 5 rfcomm bluetooth 48069 4 rfcomm,l2cap sunrpc 141437 1 ipt_REJECT 5953 1 ipt_state 1985 2 ip_conntrack 51473 1 ipt_state nfnetlink 6617 1 ip_conntrack iptable_filter 3009 1 ip_tables 20161 3 ipt_REJECT,ipt_state,iptable_filter dm_mirror 22677 0 dm_mod 57181 1 dm_mirror video 16197 0 button 6609 0 battery 9541 0 ac 4933 0 ipv6 248737 14 ohci1394 35849 0 ieee1394 297625 1 ohci1394 usblp 13633 0 uhci_hcd 32465 0 ehci_hcd 34509 0 nvidia 3701064 14 snd_intel8x0m 17669 1 i2c_i801 9037 0 i2c_core 22209 1 i2c_i801 snd_intel8x0 32929 3 snd_ac97_codec 88765 2 snd_intel8x0m,snd_intel8x0 snd_ac97_bus 2625 1 snd_ac97_codec snd_seq_dummy 3781 0 snd_seq_oss 31681 0 snd_seq_midi_event 7105 1 snd_seq_oss snd_seq 49617 5 snd_seq_dummy,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq_midi_event snd_seq_device 9037 3 snd_seq_dummy,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq snd_pcm_oss 50801 0 snd_mixer_oss 18113 4 snd_pcm_oss snd_pcm 87621 4 snd_intel8x0m,snd_intel8x0,snd_ac97_codec,snd_pcm_oss snd_timer 25285 2 snd_seq,snd_pcm snd 54565 12 snd_intel8x0m,snd_intel8x0,snd_ac97_codec,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq,snd_seq_device,snd_pcm_oss,snd_mixer_oss,snd_pcm,snd_timer soundcore 9761 4 snd snd_page_alloc 10825 3 snd_intel8x0m,snd_intel8x0,snd_pcm ipw2200 72073 0 ieee80211 22665 1 ipw2200 ieee80211_crypt 5701 2 ieee80211_crypt_wep,ieee80211 b44 21829 0 mii 5441 1 b44 ext3 130889 3 jbd 57941 1 ext3 ata_piix 9541 0 libata 47181 1 ata_piix sd_mod 18881 0 scsi_mod 135657 2 libata,sd_mod [rodd@localhost ~]$
The external amplifier checkbox is NOT CHECKED by default. I have to CHECK it.
snd_intel8x0m is a driver for your software modem... The external amplifier mute checkbox isn't checked by default, because it's enabled by default.
Right, so did you figure out what my sound driver is from the lsmod above. I don't know also, so I can't tell you what's on or off. I can only report on how things appear to me. If a checked box means something has been turned off, then that's fine as long as you understand this. (Although it does seem backwards to me).
Unfortunately there is a problem with the "External amplifier". Some boxes need it on and some need it off. People from ALSA prepare new mixer interface, so I hope it will fix this problem....