Dell e6500 Latitude Sound Issue OpenSuSE 11.1

I have everything working great on this laptop, but can’t seem to get the sound to work. When I open the sound controls by right-clicking the speaker icon in the system tray, and going to “Open Volume Control” I see this.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h130/orastreet/volume_control.png

I added my user account to the “audio” group and thought that would solve it, but has not. I have seen some solutions but I they do not seem to match either my hardware or my issue. Any help is greatly appreciated!

lspci output -

00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Mobile 4 Series Chipset Memory Controller Hub (rev 07)
00:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Mobile 4 Series Chipset PCI Express Graphics Port (rev 07)
00:19.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation 82567LM Gigabit Network Connection (rev 03)
00:1a.0 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #4 (rev 03)
00:1a.1 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #5 (rev 03)
00:1a.2 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #6 (rev 03)
00:1a.7 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB2 EHCI Controller #2 (rev 03)
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) HD Audio Controller (rev 03)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) PCI Express Port 1 (rev 03)
00:1c.1 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) PCI Express Port 2 (rev 03)
00:1c.2 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) PCI Express Port 3 (rev 03)
00:1c.3 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) PCI Express Port 4 (rev 03)
00:1d.0 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #1 (rev 03)
00:1d.1 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #2 (rev 03)
00:1d.2 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #3 (rev 03)
00:1d.7 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB2 EHCI Controller #1 (rev 03)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801 Mobile PCI Bridge (rev 93)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation ICH9M-E LPC Interface Controller (rev 03)
00:1f.2 IDE interface: Intel Corporation ICH9M/M-E 2 port SATA IDE Controller (rev 03)
00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) SMBus Controller (rev 03)
00:1f.5 IDE interface: Intel Corporation ICH9M/M-E 2 port SATA IDE Controller (rev 03)
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation Device 06eb (rev a1)
03:01.0 CardBus bridge: Ricoh Co Ltd RL5c476 II (rev ba)
03:01.1 FireWire (IEEE 1394): Ricoh Co Ltd R5C832 IEEE 1394 Controller (rev 04)
03:01.2 SD Host controller: Ricoh Co Ltd R5C822 SD/SDIO/MMC/MS/MSPro Host Adapter (rev 21)
03:01.3 System peripheral: Ricoh Co Ltd R5C843 MMC Host Controller (rev ff)
0c:00.0 Network controller: Intel Corporation Wireless WiFi Link 5100

You could try working your way thru the openSUSE audio troubleshooting guide:
SDB:AudioTroubleshooting - openSUSE

Ensure you moved both master and PCM volume and headphone controls up in your mixer to 95% when testing sound. After you have confirmed basic sound you can move those down to a lower level to remove distortion.

To test your sound I recommend you try each of these sound tests (as both a regular user, and with root permissions) to see if one might work:
speaker-test -Dplug:front -c2 -l5 -twav
Note Linux is case sensitive, and “D” is not the same as “d”. To stop the above test, while the konsole/xterm has the mouse focus, press <CTRL><C> on the keyboard. Note you should check your mixer settings (kmix if using KDE, and alsamixer if using Gnome) to ensure that PCM and Master Volume are set around 75%. Note the test for surround sound is different.

If that test yields errors, try instead this more simple test: speaker-test -c2 -l5 -twavTry as both a regular user and with root permissions. Ideally, you should hear a lady’s voice saying ‘FRONT LEFT’,‘FRONT RIGHT’ five times.

If you have no success with the audio troubleshooting guide, then I will need more information if I am to make a recommendation … So can you provide more very detailed information so a good recommendation can be given? In the case of openSUSE-11.1, you can do that, with your PC connected to the internet, by opening a gnome-terminal or a kde konsole and typing with root permissions twice:/usr/sbin/alsa-info.shthe first time it will update the diagnostic script, and the second time that will run the diagnostic script and post the output to a web site on the Internet. It will give you the URL of the web site. Please post that URL here. Just the URL.

If not openSUSE-11.1 you will have to use the method described in the troubleshooting guide to run the script.

Also, please to provide additional information, copy and paste the following commands one line at a time into a gnome-terminal or a konsole and post here the output: rpm -qa | grep alsa
rpm -qa | grep pulse
rpm -q libasound2
uname -a
cat /etc/modprobe.d/sound

Thanks in advance!

Here is the alsa-info link - http://www.alsa-project.org/db/?f=3355263889cc22d3181082aa3ae745aaf34d6c07

Here is the output requested.

rpm -qa | grep alsa

alsa-oss-1.0.17-1.37
alsa-devel-1.0.18-8.7
alsa-tools-gui-1.0.18-1.13
alsa-utils-1.0.18-6.4
alsa-tools-1.0.18-1.13
alsa-plugins-pulse-1.0.18-6.12
alsa-firmware-1.0.17-1.42
alsa-docs-1.0.18-8.7
alsa-1.0.18-8.7
alsa-plugins-1.0.18-6.12
alsamixergui-0.9.0rc1-584.132
cairo-dock-alsaMixer-1.6.3.1-3.pm.20081207
alsa-tools-devel-1.0.18-1.13

rpm -qa | grep pulse

pulseaudio-0.9.12-9.6
pulseaudio-module-gconf-0.9.12-9.6
pulseaudio-module-lirc-0.9.12-9.6
libpulse-mainloop-glib0-0.9.12-9.6
alsa-plugins-pulse-1.0.18-6.12
libpulse-browse0-0.9.12-9.6
pulseaudio-utils-0.9.12-9.6
pulseaudio-module-zeroconf-0.9.12-9.6
libpulse0-0.9.12-9.6
libpulsecore4-0.9.12-9.6
pulseaudio-esound-compat-0.9.12-9.6
pulseaudio-module-x11-0.9.12-9.6
pulseaudio-module-bluetooth-0.9.12-9.6
linux-55FRO:/home/tim.spencer #

rpm -q libasound2

libasound2-1.0.18-8.7
linux-55FRO:/home/tim.spencer #

uname -a

Linux linux-55FRO 2.6.27.19-3.2-pae #1 SMP 2009-02-25 15:40:44 +0100 i686 i686 i386 GNU/Linux

cat /etc/modprobe.d/sound

options snd slots=snd-hda-intel

u1Nb.SGxGJCiH+82:82801I (ICH9 Family) HD Audio Controller

alias snd-card-0 snd-hda-intel

Did you read SDB:Intel-HDA sound problems - openSUSE?

Using google with your codec from the alsa info script leads directly to:

http://forums.opensuse.org/hardware/laptop/405945-intel-hda-no-sound.html

Reading it now…will post up solution if I find it there.

Yes - I am working through it, this is what I found so far -

output of the head -n 1 /proc/asound/card0/codec*

is
**
Codec: IDT 92HD71B7X**

When I look through the /usr/src/KERNEL_VERSION/Documentation/sound/alsa/ALSA-Configuration.txt file, I don’t see 92HD71B7X listed…

I will check Google with the codec. Thanks!

Thanks, … as noted above, that shows your PC has an IDT 92HD71B7X
codec.

In fact, that codec is mentioned in 1.0.19 of alsa’s HD-Audio-Model.txt file:

STAC92HD71B*
============
  ref		Reference board
  dell-m4-1	Dell desktops
  dell-m4-2	Dell desktops
  dell-m4-3	Dell desktops
  hp-m4		HP dv laptops

Its also in the 1.0.18a alsa’s ALSA-configuration.txt file, but with less options.

Anyway, most of that is a mute point. I’ve helped some users with this same codec (IDT 92HD71B7X - search on that on this forum and you will see the threads) , and all of their sound was broken by the update to the 2.6.27.19-3.2 kernel which you have. To deal with that breakage, the openSUSE/alsa dev released some rpms to install to fix one’s sound with the kernel update breaks the sound. There is guidance here for the update: Alsa-update - openSUSE

… in your case, that means open a terminal or a konsole, and type ‘su’ (no quotes - enter root password when prompted) and with your pc connected to the internet, copy and paste the following six zypper commands, one and a time, executing them in sequence:

zypper ar http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/multimedia:/audio/openSUSE_11.1/ multimedia
zypper install alsa alsa-docs alsa-devel alsa-plugins alsa-plugins-pulse alsa-utils alsa-tools alsa-tools-devel alsa-tools-gui alsa-firmware libasound2
zypper rr multimedia
zypper ar http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/multimedia:/audio:/KMP/openSUSE_11.1_Update/ multimedia
zypper install alsa-driver-kmp-pae
zypper rr multimedia

then restart your PC and test your sound.

Thanks - that worked. Sound is now working perfectly…ahh that was way to many hours spend working on that issue. Thanks so much for your help.

Tim

Glad to read its working now

Sorry to read so much time was spent. Next time try a search on this forum for your hardware audio codec, and if that yields nothing, then post like you did, and one of us will try help.

Kernel updates often break sound on newer PCs and it is not uncommon to have to update one’s alsa sound driver to cope with that.

Again, glad to read its working again.

I am having the same problem I tried to install the pae driver but no results still just a click or a pop. any ideas.

rpm -qa | grep alsa

alsa-devel-1.0.18-8.7
alsa-driver-kmp-pae-1.0.19.20090403_2.6.27.19_3.2-1.1
alsa-docs-1.0.18-8.7
alsa-tools-gui-1.0.18-1.13
java-1_5_0-sun-alsa-1.5.0_update18-0.1.1
alsa-utils-1.0.18-6.4
alsa-oss-1.0.17-1.37
alsa-tools-1.0.18-1.13
alsa-plugins-1.0.18-6.12
alsa-firmware-1.0.17-1.42
alsa-plugins-pulse-1.0.18-6.12
alsa-driver-unstable-kmp-pae-1.0.19.20090324_2.6.27.19_3.2-2.1
alsa-tools-devel-1.0.18-1.13
alsa-1.0.18-8.7

rpm -qa | grep pulse

pulseaudio-module-bluetooth-0.9.12-9.6
libpulse-mainloop-glib0-0.9.12-9.6
libpulse0-0.9.12-9.6
pulseaudio-0.9.12-9.6
pulseaudio-module-lirc-0.9.12-9.6
libxine1-pulse-1.1.15-20.8
pulseaudio-utils-0.9.12-9.6
pulseaudio-module-x11-0.9.12-9.6
pulseaudio-esound-compat-0.9.12-9.6
libpulsecore4-0.9.12-9.6
libpulse-browse0-0.9.12-9.6
pulseaudio-module-zeroconf-0.9.12-9.6
alsa-plugins-pulse-1.0.18-6.12
pulseaudio-module-jack-0.9.12-9.6

rpm -q libasound2

libasound2-1.0.18-8.7

uname -a

Linux poor****edfool-laptop 2.6.27.19-3.2-pae #1 SMP 2009-02-25 15:40:44 +0100 i686 i686 i386 GNU/Linux

cat /etc/modprobe.d/sound


options snd slots=snd-hda-intel
# u1Nb.SGxGJCiH+82:82801I (ICH9 Family) HD Audio Controller
alias snd-card-0 snd-hda-intel

Thanks for any help.

I notice many users making this same mistake as you did. I don’t understand why. Is this happening automatically?

I highlighted in RED the app you must remove. I highlighted in orange the apps you must update. And you probably should re-install the app that I highlighted in green, as the removal of the app in RED might cause the APP in green problems.

There is guidance here: Alsa-update - openSUSE
with examples.

ie re-move the app in red. Update the apps in orange. Re-install the app in green. Restart your PC and test.

And if you can not figure that out, let me know and I’ll give you the exact commands to send.

Thanks a ton, i will give that a try. I think that it is automatically doing it because i dont remember installing those packages. I thought about removing them but figured that i would ask first.

Still no sound although this did fix the clicking and popping problem.

I need some more information to do a quality check. You can obtain that information, with your PC connected to the internet, by opening a gnome-terminal or a kde konsole and typing :/usr/sbin/alsa-info.shthat will run the diagnostic script and post the output to a web site on the Internet. It will give you the URL of the web site. Please post that URL here. Just the URL.

Also, please to provide additional information, copy and paste the following commands one line at a time into a gnome-terminal or a konsole and post here the output: rpm -qa | grep alsa
rpm -qa | grep pulse
rpm -q libasound2
uname -a
cat /etc/modprobe.d/sound

Well, many hours were spent before I asked for help. I try to be self sufficient and try to learn. One of the things that was tricky was that the actual codec didn’t exactly match the driver name. (If I even said that right.)

IDT 92HD71B7X was the device and STAC92HD71B was the codec…I wouldn’t have caught this myself for sure. Thanks so much!