Locating Devices

I've ran into a problem my friends warned me about. My linux installation didn't detect my soundcard on my machine. I'd try to fix it but I don't know where to even start. Can someone give hints on where to start looking and maybe someway to make it work? I'm running Mandrake 8.1 distro.

Doesn't Mandrake have some kind of knowledge base or support database? Like SuSE, Redhat etc have?
I don't know too much about Mandrake, but I would imagine that such a problem might be described in a knowledge base. Or you could try searching Redhat's information as it might apply to your situation as well.
What sound card is it?

//NoXcuz

if you tell us which sound card you are using, maybe i can help you. not with the mandrake-tools but on kernel-level or using alsa.

I checked my computer today and it seems that I have Crystal PnP Audio System CODEC. That's what it says in my system info anyway. I never new what card I had since I new very little of components and cards when I bought the thing. Was very newbie than. I think I still am actually.

Well, Mandrake has some sort of a education center in the net. But the tutorials there describe vi and emacs and linux in general. Nothing on my problem. Mandrake isn't Redhat anymore, or that's what I've read anyway. So Redhat might not necesserily be compatible anymore.

M.Hirsch, never touched Linuc kernel. And don't even know what alsa is. But if the problem can be solved there, by all means tell me.

alsa is "advanced linux sound architecture".
look on your cd´s if its there. if not look at www.redhat.com.

after installing (cannot tell you about mandrake, so use the commandline: rpm -i <package>) type alsa on the console (as root) and press <tab> twice, it will show all programs starting with "alsa".
there is a program called "alsasetup" or "alsaconf" or something where you can pick your soundcard or chip from a menu.

for the kernel module: my linux server just broke down (harddisk crash - even linux cannot survive this ), so i cannot look it up right now.
look in /lib/modules/<your-kernel-version>/ and the sub-dirs for a file cs3242 or similar (the number is the number on the chip or similar.)
in case you don´t know the kernel version: "uname -a"

you can also search redhat´s or suse´s knowledge base, they should explain it on a level that can be used on any linux distribution. (at least SuSE does)

if you have bad luck, your card is not supported. it could be an "AC97" "card" - this is only an D/A converter and the soundcard is simulated by your win****. but i read that they started writing AC97-Codec on linux too some time ago (just like WinModems support - same problem), but if it is not included in your distribution, it will be quite some hard steps to make it work if you are not used to the kernel...

hope, this helps,
Manuel

Thank you Manuel (don't mind if I use your first name do?). I'll try this tonight when I get home and I'll get back to you on it go tomorrow.

nope. i feel like this is becoming some kind of friendship to the people on this board, so i even prefer being called by my first name... just i cannot change my handle. (Can I?)

[edit]
i am not a hippie or something though!!!
[/edit]

Okei.... Been busting my ***off for a couple of days. No! No! and No! Either it's my bad karma or I suck. Don't like either option. I couldn't find alsa from my discs nor did I find it from Mandrake's FTP server. Kinda finny since I did find alsa-utils, which obviously provides utilities for alsa. I did try to download it from alsa's homepage but become way too complicated to install it. And they didn't have rpms. Just so unfare. My latest attempt was sndconfig, which actually work good. It found a card (called something that looks like hebrue) and even got past the midi test. But went awry on the second. Tried to configure the settings manually but didn't have a clue what I was doing so gave up.

In other words, nothing I tried worked. Any ideas Manuel?

P.S i don't think you can change your handle

you can try using the redhat or suse rpms. they could work. if you cannot install them, try forcing installation (rpm -i --nodeps). at least suse has some weird package dependencies that i cannot always follow...

there is also a commercial package calles "OSS"-Open Sound System, but i think its probably in no way easier to install.

try making the sources work on your system. most linux/unix files can be installed from source like this:
cd /your/path/to/sources
./configure
./make all (sometimes only "make")
./make install

there might be a ".configure.linux" file that you need to rename to ".configure" before.

try it, if these ways still don´t work for you, tell us, i am sure there is a solution...

you might want to check out some linux usenet groups too on that. tell them your sound chip´s name and number and ask if anyone know which module can handle it.
before try this:
cd /usr/src/linux/Documentation
grep -ir "crystal" .
it will output all files containing the word "crystal" in this path...

You can find ALSA for Mandrake here: http://fr.rpmfind.net/linux/rpm2htm....php?query=alsa

Some help on various configuration issues can be found at Mandrakeuser, for hardware is: http://www.mandrakeuser.org/docs/hardware/index.html#cd
in specific look at http://www.linux.org.uk/OSS/ where is stated that

or better http://www.alsa-project.org/ I think that Crystal and Cirrus are similar.

Also http://www.mandrakeuser.org/docs/hardware/hconf1.html

Hope this helps!

thank you very much. i will archive this post!

Thanks to both you. I'll be damned if I cannot get this work with these instructions. I'll give it a shot on the weekend.