Got one mute Puppy here -- Compaq SR2173WM (Solved)

Problems and successes with specific brands/models of computer audio hardware
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starhawk
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Got one mute Puppy here -- Compaq SR2173WM (Solved)

#1 Post by starhawk »

Well, I want to put puppy on a nice machine, try one more time to get Mom onboard with Linux.

One problem: sound doesn't work. Onboard chip is an ALC888 courtesy of Realtek, Puppy refuses to detect it. Version doesn't matter -- I've tried Slacko 533, Racy NOP 522, and Puplite5 (the wary kernel one). This is when running initial boot (pfix=ram) from CD. I'd like to get this fixed BEFORE I run the Universal Installer, thanks.

This thread didn't help, either --> http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 276#640276

I was stupid enough to want to put in a graphics card, and it looks like the sound is trying to pipe through that for some bizarre reason. Won't budge, either.

System specs:
AMD Athlon64 somethingorother+ (I don't remember!)
2gb DDR2 RAM (original 2x512 + aftermarket 1x1024)
160gb IDE hard drive (aftermarket downgrade, I stupidly sold the old drive, which was SATA)
ATi X600SE 128mb PCIe GFX card (Dell OEM to boot!)

That card has two DVI ports (one with a DVI->VGA adapter on it) which apparently Puppy thinks are HDMI and can therefore transmit audio as well as video. Hmm :? wonder where it got that bloody idea, since it doesn't effing work.

Ideas, folks?
Last edited by starhawk on Sat 15 Sep 2012, 19:13, edited 1 time in total.

starhawk
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#2 Post by starhawk »

Settled on Slacko 533. Installed to HDD. I can change that later if I have to...

Tried to install the Realtek driver. Of course it didn't work. Coughed up a lung to boot. Anyone care to clean the carpet after that one?

...er, does anyone anywhere have a *.pet for this thing's driver? I've used wellminded and it didn't turn up anything...

:cry:

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#3 Post by starhawk »

A *.pet or assistance with compiling would be greatly appreciated here.

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Flash
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#4 Post by Flash »

I don't know anything about compiling or making .pets, but I can suggest that you try taking out the audio card and see if the sound works then. That would perhaps tell us something.

One step at a time.

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#5 Post by starhawk »

There are two audio devices apparently in this system, neither a dedicated card.

One is the Realtek ALC888 on the motherboard (which is what /should/ be working and is not) and the other is apparently the graphics card of all things.

Yeah, I don't get it either.

The unfortunate bit is that the internal graphics are actually far worse than even the particularly low-power outdated card that I stuck in there. That's /why/ I stuck it in there. I can take it out if I don't mind being limited to YouTube's bottom-quality option for my video watching. I do mind that, so it stays for now.

...if only I had a PCI-Express video card with dedicated VGA instead of having to use a converter... ah, but they probably didn't make those...

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#6 Post by Flash »

I meant take the card out by way of an experiment to see if the sound would work without it, not leave it out for good.

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#7 Post by starhawk »

I might do that.

...I'm pretty sure that ALSA won't change its config just from adding/removing hardware, but I'd like to have that verified...

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#8 Post by Flash »

Well, for a proper test you should boot from a Puppy CD with the "puppy pfix=ram" boot option. The Puppy CD then loads into RAM as a pristine Puppy as if you had nothing installed in your computer. Just one of the many advantages of Puppy. :)

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Got one mute Puppy here -- Compaq SR2173WM

#9 Post by Monsie »

Hi starhawk,

See the last post in this thread by Dave_G because it looks like he was trying to configure the same audio hardware on one of his systems. You could send him a PM to see if he can help you out or not. Also, I thought I saw a thread where someone had success with setting up this particular audio chip on Puppy 4.3 but I seem to have lost the reference in my searches :oops: Anyway, if I remember correctly, Dave_G has run or does run Puppy 4.3 so again, it might be very worth your while to contact him.

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#10 Post by Flash »

If Dave did get his audio working, give him a dope slap for not mentioning that fact in his thread. :)

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#11 Post by 8-bit »

I just found a post on another forum that may help.
It is at http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/ubuntu ... lc888.html
The poster that got the sound card working installed Wine and ran the Windows driver for the card installed and afterward, the sound card worked.

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#12 Post by starhawk »

@Monsie: I'll send Dave a PM.

@8-Bit: wine is not an acceptable solution this time. I've never figured out how to use it, and I'm not about to start.

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Got one mute Puppy here -- Compaq SR2173WM

#13 Post by ETP »

Hi starhawk
All this help and not fixed yet ! :)
ATi X600SE 128mb PCIe GFX card (Dell OEM to boot!)
That card has two DVI ports (one with a DVI->VGA adapter on it) which apparently Puppy thinks are HDMI and can therefore transmit audio as well as video. Hmm wonder where it got that bloody idea, since it doesn't effing work.
A few questions:

1. I have Googled images of this card & they do not match your descrption in that they only show one DVI socket plus a Video S socket. Are you certain about the model number?

2. What cards are listed if you press F6 in alsa mixer?

3. What happens if you disable the onboard sound in the BIOS?

4. Alsa can assume that anything with a sound chip such as a voice modem or TV tuner is a sound card.
What other PCI cards are present?

With regard to the level of help & speed of response on this forum you have to remember that some of us are so old that it takes us a while to get going. :lol:
Regards ETP
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#14 Post by starhawk »

Unfinished business: have not PM'd dave yet.

@ETP: The card is a Dell OEM model of a Foxconn card. It is DELL part number 109-A26030-01. There once was a thread on my other forum, but it appears to have vanished into the mists of time.

I'll have to post you a photo, as apparently I've got an odd variant that is full-height with a second DVI port. (Or I got the part # wrong some time back.)

ALSA only recognizes the graphics card.

I don't know if the onboard sound has been disabled in BIOS. I'll check that.

The only other card in this system is a wireless NIC.

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#15 Post by starhawk »

BIOS was set to "Auto". You can guess what that really means :oops:

Changed the setting to "Enable". ALSA still doesn't see it, BUT BUT BUT the multiple-soundcard wizard does.

...so it works now!

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