Installation guide

86 Chapter 9. Audio, Video, and General Amusement
9.3. Troubleshooting Your Sound Card
If, for some reason, you do not hear sound and know that you do have a sound card installed, you can
run the sndconfig utility.
To use sndconfig:
1. From a shell prompt, use the su - command to become root.
2. Type sndconfig at the command line.
To navigate through the configuration screens, use your [Tab] and [Enter] keys.
Note
Many sound cards are supported for Red Hat Linux, but there are sound cards that are not completely
compatible, or even compatible at all. If you are having trouble configuring your sound card, check
the Hardware Compatibility List at http://hardware.redhat.com/ to see if your card is supported.
The sndconfig utility probes your system for sound cards. If the utility detects a plug and play sound
card, it will automatically try to configure the correct settings by playing sound samples. If you can
hear the samples, just select Ok when instructed and your sound card configuration is complete.
If the probe does not find any cards, you will be presented with a list from which you can select your
card. Use the [Up Arrow] and [Down Arrow] keys to scroll through the list. If your card is listed,
highlight it, then press [Enter] (or [Tab] to the Ok button and press [Enter]).
Your next task will be to select the correct I/O port, IRQ, and DMA settings. These settings are
determined by the jumper settings of the sound card. You can find information about these settings
in your sound card documentation. If you share your machine with Windows, you can also find your
sound card’s settings in the Device Manager tab, in the System section of your Control panel.
Once you have selected the right settings for your card, you will be presented with sound samples. If
you hear the samples, select Ok and sound configuration is complete.
After your card is configured, type exit. You will be returned to your user account.
9.3.1. If sndconfig Does Not Work
If sndconfig does not work (if the sample does not play and you still do not have audio sounds),
there are alternatives, although they are not quite as simple as running sndconfig. You can edit your
modules.conf file as discussed below (this strategy is not recommended for novices), or refer to the
documentation that came with your soundcard for more information.
9.3.1.1. Manual Soundcard Configuration
If your soundcard is not a plug and play card, you can manually edit your /etc/modules.conf file
to include the sound card module that it should use, for example:
alias sound sb
alias midi opl3
options opl3 io=0x388
options sb io=0x220 irq=7 dma=0,1 mpu_io=0x300