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ASUS P5W DW Motherboard

Fri, 18/01/2008 - 20:32 — Tailzer

Sound for Linux using ASUS P5W DW

After trying many tutorials scattered around the web with no luck, the problem was discussed at one of our regular SOSLUG meetings, and found that the Dell Inspirion 1521 shares a similar audio chipset that requires the Intel HD driver to function. The following is taken from the Dell 1521 page.

You need to blacklist the "snd-hda-intel" kernel module from being loaded automatically by appending it to /etc/hotplug/blacklist Reboot. While you are rebooting, check in the bios that the sound is set to HD and not to AC97, this can be found under Advanced > Chipset > Front panel support type. If it left to AC97, modprobe will not detect the card.

From a clean boot, make sure the universe repository is enabled, then:

#> sudo apt-get install build-essential gcc-3.4 linux-headers-$(uname -r) module-assistant
#> cd ~
#> wget http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/universe/a/alsa-driver/alsa-source_1.0.15-3ubuntu1_all.deb && sudo dpkg -i alsa-source_1.0.15-3ubuntu1_all.deb; sudo apt-get -f install
#> sudo dpkg-reconfigure alsa-source

What is it that's happening then, lets go through the commands a line at a time.

  1. We install all the necessary tools required to build a new alsa driver "build-essential" is compilation of compiling tools "gcc-3.4" is a specific compiler presumably required to build the alsa-driver, "linux-headers-$(uname -r)", heres a strange package - well it is a package name with an installed command "$(uname -r)". Try this open a terminal window and at the prompt type "uname -r" on it's own no quotes and watch what is returned - 2.6.22-14-generic -. If you get this then what is happening is that the dollar sign "$" appends the data returned from the command to the package name a substitution based on the actual kernel you are using. The "module-assistant" is a very important part of the building tools. If an error message is returned referring to a CD being missing edit your "/etc/apt/sources.list" and Remark out the first "deb cd" line using a "#".
  2. Second line downloads the alsa-driver from a given address this command must be run without sudo command and from your own home directory rather than a root or file system directory. It also uses debian pakage installer command line version to install alsa package however the package still requires to be rebuilt.
  3. Rebuilding the alsa-driver is what the third line accomplishes it does this using a debian command line re-configuring and alsa-source is the driver it needs do it to.

Choose "Yes" for both Plug n' play support and debugging symbols, then deselect "all" cards and select only "hda-intel". Then:

#> sudo module-assistant a-i alsa-source

At this point you'll need to remove "snd-hda-intel" from /etc/hotplug/blacklist , and reboot.

Fingers crossed you will have sound!!