No sound in Ubuntu 12.04 (HDA VIA VT82xx)

[na5h]

Problem solved! I downgraded my kernel to a previous one (as my sound was working fine in Ubuntu 11.10)...

[Daimonea]

Hi!

I have exactly the same notebook and problem as you have, @na5h.
Could you please describe how you did the kernel downgrade?

On Ubuntu 11.10 sound worked here too. With the only restriction that when i use the headphone jack, the speaker doesn't shut up.

But that's still better than having no sound at all.

lg, michael

[Tomtompiper]

Logged back on after a session on Mint and the sound was back. I had not done anything? One last problem the side bar is stuck out, I will work on that.

[na5h]

@Daimonea: Yes, of course...I'll post some step-by-step instructions in a jiffy, just gotta tie up a few loose ends first...

[Daimonea]

Thank you so much, na5h.

[na5h]

For those of you that are interested in trying my little fix:
There are probably many different ways to do all this...this is just how I did it. I would also like to point out that I'm not that used to playing around with kernels and with GRUB, so if you choose to follow these instructions, please do so at your own risk!
Here goes...

1. CHECK IF THERE ARE ANY PREVIOUS KERNELS AVAILABLE
If you upgraded from 11.10 then you might still have an older kernel installed (I think)...in that case you wont have to download anything.

Open up a terminal (CTRL+ALT+T) and run the following command to check if there are any previous kernels available in the GRUB list:

cat /boot/grub/grub.cfg  |grep menuentry

See if you can find any kernels that are numbered 3.0.xx-xx, for instance "Linux 3.0.0-17-generic". The ones that start with 3.2 are too new! If there is a suitable kernel available, go to step 3.


2. DOWNLOAD AND INSTALL AN OLDER KERNEL:
Go to http://packages.ubuntu.com/oneiric-updates/linux-image and download an older kernel (change the "oneiric" part of the address if you want a kernel from an even older release).

Select a generic image (for instance linux-image-3.0.0-13-generic) and download it to your home folder (click on the right image, then scroll down to the bottom of the next page and download the right package for your architecture. The amd64 is for 64-bit versions and the i386 is for 32-bit versions).

Open a terminal and run the following command to install the downloaded kernel:

sudo dpkg -i package_name

For instance, "sudo dpkg -i linux-image-3.0.0-13-generic_3.0.0-13.22_i386.deb".

Update GRUB by running the following command:

sudo update-grub

3. BOOT INTO THE OLDER KERNEL TO SEE THAT EVERYTHING IS WORKING THE WAY IT SHOULD
Reboot you computer and hold down the Shift-key before the GRUB menu appears (or before the Ubuntu-logo starts to "load", if Ubuntu is your only operating system)

Select "previous linux versions" from the GRUB menu and boot into the older kernel of your choice.

4. REMOVE THE NEWER KERNELS
Use Synaptic Package manager (not installed by default, can be found in the Software Center) to remove the newer kernels:
Type "linux-image" in the search box, scroll down and mark the newer images for complete removal (right-click->mark for complete removal), then klick on "Apply".

Update GRUB by running the following command:

sudo update-grub

ENJOY!

P.S. I think Ubuntu installs new kernels by default or something...so, um...you should probably just stick to the kernel you just installed/picked and not install newer kernels with update manager?

On Ubuntu 11.10 sound worked here too. With the only restriction that when i use the headphone jack, the speaker doesn't shut up.

Yeah...I had that problem too. You can use alsamixer to mute the speaker while using your headphones:
Open a terminal and type "alsamixer", then use the arrow keys to change the volume of the different channels (the speaker will shut up if you mute the "front" channel). No permanent fix...but it works!

[rickbeton]

Same problem happened on my laptop after upgrading to 12.04. Here's the Alsa report:

http://www.alsa-project.org/db/?f=60...6efc71a99c8cb9

Rick

PS: More specifically:
* the HDMI output works fine
* there is SPDIF output but I haven't tested it
* when the headphones are unplugged, the built-in speakers work fine
* when headphones are plugged in, this is evident from the changed sound control panel. But the headphones don't work now.
* My bluetooth headphones do still work fine, however.

[fijired2]

Yeah...I had that problem too. You can use alsamixer to mute the speaker while using your headphones:
Open a terminal and type "alsamixer", then use the arrow keys to change the volume of the different channels (the speaker will shut up if you mute the "front" channel). No permanent fix...but it works!

Thanks for this - alsamixer had my Master volume as "0" so changing that brought my sound back!

[mörgæs]

Na5h, thanks for posting the solution.

Please mark the thread 'solved' using 'thread tools'.

[Daimonea]

Thank you very much for this tutorial and the alsamixer-tip, na5h!

Great work!

lg, michael