[Bug 1684244] Re: No sounds with Kubuntu 17.04 on ASUS A541s

[Victor Marin]

Despite all the above, the sound problems remain randomly in Xubuntu
too.. I found on Google that this seems to be a kernel related bug (or
just a lack of support of my hardware) and that it perhaps will be fixed
with the kernel 4.11 or 4.12. Also I found UKUU, an interesting tool for
easily upgrading the Linux kernels for the Ubuntu family of operating
systems. So I installed UKUU and upgraded the kernel to its last version
(4.10.14-041014-generic while I'm writing these lines).

It seemed to work as I got sound for the next few days. But if I restart
with the earphones plugged in, then it happens all the same and it gets
mute (no sound from the speakers neither from the earphones). Restarting
the OS helps sometimes, some other times don't.

By upgrading its kernel I got a notably faster, lighter Xubuntu 17.04
than before, though... and a yet much faster operating system than
Windows 10, for the case, which it's nice as my laptop is not very
powerful.

The only way to recover the sound it's to start up to Windows 10. Then
to vary the volume with its slide on the system tray. If I get sound in
Windows then it (likely) will be sounds in Xubuntu, as well.

In one occassion Windows 10 has advised me to open the assistant for
troubleshooting sound problems. I did it twice (the first time Windows
didn't find any problem, although there were no sounds, also in
Windows!). The second time I launched the sound assistant, it made some
changes in the hardware, because the sound hardware was deactivated -it
said-, so Windows activated it again and asked me to confirm if there
were sounds already. Yes, it had sounds again and the next time I
started up in Xubuntu there were sounds, as well.

So I think this is a problem of that the Linux kernel has a lack of
support of the sound hardware of my laptop and, unless somebody writes
some workaround, we will have to wait until the kernel is properly
upgraded for totally supporting it.

-- 
You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu
Foundations Bugs, which is subscribed to ubuntu-release-upgrader in
Ubuntu.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1684244

Title:
  No sounds with Kubuntu 17.04 on ASUS A541s

Status in ubuntu-release-upgrader package in Ubuntu:
  Confirmed

Bug description:
  
  I like to have dual boot so I installed Windows 10 on my laptop ASUS A541s (also known as A541sa). Everything works OK.

  Then I just installed Kubuntu 17.04 x64 (Spanish language) on it and
  after some restarts today, suddenly it got not sounds. The live CD
  session had sounds, though (also, the first times I started the
  installed Kubuntu 17.04 I had sounds as normally).

  Now in Preferencias del sistema --> Multimedia --> Volumen del sonido,
  the slide bar is at the left, and when I try to move it to the right
  (to gain sound volume) it automatically goes to the left for itself.
  Also the speaker button on such window of Volumen del sonido it has a
  red hyphen on it (showing sound it's muted) but I can't get rid off it
  when clicking on it. I attach an screenshot.

  However the Volume control at the system tray shows as normally and
  its slide bar moves OK (but there is not sounds).

  To restart the OS doesn't help, neither to play with the sound
  options, etc.

  Indeed this is not the first time I get such sound problem with Ubuntu
  and not only with KDE. With the previous Kubuntu 16.10 I had the same
  problem, but the sound was just fine when trying Fedora 25 (GNOME
  version).

  I also have tried (live session) Xubuntu 17.04 (some times I get not
  sound other times sound works OK), and also Ubuntu MATE 17.04 (most
  times the sound works OK, while the few times I suddenly lost the
  sound restarting the system makes it to work again).

  As per my experience, IMHO the most prone desktop environment to lose
  sound it's KDE, and I don't know how to recover it. XFCE loses sound
  some times. The sound on MATE (or GNOME) DE works fine most times and
  to restart the system recovers the sound if needed.

  The battery light of the laptop some times starts white-blinking in
  cycles of four times which repeats again and again until I restart the
  laptop (this happened to me in KDE, XFCE and MATE, and with or without
  sound).

  Thanks in advance, because I prefer Linux over Windows and Ubuntu with
  KDE are my favorite Linux choices since years ago.

  ProblemType: Bug
  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 17.04
  Package: ubuntu-release-upgrader-core 1:17.04.7
  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.10.0-19.21-generic 4.10.8
  Uname: Linux 4.10.0-19-generic x86_64
  ApportVersion: 2.20.4-0ubuntu4
  Architecture: amd64
  CrashDB: ubuntu
  CurrentDesktop: KDE
  Date: Wed Apr 19 18:33:46 2017
  InstallationDate: Installed on 2017-04-19 (0 days ago)
  InstallationMedia: Kubuntu 17.04 "Zesty Zapus" - Release amd64 (20170412)
  PackageArchitecture: all
  SourcePackage: ubuntu-release-upgrader
  Symptom: dist-upgrade
  UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

To manage notifications about this bug go to:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubuntu-release-upgrader/+bug/1684244/+subscriptions