[Bug 60987] Loss of sound devices (/dev/dsp /dev/mixer /dev/sequencer /dev/midi)

[Craig A. Eddy]

Public bug reported:

Binary package hint: linux-image-2.6.15-23-386

HARDWARE -
Tyan mother board
Pentium PIII, 750 CPU
Creative Labs SoundBlaster Live! (driver - emu10k1)

PROBLEM - (Symptoms positive and negative)
Sound not operating.
Alsa mixer and Gnome mixer both reporting that there is no sound device installed.
No modules apparently installed.

SOLUTION -
Went to the Alsa web site, found my particular sound card, downloaded 3 packages and followed the directions on the page INCLUDING running ./snddevices. ReBoot. Sound now operating.

CONCLUSION -
The Ubuntu alsa packages, when installed, are not completing the operation of installing the sound devices (/dev/dsp /dev/mixer /dev/sequencer /dev/midi). This is fatal to the operation of sound on a GNU/Linux system. This is a particularly obnoxious problem considering that the sound was operating prior to the upgrade to this particular kernel (this also occurred on a clean install on a separate partition). Which particular package was responsible for the lack of sound devices I have no way of determining. However, since ./snddevices would not operate/could not be found until AFTER I had done ./compile ./make ./make install on the three packages, I have to conclude that something in the packages that Synaptic offered was lacking the appropriate programs/functions.

TO REPRODUCE -
On the above hardware, update to linux-image-2.6.15-23-386.  Sound that had been working satisfactorily PRIOR TO update suddenly no longer exists.

COMMENT -
This is the second time that an updated image has destroyed the sound on my computer.  I would have thought that, after the first time, it would have been fixed.

** Affects: linux-source-2.6.15 (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Untriaged
         Status: Unconfirmed

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Loss of sound devices (/dev/dsp /dev/mixer /dev/sequencer /dev/midi)
https://launchpad.net/bugs/60987