How to get audio output on Ubuntu - speakers silent?

[Liam Proven]

On Mon, 22 Feb 2021 at 14:24, Bo Berglund <bo.berglund at gmail.com> wrote:

> Well it shows up "exactly" the same, with no audio on two laptops in related
> families...

Come on. "Sound does not work" is *not* exactly the same problem.

> I have been programming for most of my active life (since the end of the
> 1970:es), but it has either been low level stuff directly on the silicon or else
> application level on Windows. Not digging into the underlying system functions
> unless absolutely necessary...
> I have no deep knowledge of Linux even though I can do general work on it.

That is enough. Nobody is an all-round expert any more; modern OSes
are too big and too complex.

>  After I scrapped them and put Ubuntu on
> them I have no idea how to update the f/w.

Boot DOS off a USB stick, or perhaps in some cases, download a
firmware-update ISO from the vendor, burn it to CD and boot that.

I did a Thinkpad W500 that way last week, a 13+ year-old machine. Age
is no guarantee it is current.

I also did my work laptop last week, by putting the Windows
self-installer on a USB key -- but I did not need to boot from it. The
BIOS can read the Windows .EXE directly and update itself.

Check. Google is your friend.

> >• What sound chips do they have?
> Don't know how to find out...

Google it, Bo.

> >• Are both laptops using the same sound chip?
> Don't know, probably not. But they are both HP.

So check.

> >• Is it being correctly detected by Linux?
> Probably not

So check. Google for how.

We are here to help you and we are happy to help you but you have to
provide us with the information we need to do it, and we are not here
to Google questions for you and copy-paste the answers. I am not being
nasty; if you want us to  do that for you, it is you who is being rude
to us.

You say you've been a programmer for 50 years. I am sure you must have
had some unhelpful users in that time.

"Your program doesn't work!"
"What program?"
"I don't know!"
"What is wrong with it?"
"I don't know! It doesn't work!"
"Well does it give an error? What does it say?"
"I don't know! It doesn't work!"

Come on. We are both 50+. Help us to help you by providing as much
relevant info as you can.

> >• What sound output device does Linux say it is using?
> HP 8440w: High Definition Audio Controller

Sounds worryingly generic.

> HP 8560w: GF108 High Definition Audio Controller

Sounds a little more specific. That is more encouraging.

> >• Can you change the output device in the audio mixer?
> No
> HP 8440w: Dummy Output

That  is bad. That is a problem to troubleshoot.

> HP 8560w: Built-in Analog Stereo

That sounds OK.

> >• Does the sound work immediately after a reboot?
> HP 8440w: No
> HP 8560w: Yes

So the 8560 we can discount now as it is working?

> >• Does the sound work with a guest account?
> Don't know what you mean...

Log in as guest from the login screen. Try playing a sound file.

> >• Does the sound work if you use a bootable USB with a different
> >distro? (E.g. openSUSE or Fedora)
> Have not tested.

Why not? We've been suggesting it for days.


> >• Have you tried with different programs, e.g. a local MP3 file just
> >via the default media player?
> No, but since the preferences/sound shows output being Disabled it is pointless
> I believe.

Do you know that for sure? No? Then do not assume.

There is 100x more complexity in playing a sound file off the web via
a browser than just playing a local sound file. Codecs, browser
plugins, Javascript, browser compatibility.

Before you see if your car can get round a racetrack in under 2 min,
you see if the car _starts_.


-- 
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