Troubleshooting in Build: Audio

DESKTOP BUILD: AUDIO TROUBLESHOOTING

You're going along your build checklist just fine. You thought it was odd that no Ubuntu drums were audible when you booted up, but you would be reaching the sound test portion of the build later on, so you didn't worry. Only, now IS later on, and you have no sound. Here's what to do:

As always, recheck your connections	Be certain that the speaker wire is connected to the correct, "outgoing" speaker port in the system and that the speakers are plugged in to a power outlet and "on" at a reasonable sound level. Try plugging in the speaker cable into the front panel's headphone icon and see if any sound comes from the speakers.
"There is no sound on the "Sound Check" step of the "Basic Check" Checklist"	First thing you want to do is click on the small speaker icon located at the top right portion of your monitor and make certain nothing is muted, and the "Output Volume" is set to a moderate level. If this still doesn't work, open a terminal and type in "alsamixer". You should see a screen with an interface of many different volume control levels. Go to both "Master" and "PCM" by using your arrow keys and set each to around 90.
If there is no sound, and you have no front speaker plug, try this...	You will need to look at the Front Panel Motherboard Pin-outs and go to the "Front Panel Audio" section and find these pins in your own system. Once you locate them, you will want to jumper the pins labeled 6 and 5, as well as 10 and 9. This will enable the rear audio plug to work.
Both Right and Left come from the same speaker in the "Sound Check" step of the "Basic Check" Checklist	Oftentimes if the front headphone plug isn't hooked up properly on the motherboard, it will wreak havoc on the on-board sound card. Check for any missing plugs coming from the front panel. There should be a plastic casing around the tip of the plugs that will tell you what it is for. Check the motherboard for "AUDIO" written next to corresponding pins. Use the Front Panel Motherboard Pin-outs to guide you on how to do the hookup. If this still doesn't work, simply shut down the system, replace or put in a new sound card, and plug the speaker chord into that sound card.
"I have sound, but my CD-ROM/DVD Player isn't working"	If you find the CD/DVD player isn't working, look into the system and make sure that the IDE/SATA connection is good. If there are other ports then try plugging the connections into other IDE/SATA ports and see if you have any luck. Look at the jumper setting, and ensure the "slave"/"master" is set appropriately for the jumpers and the ribbon cables. If this is set correctly, try a different CD/DVD optical drive. If the same outcome results, try replacing all ribbon cables and power cables. After this measure, locate a staff person or Build Instructor in the build room and ask them for further assistance with the system.