How to Turn on a Sound Card in Linux

A computer may have any combination of internal and external sound cards. In general, the Linux operating system detects the presence of a sound card (by probing at the hardware level) and loads the corresponding driver into main memory; this detection usually happens automatically. In particular, Linux may load drivers for multiple sound cards present on the same system. Use the "Sound Preferences" configuration applet to turn on a particular sound card under Linux.

Instructions

1. Log in to the Linux computer in graphical mode. The specific way of doing this depends on the desktop and windowing environment on your computer. For example, for the Gnome desktop, click on the user name under which you want to log in. Click on the pull-down menu next to the "Settings" header at the bottom of the screen, then select "GNOME." Click on the "Password" field next to the user name, then type the password and press "Enter."

2. Start the "Sound Preferences" dialog from your Linux desktop. The specific way of performing this step depends on the desktop and windowing environment on your computer. For example, for the Gnome desktop, click on "Preferences" on the menu bar at the top of the screen. Select "Preferences," then "Sound."

3. Click on the "Input" tab. Click on the pull-down menu next to the "Choose a device for sound input" field, then select the sound card you want to turn on among the cards present in the system.

4. Click on the "Output" tab. Click on the pull-down menu next to the "Choose a device for sound output" field, then select the sound card you want to turn on among the cards present in the system.

5. Click "Close."

References

• Gnome.org: Gnome Library - Desktop User Guide