Laptop built-in speakers not working on an HP 625

Question

After I did a fresh install of 11.10 but keeping my home folder which was used for 11.04, my laptop speakers didnt work anymore. Sound from analog headset still works, but would like to use my speakers also.

My laptop is the HP625 and the soundcard: Card: HDA ATI SB(Radeon HD 4200)
Chip: IDT 92HD88B1

I have tried the following things:

• Followed this answer and changed some kernel settings: Fast video playback with no sound
• Unmute the speakers
• ran the troubleshooting guide of ubuntu, which caused more trouble than it solved, all my sound stopped working and had to reinstall the kernel, so it would recognize my soundcard again

As a reference this is the aslascript, which may provide a linux/ubuntu guru more info than me: alsa information script

Solution

You can try following steps:

1. First,open up a terminal window (Applications->Accessories->Terminal) and run this command:

   sudo head -1 /proc/asound/card0/codec#0
   

   it outputs your audio card type.

2. Edit the configuration file by this command:

   sudo gedit /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base.conf
   

   find out this section:

   > # Keep snd-pcsp from being loaded as first soundcard 
   > options snd-pcsp index=-2
   

   change it into:

   > # Keep snd-pcsp from being loaded as first soundcard
   > #options snd-pcsp index=-2
   > options snd-hda-intel model=laptop-eapd
   

Reboot,and the speaker should be working now

Comments

[Sam S]

Worked! Thanks a lot, i edited your answer as it contained some formatting bugs, which may cause other readers to do the wrong thing, which nearly happened to me. Btw could you tell me why we run the first command? I didn't use it when editing the config file, so I do not see the use of it. It's good to know but not related to the answer?

[Sam S]

Don't know why but my laptop speakers stopped working again, after switching from headset to speakers. I got it working for like 30 mins. Any idea? I am using Analog Speakers as output, as that worked just now, but does not work now anymore.

[twister_void]

@SamS have a view on this help.ubuntu.com/community/SoundTroubleshootingProcedure

[Sam S]

That device is not available. The only 2 devices available are: Internal Audio Analog stereo and RS880 Audio Device [Radeon HD 4200] Digital Sterio [HDMI]. But I have tried all options available in the soundmixer but none of them worked

[Bruno Pereira]

It is solved right?

[Sam S]

I fixed it by buying external speakers haha, they were 5 euros and the quality of the sound is much better also. So for anybody with the same problem as me I suggest buying some external speakers ;) The sound is so much better!

[twister_void]

:D NIce Shoot @SamS

[thameera]

This and then killall pulseaudio; rm -r ~/.pulse* solved the issue.