I've done some more tests and collected a lot of data. And I found a workaround for the problem: adding "position_fix=1" reactivates the mic! Now I have sound and a working mic! However, there are some downsides:

First of all, the recording quality is much lower than within the live session. I need to set the volume of the capture device to max to be able to recognize my own voice, but that introduces a lot of noise to the recorded stream. Within a live session, the recorded stream is much louder, it is usable even with the capture device almost muted! I totally don't understand how this can happen...

Secondly, I still consider it a bug when something works within the live system and stops working after installation! This is kind of a "sound-lottery" and would easily become a show-stopper for less experienced users. To find the reason for the bug, I collected data from different settings and compared them, without a result. However, I'm not an ALSA developer, so I decided to attach all collected information hoping that it will be helpful. These are the files inside the archive:

alsa-info-live.txt : information collected from the alsa-info script within the live session (everything worked perfectly) alsa-info-installed.txt : info collected after installation, with no additional options (nothing worked, 1 out of 10 times the sound worked) alsa-info-probe.txt : dito, but with 'probe_mask=8' (sound works, mic is dead) alsa-info-pos.txt : dito, but with 'position_fix=1' (sound and mic work, but low quality)

I don't know for how long I'll have access to this machine, but as long as I do, I can carry out additional tests and collect more data if necc.

Cheers

JK

2009/9/24 remrot@gmail.com

/* Sorry for posting this to the devel list, but the problem seems to be trickier than I first thought *

• and I don't have much time left to fix it (not my machine)! Thanks... */

Hi!

I've got a very strange problem with a ALC861 soundchip on a friend's Toshiba A100-507 Laptop. Sound output and input work perfectly within a live session using the Ubuntu Jaunty and Karmic (Alpha6) CDs but immediately stops working after installing the system. Currently I've installed the latest Karmic containing kernel 2.6.31 and ALSA 1.0.20. I've attached the output of the alsa-info script as well as the output of 'pacmd list' for both systems (live and installed).

Right after the installation the sound stopped working and I couldn't record anything. Alsamixer showed only output devices, no capture devices at all (everything has been correct within the live session). In 'dmesg' I found the following error messages:

[ 279.924019] hda-intel: azx_get_response timeout, switching to polling mode: last cmd=0x301f000a [ 280.928019] hda_intel: azx_get_response timeout, switching to single_cmd mode: last cmd=0x301f000a

After doing some research I found this guide (thx Mr. Iwai):

http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/people/tiwai/docs/HD-Audio.html#_code...

And indeed, adding 'probe_mask=8' fixed the sound output and brought back the capture devices (remember that they were there within the live session without that option). I've also tried the 'model=toshiba' option (combined with 'probe_mask' and standalone) but that didn't help at all (no capture devices and no sound).

The current situation:

I've already posted to the PulseAudio mailing ist and got some help from Mr. Colin Guthrie but we haven't found a solution (everything seems OK regarding PA). I still can't record anything within the installed system. I tried audacity, alsarec and the gnome-sound-recorder without luck. When recording in audacity, the timeline cursor doesn't move, it only flickers. In gnome-recorder, recording stops right after it has started and the application hangs on exit. PA's volume meter doesn't show anything either, it is empty. I compared the configurations on both systems but I see no differences that are not related to the 'probe_mask' option... I really believe that there is a solution because everything works in a live session. Can anybody help me with this?

Regards

JK