Sound Problem

[#1]

Machine :-  ACER ASPIRE SWITCH 10

Operating system(s) ......   LInux Mint 19.3      or    PCLinuxOS

Both are "new" installs, and only single installation.. i.e. not dual boot.

Problem is NO SOUND when trying to play music videos with VLC or SMPLAYER

Initially, I thought it may have been a faulty download of Linux MINT 19.3  however a new download and install gave the same NO SOUND result... so I tried PCLinuxOS as an alternative but again.. NO SOUND..

During my investigations to try to rectify this.... Phones plugged in... Volume control at maximum ( not muted)

checking on "Sound Preferences"  at one stage, I saw a message saying that "PulseAudio" was DISABLED, but cannot find a way to ENABLE it.

other avenues reveal the contents on the following pics

On a "first run" with VLC ... this message appeared...

Which started the quest....

The above are photo`s of LINUX MINT Sound Preferences....

Below  photo`s are of the PCLinuxOS Sound Preferences

Note the word  "Disabled" and "Off"   no way to change that..( usually right click produces something.. but no response on that action)

Note the Dummy Output    notice.......

Checking the Synaptic Package Manager via "search" for Pulse Audio... gave this result....

Showing that it IS installed...

Any suggestions or instructions..... gratefully received.....

Thank you for looking ...... 

[#2]

Raise with them;
videolan@videolan.org

[#3]

@Gel  Thanks for the suggestion... but vlc works fine on my other laptop .... also... the "NO SOUND" is applicable to another media player.. ( SMPLAYER ) .. and another program that I use, also has no sound. (not a media player program)

The problem seems to me, to be the fact that , although PulseAudio is installed,   for some reason on the ACER ASPIRE laptop, it is disabled.... and I do not know how to Enable it again.

[#4]

@shutter  does sound work at all ?

does the Sound settings utility show any real sound devices ? It doesn't look like it from your screenshots

Sounds(sic) like Linux hasn't detected any compatible sound devices on that laptop

[#5]

@shutter  a quick google seems to confirm a similar problem

Have a look at this https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=274487 and particularly the link to https://github.com/heikomat/linux/tree/cx2072x/cx2072x_fixes_and_manual

edit: from that 2nd link it looks like you need a kernel > 5.3 to support the sound card. I (think) Mint 19.3 is 5.0?

That 2nd link appears to be a kernel patch so future kernel updates might be a problem...

might be worth trying Mint 20.1 first as that comes with kernel 5.4

[#6]

---

@MisterW wrote:

@shutter  does sound work at all ?

does the Sound settings utility show any real sound devices ? It doesn't look like it from your screenshots

Sounds(sic) like Linux hasn't detected any compatible sound devices on that laptop

---

Hmm... no.. I have a morse program, that I use on 19.3 on another laptop... and also the SMPLAYER is my normal media player. and they both work with no problem.

so I`m not sure about 19.3 being the problem here... especially as I also installed ( fresh new install) PCLinuxOS on the ACER

On the Sound Preferences on my ASUS it shows "Built in Audio-Analogue Stereo" for the sound app... which is "Normal" for Linux Mint I think...  and Linux uses Pulse Audio as the sound card driver

I have noticed that when a video is playing on screen, and one of the pages of the sound settings is showing a bar across the screen... jumping about long and short, as if driven by the sound of the music... ( as expected) so it looks as if "part" of the system is working... just not getting OUT of the sound card to the speakers/phones

[#7]

@MisterW 

Thanks for the linkys ... I`ll go and have a look and see if they are applicable... Mint 20 is an option... which I `ll download while messing about ! .

Thanks  

 will report back later.

[#8]

@MisterW  Well, I have done what it said on the linky... and no change.... still no sound... and the "preferences" still show that same long message about hdmi video..

even tried the " if the above does not work ... try this "...

so.. now I am going to install Mint 20.1 and see if that makes a difference.

 catch up later....

[#9 · Accepted solution]

@MisterW  & @Gel   Thanks for your input... and help.

The problem has been solved......

Installed Linux Mint 20.1 and the sound has resurfaced.

so... this

problem is now FIXED ! ..

[#10]

@shutter 

Shouldn't post #5 by @MisterW  get the accreditation of 'Fix' ?      

[#11]

@RobPN 

I`ll go 50/50  with him ! ...

His idea,  my action ! ! ...

[#12]

I'm just pleased I was right. I don't need the fix credit