Ubuntu sound and wireless help

I've got my friends desktop here and hes trying to get Ubuntu on it. We've installed Fistey and most of it went well, except for wireless and the sound. It detects both the wireless card and the sound card and says both work properly, but neither is working. The network card can even see my network, but cant connect, and I've input all the codes and settings properly (and of course I allowed its MAC into my router).

The wireless card is a belkin Wireless G USB network adapter. It works fine when we plug it into my computer running Sabayon, it connects and everything.

The sound is Realtek ALC861VD built into a Biostar NF61S motherboard. Its detected properly, but it wont make any sounds and all volume is set to maximum and the speakers are turned on.

Suggestions are very appriciated as its driving me to drink right now! *goes off to find some beer*

 

regarding the wireless, might this apply? If my computer wasn't making sounds, first thing I'd do was assume I'd plugged the speakers into the wrong hole. I'll give you more credit than that though, so I'm stumped. Stumped enough to go to bed, anyways. g'night.

 

Yep. I caught this bug and posted it, it seems to be a Feisty-wide issue about Preferences > Sound not being able to use (although detecting quite well) a default sound chipset. A fellow named Colin on launchpad.net found a workaround. If you are interested, find the link to his bug (on my bug report) below. It involves downloading an alternate package to define the default sound.

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux-source-2.6.20/+bug/105382

 

That says its for the Creative Audigy PCMCIA sound card. I dont think thats going to help my friends computer.

I'm going to try the wireless thing now.

 

Try it out, man. It's all the same when it comes down to sound - ALSA drivers. My guess is that the drivers and installed, recognized, but it's just not being read as the default soundcard.

 

asoundconf list

asoundconf set-default-card *nameofyourcard*

from the terminal

 

That works, too. Thanks for mentioning it.

Only thing is that I don't know if it gets preserved after a reboot? It may not via command line...and the person would have to do it again each reboot.

 

honestly, I've never tested it. I just use it to switch back to my onboard sound if I forget to do so before I unplug my USB soundcard, since the Preferences>Sounds dialog can't handle that, either.

 

You could just add the command to the startup programs under sessions, if it doesn not get preserved.

 

I've been meaning to either make a simple bash script that switches the sources when I run it or else make up a udev rule that does the switching automatically.

it's kinda annoying popping open the terminal to type that in.

 

Its just easier for me to use the program that I mentioned in the very beginning of this post, which is in the launchpad thread. That way, I can graphically change sound cards.

 

For sound card, I would say you have to recompile alsa-1.0.14rc2 or rc3 version. My V3000Z HDA-Intel doesn't work under default 1.0.13 at all. But when I recompile to 1.0.14rc2 without any patch diff, everything works right away, including previously "never worked" headphone jack issue. Now it really rocks.

I haven't try wireless yet. The kernel is 20.15 now.