Ubuntu
alsa-driver package

No sound output after plugging Xubuntu 14.04 installation to different machine

Asked by fogine

I've used Asus laptop with Xubuntu 14.04 installation inside, I could hear sound in my headphones until I had to switch to different machine (I unplugged SSD drive with Xubuntu installation and plugged it into my new desktop computer). From that moment I can't get any sound output from the desktop computer.
Note: I can use only headphones, no external or internal speakers are present.
Note: hardware setup in laptop is similar (Intel cpu, nvidia gpu, Intel high definition audio)

I followed this guide:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SoundTroubleshootingProcedure

Related to the above guide:
-----------------------------------------------
STEP 3 diagnostic output: http://www.alsa-project.org/db/?f=5d1d9156d432da9d96ca7c1830b6d38dac0cdf7a

STEP 4 diagnostic output: https://gist.github.com/fogine/628e3a368e42e782f9c6

Please note that if I boot to Xubuntu 15.04 livecd (have not tried 14.04 livecd boot yet) , sound works as well as in Windows 10 installation on different drive (dual boot with Xubuntu 14.04).

While running those diagnostic commands I had plugged in HDMI cable to Samsung TV although output sound device was setup correctly in pavucontrol utility. I tried also to unplug the HDMI connection... without any difference. Please note that output sound device was not muted at the time of testing.
Alsamixer utility also shows everything set up correctly.

Do you have some idea what I could try next, please?

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Ubuntu alsa-driver Edit question
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Solved by:
Mark Rijckenberg
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Revision history for this message
Best Mark Rijckenberg (markrijckenberg) said : 		#1

I am betting that your laptop is much older than your desktop PC, even though you claim that the "hardware setup in laptop is similar"...

The following Terminal output is the real issue, in my opinion:

      Release Date: 09/04/2015
                Serial services are supported (int 14h)
        Manufacturer: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
        Product Name: To be filled by O.E.M.
        Serial Number: To be filled by O.E.M.
        Manufacturer: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
        Product Name: Z170N-WIFI-CF

00:00.0 Host bridge [0600]: Intel Corporation Sky Lake Host Bridge/DRAM Registers [8086:191f] (rev 07)
00:01.0 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation Sky Lake PCIe Controller (x16) [8086:1901] (rev 07)

So your desktop PC contains the Intel Sky Lake architecture which is very new ( Release Date: 09/04/2015) and
not well supported with older GNU/Linux kernel versions.

Kernel version 3.16.0-59-generic (in your output) is too old for Sky Lake.

I also have a new PC with the Sky Lake architecture.

Even though Ubuntu 16.04 LTS is not officially released yet, I had
better luck booting my PC with this version instead:

http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/lubuntu/daily-live/current/

Keep in mind that Ubuntu 16.04 LTS is not released yet and is probably
full of bugs. So any issues should be reported as a bug and not in this
Answers section of the forum.

But maybe your desktop PC will work better with the current unfinished build of
Ubuntu 16.04 LTS. Power management still does not work correctly on my
Sky Lake PC when using Ubuntu 16.04.

Revision history for this message
fogine (fogine-mail) said : 		#2

Thanks Mark Rijckenberg, that solved my question.