volume control inactive

First try this: open a Terminal from the menu Applications → Accessories → Terminal and type:

sudo apt-get update

give your user password when requested, you don't see nothing when you type it, then press enter

Then type:

sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo apt-get install linux-ubuntu-modules-$(uname -r)

and to reboot your system type:
sudo reboot

Hope this solve your issue

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Then i drop here some suggestions and checks:

Audio trouble with Ubuntu 8.04.1 some common checks

-- First be sure all audio mixer volume cursors are on and to 80% of volume, check it by doubleclick on top right loudspeaker icon, an multi cursor audio mixer come in front of you.
-- If you are using a laptop, your laptop may have a keyboard function to manipulate your sound.
   Check that. Your laptop may have a keyboard control to mute, increase and decrease sound.
-- Please check your sound devices volumes are to a high level double click on the top right loudspeaker icon you will see a mixer
-- Please make common test from menu System → Preferences → Sounds
   if you are using PulseAudio please read: http://www.pulseaudio.org/wiki/PerfectSetup or try if using ALSA things go better
-- If you have two audio cards - please disable the on board audio card using BIOS setting, please check with this terminal command:

   lspci | grep -i audio

-- Please be sure your pc are starting with the generic kernel press ESC at boot when you see the GRUB row then select the "kernel.... - generic" row
-- Please be sure all needed kernel modules are installed to make this check and install them:
  So open a Terminal from the menu Applications → Accessories → Terminal and type:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo apt-get install linux-ubuntu-modules-$(uname -r)

give your user password when requested, you don't see nothing when you type it, then press enter.

Then reboot your pc.

-- Be sure your user is member of audio group
Then open a Terminal from the menu Applications → Accessories → Terminal and type:

sudo adduser $(who am i | cut -d" " -f 1) audio
sudo chmod 660 /dev/snd/*

give your user password when requested, you don't see nothing when you type it, then press enter.

-- Please try to watch what audio cards are detected on your system please type:
asoundconf list

if more than one sound cards is detected by your system to set the default soundcard

asoundconf set-default-card PARAMETER

change PARAMETER with the name of a one detected sound card

-- Please try to delete making a backup copy of this conf files
mv .asoundrc .asoundrc_old
mv .asoundrc.asoundconf .asoundrc.asoundconf.old
sudo mv /etc/asound.conf /etc/asound.conf.old

Please take a look at this http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=205449

-- Please try to discover if there are any process they are keeping the /dev/dsp locked
ps -edalf | grep -i dsp

kill them using this command:

kill -9 number_of_pid

Reboot your pc to see to check if you sound now work.