Re: [Testing] alsamixer: function snd_ctl_open failed for default: No such device

[Florian Kulzer <florian@molphys.leidenuniv.nl>]

Francesco Bochicchio wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I had a perfectly(well, almost) working debian testing installation.
> before deciding to play with it :-(
> I'm not going in the details, but it ended up with not having
> module-init-tools installed anymore. Then I installed the one in
> the sarge CD, then updated it via internet with the one in testing
> repository.
>
> Now everything is back ... except sound. I updated alsa-xxx
> packages and installed the one that now is called linux-sound-base.
> Run alsaconf without problem. But cannot get sound working
> (it worked before I messed with the system).
> When i try to run alsamixer, I get the error:
>
> alsamixer: function snd_ctl_open failed for default: No such device
>
> Also, the startup scripts alsa-base in /etc/init.d fails, giving problems
> when trying to use amixer (it orints many time s the amixer usage message,
> as if amixer is incorrecly used), If I try to run amixer by hand I get:
>
> amixer: Mixer attach default error: No such device
>
> (but I think the scripts attempts to do something more clever - which I
> had not figured jet).
>
> Alsa modules are loaded. The kernel is the same with which I had the sound
> working before (hand-compiled 2.6.14).
>
> Files like /etc/modules /etc/modules.conf and the contents
> of /etc/modprobe.d/ are the same as before: I had backup that I restored
> after the messing up.
>
> So, what am I missing ?

Maybe some more things to check:

Can you modprobe the kernel module for your audio hardware without
errors? Does it get loaded during boot? (see "dmesg")

What is the result of "lsmod|grep snd"?

Do you actually have /dev/audio or /dev/dsp? Are they owned by
root:audio? What are the permissions?

Regards,
           Florian