Joe Hart wrote:
[...] Unfortunately, you didn't tell us which version of Debian you were using, so I am guessing that you chose the current stable version, Sarge. Debian 4.0 (etch) can easily recognize that soundcard during boot, and automatically set it up. It is also possible that you have more than one sound device in your computer (such as a microphone for your webcam) and that is being set as the default sound device. Check in your setup to see which soundcard(s) your computer finds. [...]
This HOWTO may help: http://newbiedoc.berlios.de/wiki/Sound_in_Debian_GNU/Linux
It is written for Etch, but should help for Sarge too. It explains how to set your default sound device.
-- Chris.