Here's the specs:

AMD k6-2 300mhz
ECS 6 channel sound card (cm8738)
Mandrake 8.1
-> Using GNOME with WindowMaker

Here's the prob:

Sound does not work at all... until it is configured with the mandrake config tool. My test example is XMMS configured to output to OSS. I get error messages to check to see if the card is configured properly or that nothing is using or blocking it already. So...

If i go to the "DiskDrake" utility, find my card, and run the config tool, sure enough, i get the "SoundDrake has successfully configured your sound card" 8bit sound clip and i can now run XMMS, except if i turn off the computer, it reverts to it's unconfigured state i guess.

Now, how do i get it configured when i turn on the box and why isn't it now? I'd be happy to edit whatever i need to. I just need a little direction, or even suggestion of where to look

i use slack so i'm not sure if it uses the same setup. try cd /etc/rc.d. go into rc.modules and and look in the soundcard section. if you find your card uncomment (remove #) the line that says /sbin/modprobe yourcard. if you can't find your card just add a line: /sbin/modprobe yourcard. your computer obviously supports your card so you can safely add the line. you might have to guess the name that's used for your card because it might be a short form or something.

sometimes there bundled together. for example i have a sis something or other, but it's covered under trident. if you go into /usr/src/linux and type make menuconfig and go into the sound card section you might see your card.

Unfortunately, Mandrake is not setup that same way. There are a lot of auto-generated files and i'm not all too sure were they are being generated from.

Well, after some poking around, i still can't find why it isn't working right. My card is labeled as "cmpci" [short for C-Media PCI card i suppose]. I can see it in several places. When the box boots, i can see it check off "sound module cmpci loaded." However, it doesn't work until after i have config'd it in HardDrake every time i use the computer. After that the card work great. nice sound.

So my question is: what does the "configuration tool" in HardDrake *actually do* that causes it to work after config but not before? Also, how can i save those changes? After the box is turned off, i lose it all.

Thanks for the help so far. much appreciated.