Short Story
Changes to pulseaudio's /etc/pulse/default.pa hosed pulseaudio. But reverting those changes did not restore pulseaudio. A horked package update to libodbc1 happened concurrently resulting in a multi-day trouble-shooting process. Fixing both has left lingering intractable issues with sound.
Long Story
Please bear with me, this is a long multiday story that started last Wednesday ...
I recently bought an RTL-SDR dongle and it's been fun experimenting with it. Pretty happy (listening now to a local radio station). When I had it working (req. a bit of support for HD Radio channels), I decided to explore how to leverage pulseaudio to listen remotely. Dr. Google lead to some changes to pulseaudio's default.pa file to enable network access by loading some network modules with specific syntax to allow remote connections. I made those changes and restarted pulseaudio. Didn't get what I wanted, so kept poking at it. So this all started futzing with pulseaudio (more on that later).
In the midst of doing this, I performed a software update using the MX Package Installer when I tried to install some software requirements for a tool I wanted to use.
That was a mistake.
The package configuration process horked while trying to configure libodbc1. I didn't realize it at the time, but this was an enormous problem (now fixed).
On reboot, the boot process halted -- that is, simply stopped cold. Given normal GRUB configuration that has "quiet splash" enabled, when something like this happens, all one sees is a black screen.
So, first order of business is getting to a working prompt. Figured how to do that from GRUB, also removing "quiet." Now on boot I could see the dmesg output. The boot halted immediately after loading i915 (see Graphics in the Quick System Info below). Google eventually found that the issue was that unconfigured libodbc1. The problem is a conflict between a Microsoft repository I was using for VSCode and another package and both trying to install/configure the same libocbc1. "Nomodeset" added to the boot line lets booting continue so I could resolve the Microsoft issue. When I removed the Microsoft repository, all was well (see next). "Nomodeset" also affects how the boot process looks, but I can live with that.
Follow up on this and remove the repository, aptitude revealed that multiple 100s of installed files had not been correctly configured (probably following that horkded libodbc1). Aptitude successfully configured them and on reboot I again booted to runlevel 5 and the expected KWIN login screen, followed by KDE Plasma. Yay! I'd been thinking I was going to have to do a clean install (I was, in fact, beginning to backup some local files to a local HDD preparatory to doing that).
But all was not well.
Sound was completely gone. It's taken me many more hours with installs and uninstalls to get working sound. But it's still not right and not where it was last Tuesday before this all started. I first reinstalled pulseaudio. No change, no sound. I next purged it and restarted leaving just alsa. I had sound for some apps, but not for other apps. KMix worked. Reinstalled pulseaudio. No sound. Deleted the /ect/pulse folder (thinking a purge/reinstall would restore a default folder). Uninstalled/reinstalled. No sound, the reinstall did not add either client.conf or default.pa to /etc/pulse (<sigh>). I was able eventually to find someone on the net who posted the contents of their default.pa and that, finally, got me an almost working pulseaudio, but not completely. I installed pipewire to basically do an end run around the pulseaudio issues and that did a bit more to get me working sound. In fact, when I uninstalled pipewire, I had things to where they are right now, almost completely working.
I have the pulsesystray app installed, yet multiple items on it are grayed out: manager, equalizer, and "configure local sound server." The installed PulseAudio Equalizer opens, but is not "available" as an "output device" as it should be. There is no longer a Sound item in the the KDE System Settings. It's as if KDE doesn't know that Pulseaudio is installed so it should add somethign to its configuration options. There used to be a sound icon in the tasktray, but it's no longer there--thinking again that this is a KDE/PulseAudio interaction that's not happening that used to happen. So far as I can see there's nothing in the repos that explicitly tie KDE and PulseAudio.
But, what's compelled me to post, is that the sound volume settings in either KMix or PulseAudio Volume Control do not stay where they are set, or are ignored. System sounds/Notifications are at 100% and every time I either mute them or pulled the slider to a low value they are either reset by some process, or are ignored.
The small nuke option is to at least get sound to its default installed state. But I really don't know how to do that successfully. I'd have though purging PulseAudio and reinstalling would, but apparently there are other things involved given how KDE and PulseAudio are not "talking" to each other as they used to.
Q: Does anyone have a process to reset to default install state the sound system that absolutely does that? It's almost there, but frankly I'm out of ideas and, sadly, at this point forums (and google) are unhelpful, because I've done everything that most posts suggest to do.
As I said, I think I know where this is going to go (the large nuke option to do a clean install <sigh>), but that'll have to wait a bit because in the midst of all this I've also had a HDD begin to fail if the sounds it's making and the thumps I can feel when I touch its case are any guide so right now I'm copying its 4.5Tb of data to a new 14Tb drive which is going to take a while.
Thanks for any help.
Code: Select all
[CODE]System: Kernel: 6.1.0-10-amd64 [6.1.38-2] x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 12.2.0
parameters: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-6.1.0-10-amd64 root=UUID=<filter> ro nomodeset
splash
Desktop: KDE Plasma 5.27.5 wm: kwin_x11 vt: 7 dm: SDDM
Distro: MX-23.1_KDE_x64 Libretto July 31 2023 base: Debian GNU/Linux 12 (bookworm)
Machine: Type: Desktop System: LENOVO product: 90NA007DUS v: IdeaCentre 5 14IMB05
serial: <filter> Chassis: type: 3 serial: <filter>
Mobo: LENOVO model: 370A v: SDK0J40697 WIN 3305326136605 serial: <filter> UEFI: LENOVO
v: O4HKT2AA date: 10/29/2020
Battery: Device-1: hidpp_battery_0 model: Logitech M510 serial: <filter>
charge: 55% (should be ignored) rechargeable: yes status: Discharging
CPU: Info: 8-Core model: Intel Core i7-10700 bits: 64 type: MT MCP arch: Comet Lake
family: 6 model-id: A5 (165) stepping: 5 microcode: F8 cache: L2: 16 MiB
flags: avx avx2 lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx bogomips: 92796
Speed: 4600 MHz min/max: 800/4800 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 4600 2: 4600 3: 4600
4: 4600 5: 4600 6: 4600 7: 4601 8: 4600 9: 4600 10: 4599 11: 4600 12: 4600 13: 4600
14: 4600 15: 4600 16: 4600
Vulnerabilities: Type: itlb_multihit status: KVM: VMX disabled
Type: l1tf status: Not affected
Type: mds status: Not affected
Type: meltdown status: Not affected
Type: mmio_stale_data mitigation: Clear CPU buffers; SMT vulnerable
Type: retbleed mitigation: Enhanced IBRS
Type: spec_store_bypass mitigation: Speculative Store Bypass disabled via prctl
Type: spectre_v1 mitigation: usercopy/swapgs barriers and __user pointer sanitization
Type: spectre_v2
mitigation: Enhanced IBRS, IBPB: conditional, RSB filling, PBRSB-eIBRS: SW sequence
Type: srbds mitigation: Microcode
Type: tsx_async_abort status: Not affected
Graphics: Device-1: Intel CometLake-S GT2 [UHD Graphics 630] vendor: Lenovo driver: N/A
alternate: i915 bus-ID: 00:02.0 chip-ID: 8086:9bc5 class-ID: 0380
Device-2: NVIDIA GP108 [GeForce GT 1030] vendor: PNY driver: nvidia v: 525.125.06
bus-ID: 01:00.0 chip-ID: 10de:1d01 class-ID: 0300
Device-3: Logitech C922 Pro Stream Webcam type: USB driver: snd-usb-audio,uvcvideo
bus-ID: 1-8:7 chip-ID: 046d:085c class-ID: 0102 serial: <filter>
Device-4: Realtek RTL2838 DVB-T type: USB driver: usbfs bus-ID: 1-9:9
chip-ID: 0bda:2838 class-ID: 0000 serial: <filter>
Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.21.1.7 compositor: kwin_x11 driver: loaded: nvidia
display-ID: :0 screens: 1
Screen-1: 0 s-res: 2560x1440 s-dpi: 122 s-size: 533x302mm (21.0x11.9")
s-diag: 613mm (24.1")
Monitor-1: HDMI-0 res: 2560x1440 hz: 60 dpi: 123 size: 527x296mm (20.7x11.7")
diag: 604mm (23.8")
OpenGL: renderer: NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030/PCIe/SSE2 v: 4.6.0 NVIDIA 525.125.06
direct render: Yes
Audio: Device-1: Intel Comet Lake PCH-V cAVS vendor: Lenovo driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel
alternate: snd_sof_pci_intel_cnl bus-ID: 00:1f.3 chip-ID: 8086:a3f0 class-ID: 0403
Device-2: NVIDIA GP108 High Definition Audio vendor: PNY driver: snd_hda_intel
v: kernel bus-ID: 01:00.1 chip-ID: 10de:0fb8 class-ID: 0403
Device-3: Logitech C922 Pro Stream Webcam type: USB driver: snd-usb-audio,uvcvideo
bus-ID: 1-8:7 chip-ID: 046d:085c class-ID: 0102 serial: <filter>
Sound Server-1: ALSA v: k6.1.0-10-amd64 running: yes
Sound Server-2: JACK v: 1.9.21 running: no
Sound Server-3: PulseAudio v: 16.1 running: yes
Network: Device-1: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet vendor: Lenovo
driver: r8169 v: kernel port: 4000 bus-ID: 03:00.0 chip-ID: 10ec:8168 class-ID: 0200
IF: eth0 state: up speed: 1000 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter>
Device-2: Realtek RTL8822CE 802.11ac PCIe Wireless Network Adapter vendor: Lenovo
driver: rtw_8822ce v: N/A modules: rtw88_8822ce,wl port: 3000 bus-ID: 04:00.0
chip-ID: 10ec:c822 class-ID: 0280
IF: wlan0 state: down mac: <filter>
Bluetooth: Device-1: Realtek Bluetooth Radio type: USB driver: btusb v: 0.8 bus-ID: 1-2:3
chip-ID: 0bda:c123 class-ID: e001 serial: <filter>
Report: hciconfig ID: hci0 rfk-id: 1 state: up address: <filter> bt-v: 3.0 lmp-v: 5.1
sub-v: d2e3 hci-v: 5.1 rev: cc6
Info: acl-mtu: 1021:6 sco-mtu: 255:12 link-policy: rswitch hold sniff park
link-mode: peripheral accept service-classes: object transfer
Drives: Local Storage: total: 31.39 TiB used: 8.1 TiB (25.8%)
SMART Message: Unable to run smartctl. Root privileges required.
ID-1: /dev/nvme0n1 maj-min: 259:0 vendor: Micron model: MTFDHBA512QFD size: 476.94 GiB
block-size: physical: 512 B logical: 512 B speed: 31.6 Gb/s lanes: 4 type: SSD
serial: <filter> rev: 0013P6LN temp: 42.9 C scheme: GPT
ID-2: /dev/sda maj-min: 8:0 vendor: Samsung model: SSD 850 EVO 500GB size: 465.76 GiB
block-size: physical: 512 B logical: 512 B speed: 6.0 Gb/s type: SSD serial: <filter>
rev: 2B6Q scheme: GPT
ID-3: /dev/sdb maj-min: 8:16 type: USB vendor: Seagate model: Expansion HDD
size: 12.73 TiB block-size: physical: 4096 B logical: 512 B type: N/A serial: <filter>
rev: 1801 scheme: GPT
ID-4: /dev/sdc maj-min: 8:32 type: USB vendor: Seagate model: Backup+ Hub BK
size: 7.28 TiB block-size: physical: 4096 B logical: 512 B type: N/A serial: <filter>
rev: D785 scheme: GPT
ID-5: /dev/sdd maj-min: 8:48 type: USB vendor: Toshiba model: MQ01UBD100
size: 931.51 GiB block-size: physical: 512 B logical: 512 B type: HDD rpm: 5400
serial: <filter> scheme: MBR
ID-6: /dev/sde maj-min: 8:64 type: USB vendor: Western Digital model: WD15 EARX-00PASB0
size: 1.36 TiB block-size: physical: 512 B logical: 512 B type: N/A serial: <filter>
rev: 0520 scheme: GPT
ID-7: /dev/sdf maj-min: 8:80 type: USB vendor: Western Digital model: WD10 EZEX-08M2NA0
size: 931.51 GiB block-size: physical: 512 B logical: 512 B type: N/A serial: <filter>
rev: 0520 scheme: GPT
ID-8: /dev/sdg maj-min: 8:96 type: USB vendor: Seagate model: ST310005 24AS
size: 931.51 GiB block-size: physical: 512 B logical: 512 B type: N/A serial: <filter>
rev: 0520 scheme: MBR
ID-9: /dev/sdh maj-min: 8:112 type: USB vendor: Western Digital model: WD My Book 1140
size: 1.82 TiB block-size: physical: 512 B logical: 512 B type: N/A serial: <filter>
rev: 1019 scheme: MBR
ID-10: /dev/sdi maj-min: 8:128 type: USB vendor: Western Digital model: WD10EADS-11M2B2
size: 930.86 GiB block-size: physical: 512 B logical: 512 B type: N/A serial: <filter>
rev: 1012 scheme: GPT
ID-11: /dev/sdj maj-min: 8:144 type: USB vendor: Western Digital
model: WD40NDZW-11BHVS1 size: 3.64 TiB block-size: physical: 4096 B logical: 512 B
type: HDD rpm: 4800 serial: <filter> rev: 2007 scheme: GPT
Partition: ID-1: / raw-size: 465.76 GiB size: 457.38 GiB (98.20%) used: 151.58 GiB (33.1%)
fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda1 maj-min: 8:1
ID-2: /boot/efi raw-size: 260 MiB size: 256 MiB (98.46%) used: 41.1 MiB (16.1%)
fs: vfat dev: /dev/nvme0n1p1 maj-min: 259:1
Swap: Kernel: swappiness: 15 (default 60) cache-pressure: 100 (default)
ID-1: swap-1 type: file size: 4 GiB used: 7 MiB (0.2%) priority: -2 file: /swap/swap
Sensors: System Temperatures: cpu: 60.0 C mobo: N/A gpu: nvidia temp: 39 C
Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A
Repos: Packages: 4732 note: see --pkg apt: 4708 lib: 2297 flatpak: 24
No active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list
Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian-stable-updates.list
1: deb http://deb.debian.org/debian/ bookworm-updates main contrib non-free non-free-firmware
Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian.list
1: deb http://deb.debian.org/debian/ bookworm main contrib non-free non-free-firmware
2: deb http://security.debian.org/debian-security/ bookworm-security main contrib non-free non-free-firmware
3: deb http://deb.debian.org/debian/ bookworm-backports non-free-firmware non-free contrib main
Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/dropbox.list
1: deb [arch=i386,amd64 signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/dropbox.asc] http://linux.dropbox.com/debian/ bookworm main
No active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/gezakovacs-ubuntu-ppa-lunar.list
Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google-chrome.list
1: deb [arch=amd64] https://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main
Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/insync.list
1: deb http://apt.insync.io/debian/ bullseye contrib non-free
Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/microsoft.list
1: deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/microsoft.gpg] https://packages.microsoft.com/repos/microsoft-debian-bullseye-prod/ bullseye main
Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mx.list
1: deb http://mirrors.rit.edu/mxlinux/mx-packages/mx/repo/ bookworm main non-free
2: deb http://mirrors.rit.edu/mxlinux/mx-packages/mx/repo/ bookworm ahs
No active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/rock-core-ubuntu-qt4-lunar.list
Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/sublime-text.list
1: deb https://download.sublimetext.com/ apt/stable/
No active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/thorium.list
Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/vscode.list
1: deb [arch=amd64,arm64,armhf signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/packages.microsoft.gpg] https://packages.microsoft.com/repos/code/ stable main
Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/winehq-bookworm.sources
1: deb [arch=amd64 i386] https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/debian bookworm main
Info: Processes: 464 Uptime: 1h 50m wakeups: 6 Memory: 15.41 GiB used: 4.42 GiB (28.7%)
Init: SysVinit v: 3.06 runlevel: 5 default: 5 tool: systemctl Compilers: gcc: 12.2.0
alt: 12 Client: shell wrapper v: 5.2.15-release inxi: 3.3.06
Boot Mode: UEFI