Problem Scenario:

One of the many common problems one faces after installing Ubuntu is sound problem. In this case sound seems to be working, you can hear it on headphones but there is no sound coming out of speakers. Trying using alsa-mixer gives the following error:

load hw:0 error: Invalid argument

The solution provided here works for HDA Intel Soundcard. To find the make of your laptop soundcard click here.

Solution 1:

Try the following command in the terminal:

killall pulseaudio

Solution 2:

You need to edit this file /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base.conf and then add a line in its end. Use the following commands:

sudo gedit /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base.conf &

Now add the following line at its end:

options snd-hda-intel model=generic

Now reboot your computer. It should solve your problem. If the solution doesn’t work then try the Further Troubleshoot.

Further Troubleshoot:

The term model = generic may not work in all the cases as sometimes it depends on the model of your sound card. Find your sound card here.

You can try replacing the word generic by the following words depending upon your laptop:

Acer aspire 2012

option snd-hda-intel model=basic

Acer

options snd-hda-intel model=ACER

Asus F3J

options snd-hda-intel model=uniwill-m31

Dell 6400 laptop

options snd-hda-intel model=dell

Dell Inspiron

options snd-hda-intel model=ref

Dell Dimension 9150

options snd-hda-intel model=ref

Fujitsu Siemens Amilo XI 1526

options snd-hda-intel model=fujitsu

Gateway laptops with a sigmatel audio device

options snd-hda-intel probe_mask=1

or

options snd-hda-intel model=test enable-msi=1 probe-mask=1

Lenovo:

options snd-hda-intel model=laptop-eapd

LG P1 Express Dual (ALC880 chip)

options snd-hda-intel model=lg

LG P1 with CMI9880 chip

options snd-hda-intel model=minimal

Toshiba Satellite a135-s2386

options snd-hda-intel probe_mask=8 model=3stack

Toshiba Tecra A8-103

options snd-hda-intel probe_mask=8 model=fujitsu

or

options snd-hda-intel probe_mask=8 model=fujitsu

If you could still not found the model you may want to look for the correct value to be used in model in the following file /usr/share/doc/alsa-base/driver/ALSA-Configuration.txt.gz. Unzip the file and look for your sound card. You may find values like this:

ALC260
hp HP machines
fujitsu Fujitsu S7020

Use the following command:

sudo gunzip /usr/share/doc/alsa-base/driver/ALSA-Configuration.txt.gz; sudo gedit ALSA-Configuration.txt &

Hope it solves your problem. Questions, feedback and suggestions are welcome. Enjoy

Sources: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=314383

Note: Check this post in case you are facing audio problem with mic in Ubuntu.

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