Onboard "AC97" audio device how to.

I have an Intel based board from Foxconn. The board comes from an older Acer Power S series 220. The onboard audio is the "AC97" audio and though the default loader.conf file says this

snd_ich_load="NO"		# Intel ICH

It also works for my AMD based board. Actually, I figured this out with FreeBSD itself but obviously, PCBSD is FreeBSD based, so enough said.

If you have this onboard audio device & it is not working, try editing your /boot/loader.conf file. Simply open a Konsole from Kmenu>>System>>Konsole & do

su

put in the root password & hit enter, then issue the command;

ee /boot/loader.conf

& add

snd_ich_load="YES"

to your /boot/loader.conf file, press escape & at the small pop up menu, tap the "a" button twice to save and exit ee & then reboot. You should have sound now & remember that when editing a file in Konsole with ee, do not try to use your mouse to place your entry point, as this is a keboard navigated editor & you will end up with text input where you do not want it. :twisted:
NOTE: If this does not fix your issue, it may not be your answer. You may have a non compatible audio device or need a BIOS upgrade.

I hope this helped someone other than me. Have fun!

[sblevin]

This is good - sound is an essential part of PC's and people having problems at this level is a serious thorn in any BSD desktop product.

I had a problem with an onboard AC97 chip a while ago as well - it turned out my problem was the need for a BIOS upgrade, so please consider looking at that as well when you have sound problems.

This is good - sound is an essential part of PC's and people having problems at this level is a serious thorn in any BSD desktop product.

I had a problem with an onboard AC97 chip a while ago as well - it turned out my problem was the need for a BIOS upgrade, so please consider looking at that as well when you have sound problems.

I am sure that I have never had that particular issue with a PC but rest assured, this has been tested personally on both AMD & Intel boards with the AC97 onboard audio & works.

[Apatewna]

The onboard audio is the "AC97" audio...

For the record, AC97 is a prototype/protocol for sound hardware manufacturers, not an audio card itself. Based on this prototype/protocol manufacturers create sound cards using similarly behaving hardware.

That's why you'll see not just Interl AC97 audio, but also Realtek AC97, Via AC97 and so on.

Originally Posted by zeusx64

The onboard audio is the "AC97" audio...

For the record, AC97 is a prototype/protocol for sound hardware manufacturers, not an audio card itself. Based on this prototype/protocol manufacturers create sound cards using similarly behaving hardware.

That's why you'll see not just Interl AC97 audio, but also Realtek AC97, Via AC97 and so on.

That is obviously true but as I said and made sure to edit my post

NOTE: If this does not fix your issue, it may not be your answer. You may have a non compatible audio device or need a BIOS upgrade.

Damn humans, always making errors! :mrgreen:

LOL, Cheers...