Messages in this thread |  | | From | "Joshua E. Hill" <> | Subject | Re: SB16 Sound driver problem (2.0.10) | Date | Sun, 28 Jul 1996 22:23:33 -0700 (PDT) |
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> > I'm having a problem with my SB16 and 2.0.10. > > It seems that if I cold-boot my machine, everything works fine, but if I > warm boot it, it locks up... here's what happens : [SNIP] > 0: Sound Blaster 16 (4.5) [SNIP] > Midi devices: > 0: Sound Blaster 16 [SNIP]
This is a problem that has been in the kernel (one way or other) sense 2.0.4 (or earlier). Until recently, it only effected modules, but it seems to be getting everyone now (sense 2.0.9). The conflict seems to be between the SB16 (version 4.5 only) and the MIDI driver. It tends to cause hard freezes. If you compiled the sound driver as a module, this effect could be observed by loading the module, unloading it, and the loading it again. The interesting thing is (as you noticed) there can be an intervening warm boot between the driver loads. Because this happened, it now effects everyone (not just module people).
For a quick fix try compiling you kernel without MIDI support. That will stop the freezes. After you install the new kernel, _cold boot_ and enter your new kernel. If you don't cold boot the system will freeze. After that initial cold boot, you should be able to warm boot with no problem. This seems to be because the MIDI section of the sound driver leaves the SB 16 (v. 4.5) in a bad state. If you try to restart the driver, the SB16 (the card, not the driver) freezes your system. A cold boot (a hardware reset or a power cycle) reinitializes the SB, so it is no longer in the bad state. An interesting experiment that seems to prove this conclusion (read "guess") is the following: just take out your SB card. After that, you can boot (or load/unload the sound module) as much as you want (with MIDI compiled in).
It is interesting to note that in 2.0.4 this problem caused an OOPS to be generated. In all later kernels it has caused a system freeze.
You may want to send mail to Hannu (hannu@voxware.pp.fi) describing what happened, and how you fixed it.
Josh
-----------------------------Joshua E. Hill----------------------------- | Inside every small problem is a large problem struggling to get out. | -------jehill@<gauss.elee|galaxy.csc|w6bhz|tuba.aix>.calpoly.edu--------
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