[Discuss] Help with Ubuntu audio (newcomer)

[dbarrett at blazemonger.com (Daniel Barrett)]

Hello - I just joined this mailing list. I live in Boston and am the author
of several O'Reilly books about Linux & open source, including "Linux
Pocket Guide" and "SSH, The Secure Shell: The Definitive Guide."

I am seeking help getting audio working on my Kubuntu 10.04 system. Ever
since upgrading the system from a rather old version (7.10), audio has been
broken, either not playing at all, or playing only in some programs but not
others. Right now I have no sound at all. I posted full details in the
Ubuntu forums:

  http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=10438294

but never got any responses.  Sometimes I can get sound by deleting
~/.pulse and ~/.pulse-cookie, logging out, and logging back in. But the
solution doesn't last. Other times I run Amarok and, lo and behold, sound
starts working everywhere. Temporarily.

As a long-time Linux guy, I am frustrated and, frankly, embarrassed that I
cannot get this working. I gratefully welcome any advice on getting audio
working in:

- General programs
- Firefox plugins (e.g., YouTube videos)

Thank you very much,
Dan Barrett

--
Dan Barrett
dbarrett at blazemonger.com