OPINION REQUESTED: Hardware Or Software (Sound Problem)

Thanks for the suggestions. See below.

In article <494acd2f$0$24415$ba624c82@nntp02.dk.telia.net>,
Erik Richard Sørensen <NOSPAM.RemoveThis@NOSPAM.dk> wrote:

> Matthew Lybanon wrote:
> > Dual 2.5 MHz G5 Mac running OS X 10.4.11. Yesterday sound stopped
> > working (sort of; more details follow). I did not install new software.
> > The last software update was the day before (Firefox 3.0.5), and sound
> > worked after that.
> >
> > I have external speakers, but they appear to be working OK. When I
> > plug/unplug the wire at the line out jack I hear a noise in the
> > speakers. When I unplug the external speakers I hear nothing from the
> > internal speaker. The Sound control panel and Audio MIDI Setup show the
> > correct things (the output "Mute" box is NOT checked). System Profiler
> > shows the sound card with no indication of problems, and the
> > Hardware/Diagnostics panel says the most recent Power On Self-Test
> > "Passed."
> >
> > However, when I plug headphones into the headphone jack (which I tried
> > probably for the first time yesterday I get sound. So it isn't
> > completely dead. I can switch between Headphones and Line Out in Audio
> > MIDI Setup (and the choice shows up in the Sound control panel), but no
> > sound comes from the speakers.
>
> This problem isn't anrmal in Tiger. Try to delete the sound preferences
> from the username/library/preferences, library/preferences and
> system/library/preferences folders.

Thanks for the suggestion. But I'm not sure what files (the precise
filenames) to delete. For example, in username/library/preferences, the
only file with "audio" in its name is
com.apple.audio.AudioMIDISetup.plist. Is that the correct file? Also,
what files should I look for in the other directories?


>
> I'll also recommend to delete the system settings prefs file from
> username/library/preferences. Then restart your computer. Now it should
> be set to default, and you have to change/setup the 'Sound' controlpane
> to behave like you want it to.

Again, which file should I look for? And if I do this, will that set
everything (not only sound) to default?


>
> I got so tired of this problem on both my own 104.x machines and many
> other G4s and G5s too that I advice to delete these prefs files
> regularely - apprx. once every 3-4 months. After this and also
> installing the small add-on application 'SoundSource', neither I nor
> others have had any problems with sound settings in Tiger.
>
> Apart from - obviously - fixing some of the problems with the sound
> controlpane, SoundSource also gives you the benefit of making a variety
> of changes and settings directly from the menubar - including switching
> between external Firewire and USB soundcards.
> http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/18988
>
> I'll also recommend you to upgrae to 10.5.x Leopard, since this is one
> of the things that have been made much, much better than within earlier
> systems.
>
> cheers, Erik Richard

On Thu, 18 Dec 2008 14:40:59 -0500, Jerry Kindall wrote
(in article <181220081140592307%jerrykindall@nospam.invalid>):

> When I unplug the external speakers I hear nothing from the
>> internal speaker.

Did you remember to switch System Preferences > Sound > Output to the
internal speakers?

--
John Varela
Trade NEW lamps for OLD for email.

In article <494afa6c$0$24423$ba624c82@nntp02.dk.telia.net>,
Erik Richard Sørensen <NOSPAM.RemoveThis@NOSPAM.dk> wrote:

> Matthew Lybanon wrote:
> > Erik Richard Sørensen <NOSPAM.RemoveThis@NOSPAM.dk> wrote:
> >> Matthew Lybanon wrote:
> >>> Dual 2.5 MHz G5 Mac running OS X 10.4.11. Yesterday sound stopped
> >>> working (sort of; more details follow). I did not install new software.
> >>> The last software update was the day before (Firefox 3.0.5), and sound
> >>> worked after that.
> >>>
> >>> I have external speakers, but they appear to be working OK. When I
> >>> plug/unplug the wire at the line out jack I hear a noise in the
> >>> speakers. When I unplug the external speakers I hear nothing from the
> >>> internal speaker. The Sound control panel and Audio MIDI Setup show the
> >>> correct things (the output "Mute" box is NOT checked). System Profiler
> >>> shows the sound card with no indication of problems, and the
> >>> Hardware/Diagnostics panel says the most recent Power On Self-Test
> >>> "Passed."
> >>>
> >>> However, when I plug headphones into the headphone jack (which I tried
> >>> probably for the first time yesterday I get sound. So it isn't
> >>> completely dead. I can switch between Headphones and Line Out in Audio
> >>> MIDI Setup (and the choice shows up in the Sound control panel), but no
> >>> sound comes from the speakers.
> >> This problem isn't anrmal in Tiger. Try to delete the sound preferences
> >> from the username/library/preferences, library/preferences and
> >> system/library/preferences folders.
> >
> > Thanks for the suggestion. But I'm not sure what files (the precise
> > filenames) to delete. For example, in username/library/preferences, the
> > only file with "audio" in its name is
> > com.apple.audio.AudioMIDISetup.plist. Is that the correct file?
>
> Yes, that's one one the systemsound prefs files. - Some - or even many
> think that it's better to setup the systemsound input/output through the
> Sound&MIDI Setup Assistant.
>
> > Also, what files should I look for in the other directories?
>
> Don't you have this one "com.apple.systemsound.plist"?
>
> And in volume/library/preferences this one "com.apple.soundpref.plist"?
>
> Both of these two along with "com.apple.audio.AudioMIDISetup.plist" must
> be deleted.
>
> >> I'll also recommend to delete the system settings prefs file from
> >> username/library/preferences. Then restart your computer. Now it should
> >> be set to default, and you have to change/setup the 'Sound' controlpane
> >> to behave like you want it to.
> >
> > Again, which file should I look for? And if I do this, will that set
> > everything (not only sound) to default?
>
> Yes, it will reset most part of the system to factory default. And
> that's one of the new things with OS X I don't like - i.e. that so many
> preference parts are included in the main system settings and not like
> in the classic days, where nearly all of the controlpanels and
> extensions had their own prefs file.
>
> It might not be necessary to delete the Finder and system settings, so
> try only the systemsound prefs at first.
>
> cheers, Erik Richard

I forgot to mention one thing that is probably relevant. When the
computer is booted/rebooted, at first there is (normally) a loud chime.
I no longer get that. Doesn't this occur before the system is loaded,
which might indicate the problem is hardware-related (maybe no worse
than a bad solder joint, but still hardware)?

In reply to other people who offered suggestions:
1) I tried using Audio MIDI Setup to change the format to
something else, then back to 44100 Hz 2 ch 16 bit. No improvement.
2) System Preferences/Sound/Output offers me a choice between the
device chosen in Audio MIDI Setup (either Headphones or Line Out,
Built-in Audio port) and Digital Out (Optical digital-out port). I
don't recall ever seeing the internal speakers explicitly listed. The
literature I have read seems to say that plugging something into either
the Line Out or Headphones jack automatically disables the internal
speaker--and, presumably, unplugging the wires turns on the internal
speaker.

In article <494afa6c$0$24423$ba624c82@nntp02.dk.telia.net>,
Erik Richard Sørensen <NOSPAM RemoveThis @NOSPAM.dk> wrote:

> Matthew Lybanon wrote:
> > Erik Richard Sørensen <NOSPAM RemoveThis @NOSPAM.dk> wrote:
> >> Matthew Lybanon wrote:
> >>> Dual 2.5 MHz G5 Mac running OS X 10.4.11. Yesterday sound stopped
> >>> working (sort of; more details follow). I did not install new software.
> >>> The last software update was the day before (Firefox 3.0.5), and sound
> >>> worked after that.
> >>>
> >>> I have external speakers, but they appear to be working OK. When I
> >>> plug/unplug the wire at the line out jack I hear a noise in the
> >>> speakers. When I unplug the external speakers I hear nothing from the
> >>> internal speaker. The Sound control panel and Audio MIDI Setup show the
> >>> correct things (the output "Mute" box is NOT checked). System Profiler
> >>> shows the sound card with no indication of problems, and the
> >>> Hardware/Diagnostics panel says the most recent Power On Self-Test
> >>> "Passed."
> >>>
> >>> However, when I plug headphones into the headphone jack (which I tried
> >>> probably for the first time yesterday I get sound. So it isn't
> >>> completely dead. I can switch between Headphones and Line Out in Audio
> >>> MIDI Setup (and the choice shows up in the Sound control panel), but no
> >>> sound comes from the speakers.
> >> This problem isn't anrmal in Tiger. Try to delete the sound preferences
> >> from the username/library/preferences, library/preferences and
> >> system/library/preferences folders.
> >
> > Thanks for the suggestion. But I'm not sure what files (the precise
> > filenames) to delete. For example, in username/library/preferences, the
> > only file with "audio" in its name is
> > com.apple.audio.AudioMIDISetup.plist. Is that the correct file?
>
> Yes, that's one one the systemsound prefs files. - Some - or even many
> think that it's better to setup the systemsound input/output through the
> Sound&MIDI Setup Assistant.
>
> > Also, what files should I look for in the other directories?
>
> Don't you have this one "com.apple.systemsound.plist"?
>
> And in volume/library/preferences this one "com.apple.soundpref.plist"?
>
> Both of these two along with "com.apple.audio.AudioMIDISetup.plist" must
> be deleted.
>
> >> I'll also recommend to delete the system settings prefs file from
> >> username/library/preferences. Then restart your computer. Now it should
> >> be set to default, and you have to change/setup the 'Sound' controlpane
> >> to behave like you want it to.
> >
> > Again, which file should I look for? And if I do this, will that set
> > everything (not only sound) to default?
>
> Yes, it will reset most part of the system to factory default. And
> that's one of the new things with OS X I don't like - i.e. that so many
> preference parts are included in the main system settings and not like
> in the classic days, where nearly all of the controlpanels and
> extensions had their own prefs file.
>
> It might not be necessary to delete the Finder and system settings, so
> try only the systemsound prefs at first.
>
> cheers, Erik Richard

Thanks to all who made suggestions. I appreciate your efforts to help.
And I have sound back. What worked was deleting some files and letting
the system recreate them. I ended up deleting two files:

username/Library/Preferences/com.apple.audio.AudioMIDISetup.plist

Macintosh HD/Library/Preferences/com.apple.audio.DeviceSettings.plist
(.../com.apple.soundpref.plist was not there)

I looked for the third file, but Macintosh HD/System/Library/
Preferences does not exist. There is a .../PreferencePanes directory,
but it doesn't contain any plist files. I also did a Spotlight search
for any and all files with names that might have something to do with
sound or audio, but couldn't find any, other than the two mentioned
above.

Before this the situation had gotten worse. I tried to use Audio MIDI
Setup to change a few things and look for a few things (such as the
internal speakers), and Audio MIDI Setup responded by ceasing to work at
all--after a while, if I tried to change anything the change didn't
"stick." Also, the speaker icon in the menu bar would disappear when I
used it to look at the volume setting, and the "Show volume in menu bar"
box in the Sound control panel unchecked itself. Clearly a software
problem.

Thanks again, everyone. You guys saved me whatever Apple would have
charged (probably a lot) to tell me to try the same thing.