Hey! Hope this is a good place for these types questions!

I’ve been on Linux for the last couple of years. Tested a few distros before landing on Mint. Its perfect for a half-techie like me.

Towards the end of last year I had to replace my laptop due to a hardware failure. I landed on a Lenovo which was sold without an OS. Unfortunately I’ve been having some audio issues, and support hasn’t been super helpful. Ive been doing tons of troubleshooting to solve ir, but to no avail. To make it more frustrating, I briefly installed windows just to check, and there everything works as intendes. So it doesn’t seem like a hardware issue…

Before actually returning the device I figured it would be worth a shot to see if the issue persisted in the latest kernel. The problem is that I dont really know the best way to do that, and searching isn’t really helping since I dont really fully understand what I’m asking.

So Im turning to you for help in the hope that some kind soul can point me in the right direction. What is the easiest way for me to get the latest kernel running on my machine? I don’t mind wiping the computer, or if its unstable, or installing another distro to get there. I just want to see if it can get the audio working and I don’t know where to start. Everything I find seems to be a bit behind.

Thanks!

  • torgeir@lemmy.ml
    1·
    13 days ago

    If you don’t mind getting your hands dirty and trying something completely different, changing kernels on NixOS almost feels like cheating; Flip a number in your config, rebuild, reboot.

    Changed your mind? Pick the previous boot-entry after another reboot, and you’re back. Might wanna rebuild with the previous kernel chosen again, or else the new one boots next time around.

  • HiddenLayer555@lemmy.mlEnglish
    1·
    15 days ago

    The easiest way would be to boot a live USB of a distro that uses the latest kernel (like Arch or Arch-based distros, OpenSuse Tumbleweed, etc). That way it’s temporary and won’t modify your current install. If you find that the latest kernel does solve your issue you can always install the distro you were testing with.

    • WhereAreMySocks@lemmy.worldOP
      3·
      15 days ago

      Thanks! I’ve tried EndeavorOS based on another recommendation here, and it was on 6.18. It didn’t fix the issue, but it changed the behavior somewhat. I can see more accurate information about the speakers, which feels like a step in the right direction. I’ll look into your recommendations too to see if they use the lateat 6.19.

        • WhereAreMySocks@lemmy.worldOP
          1·
          11 days ago

          Low/distorted audio. Not a “I cant understand this”-type distortion, but a “I can hear and understand if I focus, but its also giving me a headache”-type The issue is not present in Windows 11, and Lenovo support have replaced the speakers once already. I’ve followed several troubleshooting guides as posted on the Mint forums when users there have similar issues.

          I have now tested on later kernels, with interesting results. On 6.14 it showed a generic name for the sound device, but on 6.18+ it seems to correctly identify the device as an 800 series intel device. The audio still sounds the same, however.