how do I install an audio driver

[actaea]

I'm a Linux newbie and I'd like to install the audio driver for my machine.

I need to know if I'm on the right tract in my efforts or circling the ex-planet Pluto?

I have downloaded the driver from the Realtek website and it seems it must be compiled. The instructions for the compilation and the installation at the website were not adequate for a newbie. After looking around the web, I'm under the impression that I need the source code for my kernel. My kernel is 2.6.18-2-amd64 and I download the source code for 2.6.18.2 from www.kernel.org. (I'm hoping 2.6.18-2 is the same as 2.6.18.2.) I'm not sure what to extract from the downloaded bzip file. There appears to be multiple architectures in it. I would guess I only extract the x86_64 part (which I hope means the same thing as AMD64). I appear to be using a tool called ark to perform the extraction. I don't know to make sure ark extracts all the subdirectories, but I would guess that is easy. The greater difficulty is to determine where to put the extracted source code. I also believe that I must install a GCC compiler. I'm under the impression that it should be the same compiler that was used to compile the kernel. I'm not sure how to determine what compiler was used. I'm guessing that once I have the code and right compiler, I'll be able to use the ./install command provided by Realtek.

Am I right?

Does anyone know where there are clear directions on what I should do?

[Vergil83]

You are making it way to hard.
First, run

apt-get install alsa alsa-utils

once they install run

alsaconf

And see if it finds your sound card. If not, they we will try the drivers.

[actaea]

Thanks so much! One way or the other, my driver issue is solved and you saved me much headache.
(I'm not sure that the driver was the issue bothering me. It could have been that I needed to use KMIX to up the volume levels. After I ran alsa config, I was alerted to this other issue.)

[Vergil83]

Thanks so much! One way or the other, my driver issue is solved and you saved me much headache.
(I'm not sure that the driver was the issue bothering me. It could have been that I needed to use KMIX to up the volume levels. After I ran alsa config, I was alerted to this other issue.)

That was most likely it. For some reason alsa comes muted by default. There isn't a user alive that hasn't made that mistake.