All apps hang (crash)

[raysr]

What started out as a sound problem has become an application problem with more checking. RealPlayer hangs, and repeats like a broken record, kaffeine crashes, gxine skips, games freeze up. All this after repeated clean reinstallations. Alsaconf gives me this:alsaconf
device_mode int, description "Device file permission mask for devfs."
which: no dialog in (/sbin:/usr/sbin:/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/X11R6/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/local/sbin)
which: no whiptail in (/sbin:/usr/sbin:/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/X11R6/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/local/sbin)
Error, dialog or whiptail not found.
It all started when I installed a soundblaster card that was bad and immediately removed. Everything went back to norm except linux. Windows is fine. New 60g hdd for windows and the original 1 year old 40 for linux. I also have Verizon DSL. I have posted in all the forums with this with no luck. Ideas? Oh, when I try and install 10.1 I get NO sound. Thanks in advance. (Dual Boot XP/Linux)

[fingal]

Sounds messy! Did you install another SB card to replace the faulty one? If so, which driver is linked to it? I would use snd-emu10k. If you open a console and type 'amixer' this should list any open/closed channels for sound. Typing 'alsamixer' gives you a graphical display which runs in X. Hit Esc. to get out of it!

Stop press - read stuff on here re.: 'whiptail' error
http://www.mandrakelinux.com/en/92errata.php3

If you are using an onboard sound device, I would disable that in your BIOS (I just learned that one myself ).