TURN THAT CR*P DOWN!!!!!! - KDE Volume control?

[j.drake]

I know this is a dumb question, but I can't find any sort of volume control within KDE. In Windows, I mouseclick an icon in the system icon tray that looks like a speaker, and slide a slider, or click mute. How do I do this in KDE? Some apps and distributions start or end with a sound - what if you're working late at night and don't want to wake everyone else up?

On a related note, my HP computer has a keyboard with volume control buttons, but they don't work in Linux. Then it occurred to me that Linux probably doesn't have the foggiest idea what kind of keyboard I'm using, that it has volume control buttons, or how to interpret those strange commands from what it assumes to be an otherwise generic keyboard. I looked around KDE for some configuration utility to tell it that my keyboard has additional options, but I couldn't find anything.

All help gratefully appreciated.

[bluegreenone]

Not on Knoppiz right now so can't check if it's there, but I use Aumix on Linux in general.

[j.drake]

Well, I solved most of the problem - I found Kmix mentioned in the KDE forum, typed it in a run command box, and it popped up the mixer and put the volume control icon next to the clock, just like Windows. I also learned that there are a number of other applets available.

As for the part about the keyboard, I still don't know. I went to the HP website - no linux drivers for my computer. Then I remembered that HP sells a computer with Mandrake preinstalled - maybe they use the same keyboard and have the driver available - no such luck.

At any rate, I can control the volume, but it sure would be nice to do so from the keyboard buttons.

[aay]

Try aumix, xaumix, or kmix.

[Tacvek]

interestingly volume control may be connected to power managment, it is on my laptop anyway... but i bet it is actually just using a keyboard key with a value that is not normally returned by a keyboard. There are tools that can be used to map such keys to various functions... i do not recall the name of such a proram, so hopefully somebody else here does.

[Loper]

On a related note, my HP computer has a keyboard with volume control buttons, but they don't work in Linux. Then it occurred to me that Linux probably doesn't have the foggiest idea what kind of keyboard I'm using, that it has volume control buttons, or how to interpret those strange commands from what it assumes to be an otherwise generic keyboard. I looked around KDE for some configuration utility to tell it that my keyboard has additional options, but I couldn't find anything.

As a quick solution, KMix allows you to map regular keys to control the volume. I found this by accident:

1. Run KMix. Left-click on the speaker icon to bring up the volume slider.
2. Right-click on the slider to bring up a menu.
3. Select Define Keys to do just that.

It's limited to regular keys, but still useful. I have not yet found a way to save that setting.

As to the other, try the utility LinEAK. It can handle a variety of enhanced keyboards.