This relates specifically -- as will be seen -- to a HD install, but seems to apply generally.

Once again, with Knoppix 3.1 on my hard drive I attempt to get the sound working.

I run sndconfig and get:

You don't seem to be running a kernel with modular sound ?
? enabled. (soundcore.o was not found in the module search path). ?
? To use sndconfig, you must be running a kernel with modular ?
? sound, such as the kernel images shipped with Debian Linux or a ?
? 2.2 or greater kernel.

But:

root@rom-box:~# locate soundcore.o
/lib/modules/2.4.20-xfs/kernel/drivers/sound/soundcore.o
/mnt/hdc3/lib/modules/2.4.18-4GB/kernel/drivers/sound/soundcore.o
root@rom-box:~# locate via8233.o
/mnt/hdc3/lib/modules/2.4.18-4GB/kernel/sound/pci/snd-via8233.o
root@rom-box:~# cd /lib/modules/2.4.20-xfs/kernel/drivers/sound/
root@rom-box:/lib/modules/2.4.20-xfs/kernel/drivers/sound# ls
ac97.o cs4232.o maestro.o pas2.o trix.o
ac97_codec.o cs4281 maestro3.o pss.o uart401.o
aci.o cs46xx.o maui.o rme96xx.o uart6850.o
ad1816.o emu10k1 mpu401.o sb.o v_midi.o
ad1848.o es1370.o msnd.o sb_lib.o via82cxxx_audio.o
adlib_card.o es1371.o msnd_classic.o sgalaxy.o wavefront.o
aedsp16.o esssolo1.o msnd_pinnacle.o sonicvibes.o ymfpci.o
ali5455.o forte.o nm256_audio.o sound.o
awe_wave.o gus.o opl3.o soundcore.o
btaudio.o i810_audio.o opl3sa.o sscape.o
cmpci.o mad16.o opl3sa2.o trident.o
root@rom-box:/lib/modules/2.4.20-xfs/kernel/drivers/sound#

/mnt/hdc3 is my "old" SuSE drive.

I'm running sndconfig from the command line because I can't find it on the KDE menu (although I'm sure it's there). What happened to the alsa sound tool?

In all this, it looks to me as though:

a. The right module (i.e. snd-via8233.o) simply isn't there.
b. sndconfig is looking in the wrong place anyway!

This, BTW, is with the 0.69 sndconfig which is pretty ancient but which ships with 3.1

Inspiration gratefully recieved: I did think of popping stuff where this godaweful configuration tool expects them, but.......