How To Install Realtek Audio Drivers on Ubuntu

In this article, we will guide you through the process of installing Realtek Audio Drivers on your Ubuntu operating system. This process is crucial as audio drivers are essential for your system to communicate with the audio hardware. Without the correct drivers, your audio hardware may not work as expected.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, ensure that you have the following:

• A working Ubuntu system.
• Internet access to download the necessary driver files.
• Basic knowledge of terminal commands.

Step 1: Download the Realtek Audio Drivers

Firstly, you need to download the latest Realtek Audio Drivers compatible with your Ubuntu version. Visit the Realtek official website and download the appropriate driver.

Step 2: Extract the Downloaded Driver File

Once the download is complete, open a terminal and navigate to the folder where the driver file is located. Use the following command to extract the driver source code:

tar jxvpf LinuxPkg_x.xxrcxx.tar.bz2

In this command, tar is a command-line utility for handling archives. The jxvpf parameters stand for:

• j: decompress the file (using bzip2).
• x: extract the files.
• v: list the files processed.
• p: preserve file permissions.
• f: use archive file.

Replace “LinuxPkg_x.xxrcxx.tar.bz2” with the actual file name you have downloaded.

Step 3: Navigate to the Extracted Folder

Next, navigate inside the extracted folder using the cd command:

cd <folder_extracted>
cd alsa

Here, cd stands for ‘change directory’, which is used to switch between file directories.

Step 4: Extract the Tar File

Inside the alsa folder, you will find another tar file. Extract this file using the tar command:

tar jxvpf alsa-driver-1.0.xx.tar.bz2
cd <extracted_file>

Replace “alsa-driver-1.0.xx.tar.bz2” with the actual file name of the tar file.

Step 5: Configure the Compile Environment

Now, configure the compile environment by running the following command:

./configure

The ./configure command checks your system’s compile capabilities. If you only want to compile the HDA driver part, use the following command instead:

./configure --with-cards=had-intel

Here, --with-cards=had-intel is a parameter that specifies to only compile the HDA Intel part of the driver.

Step 6: Compile the Driver Source Code

Compile the driver source code by running the make command:

make

The make command is used to build and compile the source code.

Step 7: Install the New Driver

Finally, install the new driver by running the make install command:

make install

If you encounter a permission error, use “sudo” before the “make” and “make install” commands. The sudo command allows you to run programs with the security privileges of the superuser.

Step 8: Restart Your System

After successfully installing the new driver, restart your system for the changes to take effect.

sudo reboot

The reboot command is used to restart the system.

Conclusion

That’s it! You have successfully installed Realtek Audio Drivers on your Ubuntu system. If you encounter any issues or have a specific problem with your laptop, it is recommended to seek further assistance from the Ubuntu community or Realtek support.