And so far I have been unable to play audio/video cds on it

1. Linux is not always 100% compatible with hardware (Comparing with windows). So, the first thing to know is to search on the web for your kind of hardware and know if it's compatible or not.

   Linux has something called ALSA (Advanced Linux Sound Architecture) and OSS. Any of one administer the hardware audio, but your hardware has to be compatible with linux to play some audio.

   So, you need to search:
   - if your hardware is linux-compatible
   - AND, in case that your harware is linux-compatible, you need to install the apropiate drivers

2. Install sound drive

Tags: linux command, understanding linux kernel