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I noticed after doing apt-get dist-upgrade that pulseaudio was using 100% of one of the CPUs on my server. I can stop it but it restarts after after rebooting. Why would this have been installed and what would be the safest way to get rid of it? I was going to use apt-get autoremove pulseaudio but then it said it was going to install other packages:

The following extra packages will be installed:
gnome-control-center gnome-control-center-data gnome-settings-daemon  
libgnome-control-center1 libgoa-backend-1.0-1 libtelepathy-glib0

Suggested packages: libcanberra-gtk-module metacity x-window-manager
The following packages will be REMOVED:
indicator-sound libcanberra-pulse pulseaudio pulseaudio-module-x11  
unity-control-center unity-control-center-signon    
The following NEW packages will be installed:
gnome-control-center gnome-control-center-data gnome-settings-daemon libgnome-control-center1 libgoa-backend-1.0-1 libtelepathy-glib0
0 upgraded, 6 newly installed, 6 to remove and 1 not upgraded.
Tim
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brian
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1 Answers1

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Don't remove it, it's part of the system.

Pulseaudio is installed by default, something else must of gone wrong here but to answer your question.

To stop pulse restarting run

echo "autospawn = no" > $HOME/.config/pulse/client.conf

This makes a file client.conf in .config/pulse that disables its autospawn, now you can kill it if you want

pkill -f pulseaudio

The system should fall back on ALSA, post a comment if no audio

Pulse should restart on boot but if it does not and you need it back then remove the file you made

rm $HOME/.config/pulse/client.conf

To stop it restarting at boot

cp $HOME/.config/pulse/client.conf .config/autostart
Mark Kirby
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