Comment 199 for bug 275998

@talent03: yes, it's the updated alsa drivers which fix the bug (see https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/pulseaudio/+bug/275998/comments/184). The version of alsa that ships with 2.6.30.4 had a lot of work done in it for the ICH8 chipset. Instead of installing the new kernel, you could alternatively install just the latest alsa drivers to fix it (see https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/pulseaudio/+bug/275998/comments/89). But it's much easier to install the new kernel.

The bug is also fixed in Karmic because it's using the 2.6.31 kernel. You could also install Karmic's kernel (and restricted nvidia drivers) by (1) adding the karmic repository in Synaptic, (2) refreshing, and (3) searching for and upgrading linux-image (nothing else, though!). After you do this, I recommend disabling the Karmic repository so you don't inadvertently upgrade to the rest of Karmic, which is still only in alpha.

I'd recommend just using the 2.6.30.4 kernel though since it's stable. I've been using 2.6.30 since May now without issues.