[CentOS] Stuttering sound

Dear List,
After some googling around without any results, I'm quite puzzled. Since
some past update I can't precise, kernel 2.6.164 works fine, however 2.6.194
has some sound problem in my somewhat old and beaten Toshiba laptop.

-Audacious plays OK but other applications have problems.
-For instance, mplayer acts quirky: when I pause a playing video, sound
keeps stuttering endlessly. The same happens sometimes when I close mplayer
window.
-system-config-soundcard detects the card and starts to play sample but
stuttering all the way, repeating every 4th of a second or so some 16 times,
at about a 1/2 second rate.
-Youtube has no sound!
-Software volume control has been lost long ago, unrelated to this problem
but interested in recovery anyway

System is fully up to date. Any hints will be appreciated!

Some relevant lines in my /etc/modprobe.conf as is now, with some scars left
after unfruitful battles:
alias snd-card-0 snd-hda-intel
#options snd-card-0 index=0
#options snd-hda-intel index=0
remove snd-hda-intel { /usr/sbin/alsactl store 0 >/dev/null 2>&1 || : ; };
/sbin/modprobe -r --ignore-remove snd-hda-intel
options snd-hda-intel model=auto
options snd-hda-intel probe_mask=1
options snd cards_limit=8

getinfo.sh output:

== BEGIN uname -rmi ==
2.6.18-194.8.1.el5 i686 i386
== END   uname -rmi ==

== BEGIN rpm -q centos-release ==
centos-release-5-5.el5.centos
== END   rpm -q centos-release ==

== BEGIN getenforce ==
Disabled
== END   getenforce ==

== BEGIN rpm -qa kernel\* | sort ==
kernel-2.6.18-164.15.1.el5
kernel-2.6.18-194.3.1.el5
kernel-2.6.18-194.8.1.el5
kernel-devel-2.6.18-164.15.1.el5
kernel-devel-2.6.18-194.3.1.el5
kernel-devel-2.6.18-194.8.1.el5
kernel-headers-2.6.18-194.8.1.el5
== END   rpm -qa kernel\* | sort ==

== BEGIN lspci ==
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Mobile 915GM/PM/GMS/910GML Express
Proces
sor to DRAM Controller (rev 03)
00:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Mobile 915GM/PM Express PCI Express
Root P
ort (rev 03)
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family)
High
 Definition Audio Controller (rev 04)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family)
PCI Ex
press Port 1 (rev 04)
00:1c.1 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family)
PCI Ex
press Port 2 (rev 04)
00:1d.0 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6
Family) US
B UHCI #1 (rev 04)
00:1d.1 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6
Family) US
B UHCI #2 (rev 04)
00:1d.2 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6
Family) US
B UHCI #3 (rev 04)
00:1d.3 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6
Family) US
B UHCI #4 (rev 04)
00:1d.7 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6
Family) US
B2 EHCI Controller (rev 04)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801 Mobile PCI Bridge (rev d4)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 82801FBM (ICH6M) LPC Interface Bridge
(rev
 04)
00:1f.2 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82801FBM (ICH6M) SATA Controller
(rev 0
4)
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: ATI Technologies Inc M24 [Radeon Mobility
X60
0]
02:00.0 Ethernet controller: Marvell Technology Group Ltd. 88E8036 PCI-E
Fast Et
hernet Controller (rev 10)
06:04.0 Network controller: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 2200BG
[Calexico2] Ne
twork Connection (rev 05)
06:06.0 CardBus bridge: Texas Instruments PCIxx12 Cardbus Controller
06:06.1 FireWire (IEEE 1394): Texas Instruments PCIxx12 OHCI Compliant IEEE
1394
 Host Controller
06:06.2 Mass storage controller: Texas Instruments 5-in-1 Multimedia Card
Reader
 (SD/MMC/MS/MS PRO/xD)
06:06.3 SD Host controller: Texas Instruments PCIxx12 SDA Standard Compliant
SD
Host Controller
== END   lspci ==

== BEGIN lspci -n ==
00:00.0 0600: 8086:2590 (rev 03)
00:01.0 0604: 8086:2591 (rev 03)
00:1b.0 0403: 8086:2668 (rev 04)
00:1c.0 0604: 8086:2660 (rev 04)
00:1c.1 0604: 8086:2662 (rev 04)
00:1d.0 0c03: 8086:2658 (rev 04)
00:1d.1 0c03: 8086:2659 (rev 04)
00:1d.2 0c03: 8086:265a (rev 04)
00:1d.3 0c03: 8086:265b (rev 04)
00:1d.7 0c03: 8086:265c (rev 04)
00:1e.0 0604: 8086:2448 (rev d4)
00:1f.0 0601: 8086:2641 (rev 04)
00:1f.2 0101: 8086:2653 (rev 04)
01:00.0 0300: 1002:5462
02:00.0 0200: 11ab:4351 (rev 10)
06:04.0 0280: 8086:4220 (rev 05)
06:06.0 0607: 104c:8039
06:06.1 0c00: 104c:803a
06:06.2 0180: 104c:803b
06:06.3 0805: 104c:803c
== END   lspci -n ==


-- 
Eduardo Grosclaude
Universidad Nacional del Comahue
Neuquen, Argentina
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