[SOLVED]sound notification says mute but isn't -output works

[fiver22]

• running xfce 4.10, LMDE tracking Testing,

• Code: Select all

  fiver22@m0nster2:/home/fiver22  $ inxi -A
  Audio:     Card Intel N10/ICH 7 Family High Definition Audio Controller driver snd_hda_intel
             Sound: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture Version 1.0.24
  

• Latitude D620
• sound preferences show built-in audio profile: analog stero duplex (note that test speakers doesn't output sound)
• notification bubble says 'muted' on adjusting volume -but it's not muted and sound adjustments work.
  volume up and down keys(multimedia-keys) work do raise and lower volume.
• In Notification area 'Sound Output Volume' shows and adjusting the slider works (though it prompts the notification bubble that keeps saying volume is muted).

I'm thinking this has something to do with Xfce Volume Daemon -but have no idea if there's a way to access settings for it. And it could be something else entirely.
So: how do I get the notification pop up to stop saying muted? Any thoughts or help would be super-appreciated.

Edit: could it have to do with some conflict between pulse and alsa?

[fiver22]

Marking as solved.
So, I thought another issue I was having was unrelated. Apoparently it was because resolving that fixed this threads issue.
The other issue was that I had no desktop -I had panels and rarely use the desktop for anything so I barely noticed it
To solve both issues I had to dl 2 .debs from experimental:
xfdesktop4-data_4.10.0-2_all.deb
and
xfdesktop4_4.10.0-2_amd64.deb
These restored my desktop, and also fixed the notification issue. So, yay