Hey all, Im a Linux Noob, but I want to get into it. Ive downloaded the Geforce Drivers to my disk in the /Home/Roy directory. This is ALL i know and i havent a clue on what to do next, can someone help me out? If it works ill throw in a Free Gmail account.

I have a gmail account - so don't worry

Assuming you're using RH9 or before (or RHEL)
You'll need to do this:

Read the nvidia readme for instructions on how to edit /etc/X11/XF86Config , which is the config file for video in Redhat.

Now to install the drivers:

Open a terminal.
Run "su", then enter your root password
Run "/sbin/init 3" - this will take you to text only mode.
"cd /home/Roy"
make sure you're still root - the command line should say root@... - if not, "su" again
"sh nameofthedriverfile"
Follow the prompt.
Now edit the XF86Config file as needed, you can probably use the "nano" editor, which should be installed. You'll probably want to back up the current config like this: "cp /etc/X11/XF86Config /etc/X11/XF86Config-bak"
Restart and hopefully enjoy nice graphics.

Not exactly correct on RH 9. I've installed the nVidia drivers many times on it too. Heres the easy way to to do it. And this will work on RH 9.

1. save the drivers in your "HOME" directory, not in my downloads, or my documents. (we could do it this way, but you said you were a newbie, so I don't want to confuse you with any other commands then the ones u need)

2. Logout, then log in as root. You can't log in as root through "su" in a normal user, and try to change the init process, it just wont work on RH 9. So just log in as full root.

3. in some terminal and type "telinit 3". The screen should go black, and if it seems like it gets stuck on the [ok]ing process, just press enter, you should be at a login prompt. Log in as root again.

4. Now type "cd /home/you/" when I say you, I mean the user you save the file to.

5. Now type "sh ./NV" then press tab to finish the rest of the name.

5. It should come up with a user license agreement, just use your keys to hit ok.

5. When it says "no precompiled kernel module has been found, should I proceed?" or something like that, just press yes, or no. If one doesn't work, then just restart the process, and press the other one.

6. When it says "should I download a module, or something, off the inter" say no. Then it should proceed to the installation process.

7. When its done. Type startx. The GUI should come back on. This doesn't mean your out of init 3 tho.

8. Now when in this, go into a terminal, and type the following... "gedit /etc/X11/XF86Conf" or whatever editor you like, like kate, or kwrite, or whatever.

9. When in the file, scroll down to Section "Module".. make sure you see Load "glx" and make sure you DON'T see Load "dri" and Load "glcore", if you find anything that I said, or didn't find, edit as necessary.

10. Now scroll down some more untill you reach a part where it says Section "Device", on the part where it says Driver "nv" or "vesa" or whatever is in there, put in the quotes "nvidia"... it should look something like this...

Section "Device"
Identifier "VESA Framebuffer"
Driver "nvidia"
#VideoRam 4096
# Insert Clocks lines here if appropriate
EndSection

They don't always look the same.

11. Now save the file, and logout. You'll be back at the command prompt.

12. Type init 5, and the GUI will come back, and you should see the nvidia logo.

13. Log in, and in a terminal type "glxgears" a group of rotating cogwheels will apear, and it will spit out on the command line your frames per second. Mine is around 2380fps, with a GeForce FX 5500 at 24 bit color depth at resolution 1024x768.

I got to go right now, if ther is any problems reply back.

Hey, thanks soo much for your help, a few things i didnt get, "2. Logout, then log in as root. You can't log in as root through "su" in a normal user, and try to change the init process, it just wont work on RH 9. So just log in as full root.

3. in some terminal and type "telinit 3". The screen should go black, and if it seems like it gets stuck on the [ok]ing process, just press enter, you should be at a login prompt. Log in as root again."

could you explain alittle bit on that? Thanks man I owe you so much.

on number 2. what I mean is that you have to completely log out to the login screen. (remember that screen when you boot up your computer? And you type in your user name and password? Thats what I mean.) And when your in that login screen type "root" for name, and your root password. (you should know your own root password, you were asked that when you were installing your OS. Unless this isn't your computer. :P ) And when you are in root, thats when you can do the rest of the steps. The reason why I said that is because some people llike to be loged in as a normal user, (like "bob" or "joe" or "blech") which if you were loged in as that, you have almost no access to edit any config files, or run certain commands. (like telinit 3, get it?) Even if you were temperaly loged in as root (some people like to do this in a terminal, type "su" on the command line, put your root password in, and you will see your little dollar sign ( $ ) turn into a hash sign ( # ), that means your in root, but you still don't have access to every single command, and program. Namely telinit, or on other distros besides Red Hat, init.

On number 3. Open up a terminal, or a shell, or whatever you want to call it. (it's that DOS like screen that you put commands in. To open it up in KDE [desktop enviroment, if you don't know what that is, just ask] go the Hat Start menu, and go to Utilities, and click on "terminal". On Gnome, right click on the desktop and click on "Open Terminal") When you type telinit 3, in root, everything should go black, and turn into a text based console, it pretty much looks the same as what Red Hat 9 looks like when it boots up. Speaking of that, when you type telinit 3 (in root) you should see it do somethings and have a little green OK sign on the end of it, you know what I mean? If not reply back. If it seems like it stoped just press enter, or control + z. (maybe not the control z, but if you have to [because enter didn't work], do it) You will end up at a console login screen, this is where you type in root, and your password, and after you do this, do the rest of the steps. Hope this helps! :]

Alright man Cool. I did that, and i used telenit 3 like you said and it was as the login screen with the green Ok's. I logged in as Root in that Dos looking screen and i typed what you said. I typed in the " cd/home/roy/ sh./NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-6629-pkg1-.run" when i hit enter, it doesnt do anything, just goes back to the same blank prompt before i typed in the file name. what did i do wrong?

Seperate both those commands, so it will be "cd /home/roy" then It'll be in your home roy directory, then type "sh ./NV then press tab to finish the rest of the file". Don't forget the space.

Alright nice. I typed them in seperately, and the file setup loaded and it installed, it didnt ask me about any of those questions you had listed, just an OK to go and it installed. Then, i went back to the commandline and typed the "gedit /etc/X11/XF86Conf" it said that the file didnt exist and asked me to create it. Did i make another mistake -_-

by the way thanks for helping a linux noob.

np. Now you need to type startx to load the gui. Then you go back to the terminal, and type "gedit /etc/X11/XF86Conf" or if you don't have gedit then do it this way "kwrite /etc/X11/XF86Conf" then save, and logout. You will go back to the command line, where you type telinit 5, to start back up the gui. When your back in your desktop, in a terminal, type "glxgears" and you should see some rotating cogwheels, and in the terminal you will see the Frames Per Second you get with your video card.

Okay, I did that, but wen i go back into the command line and type glxgears i get this
"[roy@localhost roy]$ glxgears
Xlib: extension "GLX" missing on display ":0.0".
Error: couldn't get an RGB, Double-buffered visual
[roy@localhost roy]$"
What do i do now >_<

Did you logout and go back to init 5?

Heres the order from where you left off last...

1. Go into telinit 3 from root.
2. install the nvidia drivers.
3. in the command line (where you installed the nvidia drivers) type "startx", then either KDE or Gnome should start up. (in other words, the GUI starts up)
4. From their, edit "/etc/X11/XF86Conf", and put the necessary things that I mentioned above.
5. After that you save, logout, and you should be back in the command line.
6 In that command line (where you installed the nvidia drivers) type "telinit 5" and it'll switch back to the normal init, where when you logout, you don't go back to the command prompt. Then thats when you log in, and do the glxgears, and it will work. I know it, because I have done it so many times.

I hope you are not having a tough time with linux! I'll help you out, untill your drivers work.

Ok, RHLinuxGUY, when I do what you say, I get just a white screen. I have 'Load "dri"' in the file but what am I supposed to do with it. I guess deleting that line isnt the right thing to do after the second time trying it.

You delete the Load dri and glcore lines, and add in a line to load glx.

Delete Load "dri" and Load "glcore" and keep Load "glx" and don't forget to replace "nv", "vesa" or whatever you have in the Device section with "nvidia". If you don't get it still, I'll give you a copy of my xorg.conf file, which is more or less the same as XF86Conf.

Before patching, in the module I already have "glx" and the "dri" but I do not have the "glcore" listed.
Also I might be modifying the wrong file I am modifiying the /etc/X11/XF86config. You and everyone else are talking about a XF86conf file are the two the same ?

In the XF86config file I never have seen the "glcore" listed under the section "Module" before or even after installing the Nvidia drivers. Is that a problem ?

Could you email the file to me so I can see what it is that you have and I dont have ?

email
michael_s_hale@yahoo.com