im running mandrake 10.2 and trying to install nvidia display drivers
i tried to install the drivers but it says i needed a kernel but the installer couldnt find one on the nvidia site so i went there and downloaded one but i cant install it. it says"Some packages requested cannot be installed: NVIDIA_kernel-1.0-1512.mdk71.i386 (due to unsatifsfied kernel [==2.2.15.mdk] ).
i've spent all of today trying to install this driver so all help is appreciated

Your best bet is to download the nvidia install file from nvidia. The installer will try to find a suitable driver for your kernel. If it can't then it will compile one from scratch. I have done this and it works well. You must stop X and login as root first.
Good luck.

Download the drivers from nvidia's site. LAtest is NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-7667-pkg1.run.

Follow this exactly - your using the same distro as me.

put the driver in your home directory, if it isnt already. Go into the mandrake control centre, into "look at installable software" and look for "kernel source 2.6-2.6.11-6.mdk". Install it.

Press CTRL + ALT, F2.

Im a bit rusty on this next bit, but if its wrong, theres no harm done - You should be asked to log in. Login as your user (not root). Then login as root (su) and type "init 3".

Type "dir", so you can see your home folder, so you dont have to memorise the name of the driver.

Type "sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-7667-pkg1.run". It may complain a few times, but should install, where before it asked for kernel source.

When its done, type "init 5" as root, to get back into the X server. Open shell, login as root, and type "konqueror /etc/X11". This will open that directory as a root user. Open "xorg.conf".

Look for the "device" section, and replace:

Driver "nv"

with

Driver "nvidia".

The readme of the driver says to look for the module section. If it is not there, add the line - Load "glx". Take away the lines:
Load "dri"
Load "GLcore".

Sorry about the length of the guide, but if you follow it step by step, youll get it done.

WARNING

There was a problem when booting up - the verbose mode would show an error about the hostname being invalid, and the X server would not start without typing "startx" first - had to change it so it had a .com at the end (e.g, before it was mandrakebox, now its mandriva.box.com). Strange, but it worked.

i installed teh kernel from the mandrake control center but when i try to intsall the driver i get an error
thx for the help

on the readme on nvidia.com they said that you might need a linker to the kernel. i've only been on linux for about a month and i have no idea what a linker is. i appreciate any help given becuase i never thought i woudl have so much trouble installing a driver

A linker is part of the compiler suite. Your distribution would have installed it.
The complier actually creates a series of objects from the source code. The linker joins all these parts together to form an executable file that the system can run.
Don't be too concerned it will be installed on your system so just go for it.

i woudl but i don't know how to link and i'm not sure if i have the right kernel installed

When you run the installer it create new drivers to suite your current kernel. It does not matter what kernel you have.

but when i run the installer it doesnt find one when it searches the stie and when it uses the one i downloaded from mandrake control center i get the error from above

The file "NVIDIA_kernel-1.0-1512.mdk71.i386 " you downloaded is tied to a definite kernel and is not the correct file for your mandrake build. The file "NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-7667-pkg1.run" which you should download from nvidia will create the new module for you and it will link against your currently installed kernel. See Diagmato previous post on 07/03/2005.