After installing the Nvidia driver script, everything seems fine until I drop out of xf86. The console seems to randomly mess up its resolution.

For example, the first time, the text was off-center (as if the resolution/monitor frequency had changed) and the colour changed to blue for some reason. Now it looks like it's changed to a really low resolution with distorted text.

Just using a standard install of Mandrake 9.1, and KDE as default with the startx command.

Many many thanks in advance,
Bawbag.

Hi,
I'm not gonna fix this one, but tell us what you mean by, "drop out of xf86", do you mean killing X and being at the console prompt, or Cntrl-Alt-F1 type of console, where X is still running on Alt-F7?

Take a look at your logs with your fav editor, /var/log/messages and /var/log/XFree86.0.log, and see if you have any clues there.

By dropping out, I mean just using the "logout" option in KDE. When you run xfree with startx, this just drops you to the console, and it's here I'm having problems. Maybe it's the fact I'm using the 'startx' command. What commands do you people use to start the XWindows system?

A few lines I've noticed in those files:-


xinetd[2719]: warning: can't get client address: Transport endpoint is not connected

devfsd[107]: unknown group: "video", defaulting to GID=0

insmod: Module vmnet loaded, with warnings

/misc/vmmon.o will taint the kernel: forced load

Hi,
'startx' command is fine, but most people now use a 'login' manager, but it's personal preference. I like booting to the console first and then starting X also. Works for me.

Now, I told ya I don't think I can fix your problem, so I hope others may step in. The only disturbing error I saw in your post was the "devfsd[107]: unknown group: "video", defaulting to GID=0".
You may have a problem with your frame buffer (FB), in a (somewhat non related post about USB problems), http://www.mail-archive.com/eci@ml.f.../msg01802.html
it was referenced that
- disable fb (framebuffer) at boot time or using mdk's config tool
- try with another kernel (2.4.18 or 2.4.21-pre6 or newer if available)
might help. I'm sorry ya got prob's with the NVid drivers, most people are very happy with them. I really can't see how those drivers for X, would mess with your console, but stranger things have happened.
Anyone wanting to step in, it's fine with me, because I not too familiar with this problem at all.

Any way,you can see whatever happens during X startup in the log file,including the resolutuion stuff.And you can change those by editing /etc/X11/XF86Config-4
(since it is xfree 4.x)
Also,you can have X as default startup option by editing /etc/inittab,there will be a line like
id:3:initdefault
change 3 into 5.

Skip the "The only disturbing error I saw in your post was the "devfsd[107]: unknown group: "video", defaulting to GID=0". " as even I have that entry in my logs. But the other stuff I listed may still apply. Thanks for your patience.