Wide Screen & nVidia GeForce FX Go5200
 

Hi everyone, this is my first message on this forum.

It's since a couple of days that I'm trying to properly fix the resolution, monitor and driver with Linux in my notebook (TOSHIBA M30-742 with nVidia GeForce FX Go5200) .

My problem is that the monitor has a resolution of 1280x800 (which is 16:10) and I did find this resolution nowhere (I have tried with two different distributions: Suse (9.1?) and RedHat 9).
I have changed the XF86Config several times (doing several mistakes, since I'm quite new to linux) but I always get bad solutions.

Moreover I didn't find the latest driver for my card (since from the nVidia web-site it's impossible to read the readme file, so i don't know which is the right driver to use :( ).

I wish you might help me!

Well your driver is going to be the first one on this page. Pretty easy to install, first you will edit your inittab to go into multiuser mode then install the driver as per the instructions. After that edit your inittab back the way it was. You should see the NVidia logo before you go into X Windows next time.

Ok the harder part is the wide screen display, i can not be much help here but i will tell you were you can get some ideas at least. Go here http://www.linux-laptop.net/ and look at how the Dell owners have modified there X configs to allow wide screen. It is not hard really just takes some thinking. I have the Dell Inpiron 8500 widescreen 1920x1200 and it works fine in X. The ones on that site too look at are the 8500 and 8600 Dells as they are all wide screen.

What's this about editing your inittab before installation, I've never heard of that. I've never even changed my init level.

As for the wide screen problem. I saw an ad for a pretty kewl widescreen laptop today and was just wondering if it was possible to get those resolutions in X. Well, guess so... according to Reecrazed.

Well during the Nvidia install they want you to get out of X Windows and to an exclusive prompt. I just find it easier to edit my init level and reboot, then change the inittab back to where it was when i am done. The Nvidia driver readme goes into more detail. Yes widescreen is not hard to setup on Linux. I never could get true widescreen until installing the Nvidia driver though.

Thank you very much for answering me.

At the moment I think I won't make any changes on my laptop, since it is working (even if not very well, but it goes) and I prefer not to touch anything. Even if the resolution is quite bad at the moment I have no time to try to fix that. But I will do something as soon as I finish my work.

Thanks again.

Luca-

it's actually pretty easy to change your init level to install the nvidsia drivers. in the terminal, just su - to root, type 'init 3', obviously without quotes and hit enter. then, it will propmt u to login in the command line. login as root, then cd to the dir where the drivers are and sh NVidia.... restart and login in normally. go to ur xconfig file (/etc/X11/XF86Config) and edit it as root. under Driver Section, change the nv to nvidia. save and logout and login again. it shoudl then be the nividia drivers working. Note: Every time u install a new kernel, u will have to repeat this process

Hi Luca.Naso,
I understand that you own a Satellite M30-742 laptop. I also have the same one and am facing some problems running Linux on it. Would like you to refer to the following threads and let me know your comments please.

1. http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...hreadid=307624
2. http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...hreadid=298579
3. http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...hreadid=300310


Thanks a lot.

--cyberjun