Just bought a geforce fx 6800 and i'm trying to install it in suse 9.1. Onl problem is on the video card list the 6800 isn't listed. Downloaded the nvidia drivers, didn't do anything. Anything i can do so I can get the 6800 properly configured in suse?

Wait for other replies before you take this advice...

Download the Nvidia drivers from the nvidia site itself.

Put the package in your ~ directory and then

su
password: *****
init 3

You are now at a command line
root
password: *****
cd /home/you
sh NVIDIA [press tab to get full file name] [press enter]
vi /etc/X11/XFREE86Config-4
press i
scroll down to "nv" and replace with "nvidia"
Uncomment "Load="glx"" or add it (remove the # at the beginning of teh line)
Comment out a line with "dri" if there is one
[press ESC]
:wq!
startx
You should see the Nvidia screen pop and then your desktop
Reboot (to stop running X from a virtual terminal which could suddenly end your work by surprise with one wrong control-c)

anyone else have any input?

I think Linux24 covered pretty much everything that needs to be done with that card... Make sure you have the correct drivers.

what's the :wq!?

They're vi commands. Pressing "ESC" puts vi in command mode. The ":wq!" tells vi to write your changes and quit the editor.
You could use ":x" also.

Get a big fat book on Linux and read the short intro to the vi editor. Otherwise, you will die trying to configure linux... eventually you will need vi.

When I ran the nvidia installer it said it couldn't find my kernel header files?

Before you can run the installer, you have to install the source code for your kernel. The installer reads the source code of your kernel, and compiles the driver against it.

So, I'm running Mandrake 10.0 Official. I have kernel 2.6.3-7mdk. That means I have to download (using the configuration tool RPMDrake) the source code called something like kernel-source-2.6.3-7.i586.mdk.rpm and install it first.

Then you can try running the driver installation process.

WARNING: If you install a kernel upgrade, either custom or a binary download, your driver is going to be hosed. And, if you compile a patch version of the kernel... for example, I tried to upgrade to 2.6.3-16mdk... you will find that the driver will not work with it. :P

In YOU it says i have the kernel-source installed?

LOL! Then we got a problem. Ah, wonderful tinkering in Linux. A relaxing past-time to be sure.

Go to /usr/src and see if it is the same version as the kernel you are running. I don't run Suse, so I'm not going to be the guy to get you out of this, I'm afraid.