LinuxQuestions.org - [SOLVED] is there a version of fedora that supports my NVIDIA RIVA TNT display adapter?

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is there a version of fedora that supports my NVIDIA RIVA TNT display adapter?

I am running fedora Fedora 2.6.31.5-127.fc12.i686 - works fine, but it puts my display adapter in old fashoned simple vga mode.

DISTRIBTION
Fedora 2.6.31.5-127.fc12.i686
Mysql 5.1.47
Apache 2.2.15

CONFIGURATION
1.25 ghz AMD athlon
NVIDIA RIVA TNT display adapter
ECS K7S5a board / chipset
AMD BIOS 07.00T
512 mb main mem
128 kb primary cache
256 2ndary cache
66 mhz bus clock

I use the bios to dual boot between two disks, (1) this op sys and (2)win98se - where I have a driver that fully supports the nvidia.

The disadvantage to my current situation is that there are some programs - eg Evolution - that assume I can see more than you see with this setup - eg the buttons at the bottom of the screen do not appear and i have to do a trial and error tabbing to get what i want. I just downloaded openoffice and i see that it wants 1000x2000 or so. Thus I wont even try to install it unless i can resolve the adapter thing.

I'm very happy with this fedora - use it for software development. But as I become more fond of it, I would like to use it instead of windows - which I can't unless i can see the whole screen

At one point - in response to a suggestion that I download security updates - I did so and got 2.6.32.12-115.fc12.i686. It was incompatible with my config - put up a screen that looked like a tv test pattern and went into a loop. So I went back to 2.6.31.5-127.fc12.i686.

Any suggestions / help would be appreciated

Did you try editing /etc/X11/xorg.conf file and adding a higher resolution? Can you post the output of your xorg.log file and the output of lspci?

You can also download the legacy driver directly from nVidia here.

I do not have a file /etc/X11/xorg.conf
I do have a folder /etc/X11/

Nowhere on the disk is there a file named xorg.conf

The output of lspci is below

If I install th legacy driver and it does not work, will I be able to remove it?

Thanks so much for your help
This is a fantastic resource

Dick

Code:

00:00.0 Host bridge: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] 735 Host (rev 01)

00:01.0 PCI bridge: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] Virtual PCI-to-PCI bridge (AGP)

00:02.0 ISA bridge: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] SiS85C503/5513 (LPC Bridge)

00:02.1 SMBus: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] SiS961/2 SMBus Controller

00:02.2 USB Controller: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] USB 1.1 Controller (rev 07)

00:02.3 USB Controller: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] USB 1.1 Controller (rev 07)

00:02.5 IDE interface: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] 5513 [IDE] (rev d0)

00:02.7 Multimedia audio controller: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] AC'97 Sound Controller (rev a0)

00:03.0 Ethernet controller: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] SiS900 PCI Fast Ethernet (rev 90)

00:0d.0 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (rev 62)

00:0d.1 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (rev 62)

00:0d.2 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. USB 2.0 (rev 65)

00:0f.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL-8139/8139C/8139C+ (rev 10)

00:13.0 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (rev 50)

00:13.1 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (rev 50)

00:13.2 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. USB 2.0 (rev 51)

01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation NV4 [RIVA TNT] (rev 04)

You could follow this howto and install the legacy driver.

Might be just as well to run vesa?

Must confess I don't know what vesa is. I'd be curious to know.

In any case, I found an ok workaround.

In my pile of boards I found a pci adapter ATI .. radeon. Plugged it in and it works great out of the box with fedora, but needs some attention to work well with windows. Don't want to take the time to resolve why.

At boot, I tell bios to use the pci adapter when I'm booting fedora or the other one when I'm booting windows.

Neither the bios nor either op sys complains about having 2 adapters on the bus.

Again thanks for the help - I now know where I could find information on getting a driver for the RIVA TNT, or I could take the time to load a windows driver for the radeon, or I could spend my time doing something more useful and or satisfying.

there is NO legacy nvidia driver for the 1.8 xorg and the 96 nvidia drivers

your only choice with fedora is to downgrade the kernel and xorg and lock out xorg and kernel updates

-- this will leave you a working BUT very insecure os

downgrand 12 back it the install iso or back to the point BEFORE x 1.8 was installed

-- this is what i would do -- see below
or install CentOS 5.5

Post Script:
Decided to bite the bullet - removed the nvidia - found the driver for the radeon rage - nvidia off to the junk heap - radeon rage is incredibly good - and these days i think they sell them for the cost of a meal at mcdonalds.

My fedora looks tremendous - and my woindows ditto

thanks fopr help

dick