Where's XF86Config?
 

I edited my /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 file with emacs according to the nVidia instructions. When I went back later to look at it, I got a blank screen with a blinking cursor in the upper left hand corner. At the bottom of the screen there was this line:

Use M-x make-directory ret ret to create the directory.

What does this mean? Where is edited file?

By the way, I messed up the nVidia driver install so I can't start x. I'll deal with that problem later.

Usually emacs leaves a buffered copy of the file with tilde at the end
XF86Config-4~, see if this file exists and actually contains configuration.

I added the ~ to the end of the file name and got the same blank screen.

well DOES it exist?? maybe you're only using XF86Config

Like I said at the beginning of the thread, I already edited Config-4. Now I can't find it. I did an ls of my /home and there's a Config-4.swp, Config-4.tmp, but I can't open any of those with emacs either.

The XF86Config file should be in the dir /etc/X11 or type xf86config , and the config program can be ran that wll edit the file for you

Good Luck