Hi all

Ok, I am having problems making Gentoo start gdm when i type startx (something to do with initrc or whatever but I don't know what) and also having gentoo and the nvidia driver (for 3d acceleration) and the glx driver get along and play properly.

I used to run redhat (and i'll never go back) so i'm used the the modules.conf stsuff, but this gentoo thing is waay different and I need juts a bit of help telling me what to do so I can get to a point where i can figure the rest out on my own.

emerging the stuff doesn't seem to work either, although i'm new to emerge system so maybe i'm not doing something right - like editing a config file - afterwards...

Anyways, help please!

Thanks in advance,

Jim

Dude, I dont use Nvidia unfortunately. (for you atm that is )

You probably need to be a bit more specific, we know you've got a problem because you've posted! What is it though? emerge problems, like what? have you emerged the portage tree? "emerge rsync" will do that. you need to be root to emerge stuff too. even if your user is in the portage group.

slow downloads / rsyncs? "emerge mirrorselect" A most noble tool, and run "mirrorselect -i" and pick some mirrors close by, and "mirrorselect -r" and pico your local rsync mirror.

What package are you trying to emerge? I assume that the system is up and you have emerged the portage tree. So what's the prob?

Sorry for not being that clear...

I have tried to install the nvidia graphics drivers and the glx drivers by simply downloading them from their respective websites and attempting to install them manually- i.e: for nvidia, you d/l the file and then run sh NVIDIAxxxxx and it installs (can't be running x windows though)

I would then edit the modules.conf and the autoload.d/kernel-2.4 file to add the nvidia module to be loaded... so that I can use my accelerated 3d graphics in x (i like gnome) anyways... if I specify the nvidia driver "nvidia" in my xf86config where you specify the video device for use with the screen and monitor, i get all sorts of strange errors like unable to parse config file, unable to load nvidia kernel, unable to load glx ...

On the flipside, when I try to emerge nvidia-kernel and emerge nvidia-glx everything goes fine, but then when i start x, i don't get the use of my 3d acceleration!

Yes, I run emerge sync like every 2 days.... so that's not the problem (i don't think)

I hope that's clearer... I'm not sure if I've missed anything, but that's what's happening...

Jim

did you add load glx to the modules section of your XF86config?

Yes, it is at the begining of the file... that part of my XF86config looks like this:

Section "Module"

# This loads the DBE extension module.

Load "dbe" # Double buffer extension

# This loads the miscellaneous extensions module, and disables
# initialisation of the XFree86-DGA extension within that module.
SubSection "extmod"
Option "omit xfree86-dga" # don't initialise the DGA extension
EndSubSection

# This loads the Type1 and FreeType font modules
Load "type1"
Load "speedo"
Load "freetype"
Load "xtt"

# This loads the GLX module
Load "glx"
# This loads the DRI module
# Load "dri"

EndSection

Jim

Ummm OK. Like I said, I dont use Nvidia, I'm an ATI guy

You might want to go to
http://forums.gentoo.org
and have a search there, if no help then signup and post your question there. The dudes there are heaps cool (like they are here!) and are really receptive to your gentooing needs.

before you go though

forget downloading stuff and doing it manually. it's emerge all the way, baby YEAH! if you really really need something thats not in the portage tree ask for it by logging a bug to bugs.gentoo.org. if you don't want to ask for it, then download the source and make your own ebuilds, it's easy.

And just so you know for the future...

The way to check for 3D accel is to type in a terminal.
glxinfo |grep direct

It should return
direct rendering: Yes

But it's obviously not working and you need gentoo specific help. go and forum the gentoo way

hang on... I just notived that you posted while I was procrastinating... I think you need the DRI module to load as well..

As I understand it, dri doesn't work with nvidia drivers...

oh right. ATI needs them. you could try them though... did you sign up to the gentoo board?

Yep... already reposted what i posted here - with clarity .. ;P

Hopefully will get a response soon...

The only other problem I have is this:

In a makefile for a program, I am told that this line is the line to use to compile this echomixer program that I need for my soundcard to work within alsa (don't panic, question here is on how to use the command line)

### Command line to compile Echomixer
#
# cc -Wall `gtk-config --libs` `gtk-config --cflags` -lasound pci/echoaudio/echomixer.c -o Emixer

So what the hell do I type to make that copmile its thing?

uhhh, I think just copy that entire line and paste it into a terminal...

except the '#' and try it as root.

alsa-driver-0.9.6 # cc -Wall `gtk-config --libs` `gtk-config --cflags` -lasound pci/echoaudio/echomixer.c -o Emixer
pci/echoaudio/echomixer.c: In function `OpenControls':
pci/echoaudio/echomixer.c:1185: warning: implicit declaration of function `snd_ctl_elem_info_get_dimension'
pci/echoaudio/echomixer.c: In function `main':
pci/echoaudio/echomixer.c:1280: warning: unused variable `out_wgroup'
/tmp/cc8P34rj.o(.text+0x2a85): In function `OpenControls':
: undefined reference to `snd_ctl_elem_info_get_dimension'
/tmp/cc8P34rj.o(.text+0x2a9d): In function `OpenControls':
: undefined reference to `snd_ctl_elem_info_get_dimension'
collect2: ld returned 1 exit status

Nope, that's the error I keep getting...

hmm, does pci/echoaudio/echomixer.c exist from the directory you are running this command?

I love your sig, on the gentoo forums by the way, quite true

Tell you what, when I play in Scotland later this year.... ;P

no, you're supposed to run the command from the main /asla dir no the /alsa/pci/echo if I run it from there i get another screwy error ... (in windwos now to listen to music) i'll post it in a bit...

Sorry, I meant to say "does it exist _from_ the dir you run this command" I figure from your reply it does and your doing it the right way.

Well, if you hook up with me when you play in scotland, we'll be too p***ed on fine malt whiskey to fix anything