Why??? Because its not there in the first place!!!
K a bit of specs first:

asus a7v333 xp1700+ GeForce 4 4200 (also asus)

Mandrake 9 (with whatever Kernel it brings by default) and the latest Nvidia drivers (4191)

nv_check gives this dump:

the NVdriver kernel module does not seem to be loaded. The 3D
drivers will not work without it...please compile it for your
kernel, set it up to insert the module on boot, then run
this script again.

So I started trouble shooting 2 see what on earth was going on. I has been 2 months now and I think I finally cracked it but have no clue how to fix it. I have tried installing from RPM, tarball and from source. With the same dump from nv_check I tried with the older drivers (the 3 something) and found in the tarball had the NVdriver and the modules. so I look @ the 4191 tarball and its not there. Uhmmm well maybe I'm supposed to build from source:


[root@localhost root]# modprobe NVdriver
modprobe: Can't locate module NVdriver
[root@localhost root]# cd Desktop/src
[root@localhost src]# rpm --rebuild N
NVIDIA_GLX-1.0-4191.src.rpm NVIDIA_kernel-1.0-4191.src.rpm
[root@localhost src]# rpm --rebuild NVIDIA_kernel-1.0-4191.src.rpm
Installing NVIDIA_kernel-1.0-4191.src.rpm
Executing(%prep): /bin/sh -e /var/tmp/rpm-tmp.15983
+ umask 022
+ cd /usr/src/RPM/BUILD
+ cd /usr/src/RPM/BUILD
+ rm -rf NVIDIA_kernel-1.0-4191
+ /bin/gzip -dc /usr/src/RPM/SOURCES/NVIDIA_kernel-1.0-4191.tar.gz
+ tar -xf -
+ STATUS=0
+ '[' 0 -ne 0 ']'
+ cd NVIDIA_kernel-1.0-4191
+ exit 0
Executing(%build): /bin/sh -e /var/tmp/rpm-tmp.15983
+ umask 022
+ cd /usr/src/RPM/BUILD
+ cd NVIDIA_kernel-1.0-4191
+ set +e
++ rpm -q --queryformat '%{VERSION}' rpm
+ RPMVERSION=4.0.4
++ awk -F . '{print $1;}'
++ echo 4.0.4
+ RPMMAJOR=4
++ echo 4.0.4
++ awk -F . '{print $2;}'
+ RPMMINOR=0
++ echo 4.0.4
++ awk -F . '{print $3;}'
+ RPMPATCH=4
+ '[' 4 -le 3 -a 0 -le 0 -a 4 -lt 4 ']'
+ make nvidia.o
echo \#define NV_COMPILER \"`cc -v 2>&1 | tail -1`\" > nv_compiler.h
cc -c -Wall -Wimplicit -Wreturn-type -Wswitch -Wformat -Wchar-subscripts -Wparentheses -Wpointer-arith -Wcast-qual -Wno-multichar -O -MD -D__KERNEL__ -DMODULE -D_LOOSE_KERNEL_NAMES -DNTRM -D_GNU_SOURCE -D_LOOSE_KERNEL_NAMES -D__KERNEL__ -DMODULE -DNV_MAJOR_VERSION=1 -DNV_MINOR_VERSION=0 -DNV_PATCHLEVEL=4191 -DNV_UNIX -DNV_LINUX -DNV_INT64_OK -DNVCPU_X86 -I. -I/lib/modules/2.4.19-16mdk/build/include -Wno-cast-qual nv.c
cc -c -Wall -Wimplicit -Wreturn-type -Wswitch -Wformat -Wchar-subscripts -Wparentheses -Wpointer-arith -Wcast-qual -Wno-multichar -O -MD -D__KERNEL__ -DMODULE -D_LOOSE_KERNEL_NAMES -DNTRM -D_GNU_SOURCE -D_LOOSE_KERNEL_NAMES -D__KERNEL__ -DMODULE -DNV_MAJOR_VERSION=1 -DNV_MINOR_VERSION=0 -DNV_PATCHLEVEL=4191 -DNV_UNIX -DNV_LINUX -DNV_INT64_OK -DNVCPU_X86 -I. -I/lib/modules/2.4.19-16mdk/build/include -Wno-cast-qual os-agp.c
cc -c -Wall -Wimplicit -Wreturn-type -Wswitch -Wformat -Wchar-subscripts -Wparentheses -Wpointer-arith -Wcast-qual -Wno-multichar -O -MD -D__KERNEL__ -DMODULE -D_LOOSE_KERNEL_NAMES -DNTRM -D_GNU_SOURCE -D_LOOSE_KERNEL_NAMES -D__KERNEL__ -DMODULE -DNV_MAJOR_VERSION=1 -DNV_MINOR_VERSION=0 -DNV_PATCHLEVEL=4191 -DNV_UNIX -DNV_LINUX -DNV_INT64_OK -DNVCPU_X86 -I. -I/lib/modules/2.4.19-16mdk/build/include -Wno-cast-qual os-interface.c
cc -c -Wall -Wimplicit -Wreturn-type -Wswitch -Wformat -Wchar-subscripts -Wparentheses -Wpointer-arith -Wcast-qual -Wno-multichar -O -MD -D__KERNEL__ -DMODULE -D_LOOSE_KERNEL_NAMES -DNTRM -D_GNU_SOURCE -D_LOOSE_KERNEL_NAMES -D__KERNEL__ -DMODULE -DNV_MAJOR_VERSION=1 -DNV_MINOR_VERSION=0 -DNV_PATCHLEVEL=4191 -DNV_UNIX -DNV_LINUX -DNV_INT64_OK -DNVCPU_X86 -I. -I/lib/modules/2.4.19-16mdk/build/include -Wno-cast-qual os-registry.c
ld -r -o nv-linux.o nv.o os-agp.o os-interface.o os-registry.o
ld -r -o nvidia.o nv-linux.o nv-kernel.o
size nvidia.o
text data bss dec hex filename
1248673 92760 32940 1374373 14f8a5 nvidia.o
+ exit 0
Executing(%install): /bin/sh -e /var/tmp/rpm-tmp.79142
+ umask 022
+ cd /usr/src/RPM/BUILD
+ cd NVIDIA_kernel-1.0-4191
+ rm -f /tmp/files.lst
+ '[' -z '' ']'
++ uname -r
+ export TARGET_KERNEL=2.4.19-16mdk
+ TARGET_KERNEL=2.4.19-16mdk
+ '[' -d /lib/modules/2.4.19-16mdk/kernel ']'
+ INSTALLPATH=/lib/modules/2.4.19-16mdk/kernel/drivers/video
+ mkdir -p /var/tmp/NVIDIA_kernel-1.0//lib/modules/2.4.19-16mdk/kernel/drivers/video
+ install -m 0444 nvidia.o /var/tmp/NVIDIA_kernel-1.0//lib/modules/2.4.19-16mdk/kernel/drivers/video
+ echo '%attr(444 root root) ' /lib/modules/2.4.19-16mdk/kernel/drivers/video/nvidia.o
+ unset RPM_BUILD_ROOT
+ /usr/lib/rpm/brp-mandrake
no RPM_BUILD_ROOT variable; exiting.
Processing files: NVIDIA_kernel-1.0-4191
Finding Provides: (using /usr/lib/rpm/find-provides)...
Finding Requires: (using /usr/lib/rpm/find-requires)...
Using BuildRoot: /var/tmp/NVIDIA_kernel-1.0 to search libs
PreReq: /bin/sh /bin/sh /bin/sh rpmlib(PayloadFilesHavePrefix) <= 4.0-1 rpmlib(CompressedFileNames) <= 3.0.4-1
Requires(interp): /bin/sh /bin/sh /bin/sh
Requires(rpmlib): rpmlib(PayloadFilesHavePrefix) <= 4.0-1 rpmlib(CompressedFileNames) <= 3.0.4-1
Requires(pre): /bin/sh
Requires(post): /bin/sh
Requires(preun): /bin/sh
Requires: kernel >= 2.2.0 rpm >= 3.0.4
Wrote: /usr/src/RPM/RPMS/i586/NVIDIA_kernel-1.0-4191.i586.rpm
Executing(%clean): /bin/sh -e /var/tmp/rpm-tmp.20694
+ umask 022
+ cd /usr/src/RPM/BUILD
+ cd NVIDIA_kernel-1.0-4191
+ '[' -n /var/tmp/NVIDIA_kernel-1.0 -a /var/tmp/NVIDIA_kernel-1.0 '!=' / ']'
+ rm -rf /var/tmp/NVIDIA_kernel-1.0
+ exit 0
Executing(--clean): /bin/sh -e /var/tmp/rpm-tmp.20694
+ umask 022
+ cd /usr/src/RPM/BUILD
+ rm -rf NVIDIA_kernel-1.0-4191
+ exit 0

Aha!!!!! No reference whatsoever of make NVdriver.

Any ideas on how to make the bloody driver and modules so I can finally waste my time playing UT2k3????

Many thanks.

Go to nvidia.com, go to download, follow Linux IA342 and download the two RPMs for Mandrake 9. You can run NVChooser.sh to tell you exactly which ones to download. Follow instructions carefull, and don't forget, after install of RPMs update your XF86Config.

I have the same card, Redhat 8.0, glxgears = 7000 FPS. 700 at 1280x1024. You should get the same.

RO

Cheers for your answer...

Yet my problem is not about wrong packages (a tarball iz a tarball and scr iz scr), its the fact that under no circumstance NVdriver is being built and I can't find info on how to correct that...

Any Ideas on that?

After you install the rpm written in your first post:
and do an lsmod do you see nvidia listed?
What happens if you do an:
"modprobe nvidia"
and then "lsmod"
do you see nvidia listed?

When you change your driver to 'nvidia' in your XF86Config, XF86 takes care of loading all required modules based on the aliases in the driver. If the kernel and other RPM actually installed, warnings or not, you should try the last step. You won't see any nvidia in a dmesg, etc until the actual driver nvidia is loaded. m0rl0ck, the modprobe with an active X session might instantaly kill it cause it will cause the replace of the already loaded libraries with the nvidia versions. This in itself os a good thing though since, if it Kills X, then nvidia is good to go, just change the XF86Config.

RO.

One other thought, I have installed twice on my system, (donated my first nvidia card to my son, uninstalled and went back ton onboard for about 3 days, then bought another one), have installed this on my wife's computer, my parents and talked a few others through. I have NEVER used the src RPMs. I download the stock ones for Suse, Redhat, and Mandrake. 2 RPM inserts and nv -> nvidia in XF86 and it has always worked.

I read and hear no end of problems about the tar, src, etc and am not much help cause I just use the prebuilt easy way.

RO