NVIDIA fx 5200 (issues after Mandrake Linux Upgrade)

Mr.Ampersand() · 01-01-2005, 08:51 PM

First of all:

This computer is a Dell 4300 with a 1.7GHZ and an intel archecture 32-bit. The kernel is 2.6.8.1-10mdk along with its kernel source and have Mandrake Linux 10.1. My graphics card is a NVIDIA GeForceFX 5200

I have upgraded this computer from Mandrake Linux 10.0 to 10.1. If you wish to view my issues (some solved) please visit:

http://mandrakeusers.org/lofiversion...hp/t20990.html

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...hreadid=254917

http://207.237.43.110:97/code/code.html (look for the text Upgrade Nightmare: Mandrake Linux v10.0 to v10.1 (Discussion #1) on this page)

As of right now....

My graphics card is not performing up to its full potential. It is fine when i'm working on code and doing non-game activities but when I wish to play a game on Transgaming's Point2Play program with Winex the graphics are really really slow. I get about 15-29 FPS According to 'glxgears'. I notice when I make the window smaller (described in some other thread I was reading trying to fix my problem) the FPS increases. I was also looking in the Mandrake Control Center in the hardware section under video card and the interface was PCI and my graphics card is AGP. I do have the right NVIDIA driver installed and GLX is enabled. I followed the instructions on the NVIDIA HowTO with no success.

I've posted my XF86Config file here if anyone wants to examine it:

http://207.237.43.110:96/XF86Config

I hope i'm not being to much of a nuasanse. I'll look for other instructions for now.

Thanks in advance,
-- George

davcefai · 01-02-2005, 01:32 AM

1. Have you tried "load glx" rather than loading the specific libraries?

2. You could try setting up your system to boot to runlevel 3. Then startx.
Pressing Ctrl-Alt-F1 will take you back to tty1 and you will see all the messages that came up when X was starting. There will be clues in there.

jaugen · 01-02-2005, 04:50 AM

This is my XF86Config ... maybe it will give you some clues:

# File generated by XFdrake.

# **********************************************************************
# Refer to the XF86Config man page for details about the format of
# this file.
# **********************************************************************

Section "Files"
# Multiple FontPath entries are allowed (they are concatenated together)
# By default, Mandrake 6.0 and later now use a font server independent of
# the X server to render fonts.
FontPath "unix/:-1"
EndSection

Section "ServerFlags"
#DontZap # disable <Crtl><Alt><BS> (server abort)
AllowMouseOpenFail # allows the server to start up even if the mouse doesn't work
#DontZoom # disable <Crtl><Alt><KP_+>/<KP_-> (resolution switching)
EndSection

Section "Module"
Load "dbe" # Double-Buffering Extension
Load "v4l" # Video for Linux
Load "extmod"
Load "type1"
Load "freetype"
Load "/usr/X11R6/lib/modules/extensions/libglx.so"
EndSection

#Section "Extensions"
#Option "Composite" "Enable"
#EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Keyboard1"
Driver "keyboard"
Option "XkbModel" "pc105"
Option "XkbLayout" "en_US"
Option "XkbOptions" ""
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Mouse1"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "IMPS/2"
Option "Device" "/dev/mouse"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "monitor1"
VendorName "Nokia"
ModelName "Nokia 446Xpro"
HorizSync 30.0-107.0
VertRefresh 50.0-150.0

# Sony Vaio C1(X,XS,VE,VN)?
# 1024x480 @ 85.6 Hz, 48 kHz hsync
ModeLine "1024x480" 65.00 1024 1032 1176 1344 480 488 494 563 -hsync -vsync

# Dell D800 and few Inspiron (16/10) 1280x800
ModeLine "1280x800" 147.89 1280 1376 1512 1744 800 801 804 848

# Dell D800 and few Inspiron (16/10) 1680x1050
ModeLine "1680x1050" 214.51 1680 1800 1984 2288 1050 1051 1054 1103

# Dell D800 and few Inspiron (16/10) 1920x1200
ModeLine "1920x1200" 230 1920 1936 2096 2528 1200 1201 1204 1250 +HSync +VSync

# TV fullscreen mode or DVD fullscreen output.
# 768x576 @ 79 Hz, 50 kHz hsync
ModeLine "768x576" 50.00 768 832 846 1000 576 590 595 630

# 768x576 @ 100 Hz, 61.6 kHz hsync
ModeLine "768x576" 63.07 768 800 960 1024 576 578 590 616
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "device1"
VendorName "nVidia Corp."
BoardName "NVIDIA GeForce FX (generic)"
Driver "nvidia"
Option "DPMS"
Option "IgnoreEDID" "1"
Option "RenderAccel" "true"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "screen1"
Device "device1"
Monitor "monitor1"
DefaultColorDepth 24

Subsection "Display"
Depth 8
Virtual 1280 1024
EndSubsection

Subsection "Display"
Depth 15
Virtual 1280 1024
EndSubsection

Subsection "Display"
Depth 16
Virtual 1280 1024
EndSubsection

Subsection "Display"
Depth 24
Virtual 1280 1024
EndSubsection
EndSection

Hope this is of some help.

Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "layout1"
InputDevice "Keyboard1" "CoreKeyboard"
InputDevice "Mouse1" "CorePointer"
Screen "screen1"
EndSection

ttolst · 01-02-2005, 05:06 AM

As suggested, try replacing

Load "/usr/X11R6/lib/modules/extensions/libglx.so"

with just

Load "glx"

If it still doesn't work, try this from a virtual console (must be on a console, but you don't have to stop x first):

xinit /usr/bin/X11/glxgears -- :1 > xlogfile.txt 2>&1

you might need to change the path to glxgears. This will run X and start glxgears, and log all output from x to xlogfile.txt. Then try and post the file, perhabs on a web server if it is big.

To exit from x again, hit alt - ctrl - backspace.

Mr.Ampersand() · 01-02-2005, 11:19 AM

Quote:

davcefai
Distribution: 1. Have you tried "load glx" rather than loading the specific libraries?

2. You could try setting up your system to boot to runlevel 3. Then startx.
Pressing Ctrl-Alt-F1 will take you back to tty1 and you will see all the messages that came up when X was starting. There will be clues in there.

I have already tried "load glx" instead of directly calling the shared or static library (libglx.so, libglx.a). When I did so I looked at the Xorgs log file and found that it complained that it couldnt initialize glx. I also already start in runlevel 3 (prefer it over runlevel 5). for pressing ctrl-alt-f1. I havent done so yet. I also need to try what ttolst said. I cant try that now since i'm not at my computer. I'd have to log in via putty. I dont have VNC up either.

Speaking of VNC, Does anyone know of a better way to connect to my X server the way I do with VNC better than VNC? I need more efficiency. I saw some software that connects to X from Windows but you'd have to pay for it. Since then I never bothered to much to look into it since I was happy with Putty.

thanks in advance
George

ttolst · 01-02-2005, 11:41 AM

you can simply install X for windows. you can get it as part of the cygwin package at www.cygwin.com

If X wont initialize glx, then it could appear like the nvidia driver isn't installed correctly. If that isn't it then i dont really have any guesses, as your config looks ok as far as i can tell.

Did you find a mandrake rpm, or did you use the nvidia installer?

davcefai · 01-02-2005, 01:12 PM

TightVNC really is faster than vanilla VNC.
It is included in the Mandrake distribution. There is also a Windows version. You could try that.
Note that they are intercompatible but TightVNC at both ends works fastest.

Mr.Ampersand() · 01-02-2005, 06:03 PM

Quote:

If it still doesn't work, try this from a virtual console (must be on a console, but you don't have to stop x first):

xinit /usr/bin/X11/glxgears -- :1 > xlogfile.txt 2>&1

Ok I tried that and these are the results as I tried before. I tried it before while I was in X by just issueing glxgears from the terminal and getting the output in the terminal.

Heres the Link:

http://207.237.43.110:96/xlogfile.txt

The only way to get the FPS up there is to either shut my computer off and cut off the power totally from the computer and start it up. Then the FPS is up there again but then slows down the next time I try it.

Quote:

Did you find a mandrake rpm, or did you use the nvidia installer?

I retrieved the NVIDIA run file and used the NVIDIA installer. As I looked through the Xorg log file I noticed some errors.

Xorg log file:

http://207.237.43.110:96/Xorg.1.log

Some of them mentioned problems with finding font paths and something about a PCI host to bridge. The PCI host to bridge error might be important because when I look at the hardware I notice that it reconizes the video card as PCI instead of AGP.

Heres what i'm talking about:

Code:

Identification
Vendor: nVidia

Description: GeForce FX 5200

Media class: DISPLAY_VGA

Connection
Bus: PCI

Bus PCI #: 1

PCI device #: 0

PCI function #: 0

Vendor ID: 4318

Device ID: 802

Sub vendor ID: 65535

Sub device ID: 65535

Misc
Module: Card:NVIDIA GeForce FX (generic)

Why does it even mention PCI.

I'm thinking that I should look into the drivers or something. I also am considering moving my PCI cards farther away from the AGP slot and it might resolve this.

--George

Mr.Ampersand() · 01-02-2005, 10:07 PM

I still dont understand why I have to modprobe my nvidia module. I never had to modprobe it before in the other OS. Maybe its that specific nvidia driver?

thanks
George

davcefai · 01-03-2005, 12:24 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Mr.Ampersand()
I still dont understand why I have to modprobe my nvidia module. I never had to modprobe it before in the other OS. Maybe its that specific nvidia driver?

thanks
George

A couple of suggestions:
1. Look at your /etc/modprobe.conf file. It should have a line:
alias /dev/nvidia* nvidia

If not you could insert it manually.

2. In your CMOS setup, is there an option on the lines of "Initialise PCI/AGP video card first"? It may be set to PCI and then the BIOS could be handing Linux the wrong info.

3. Look in /dev for /dev/nvidia0 and /dev/nvidiactl. These are vital.

4. Your XF86Config-4 file is based on the one in the NVIDIA documentation. You might try to base it on the example file given with X11. Feel free to try this one at

ftp://cloud9.dyndns.tv/ (server is usually up between 0530 to 0930 GMT)

It is simpler. Change what you need to. You can also try changing the driver to "nv" and uncommenting "load dri". Both work for me.

Good Luck

Mr.Ampersand() · 01-03-2005, 08:15 PM

It seems I've solved the problem. I switched the order of the PCI cards around so the IRQs were in a certain order. I had thought this threw before I did it. I also removed a card.

--George

Mr.Ampersand() · 01-03-2005, 09:36 PM

I think I spoke too soon... I ended up removing a PCI card with two IDE's on it(was going to put in dedicated server anyway) along with the Creative Labs sound card. I am now using the onboard sound, microphone.

Another problem which I'm not sure if this has to do anything with the graphics performance is the ALSA drivers. I could easily just follow the instructions on the homepage and install it but i'm happy with OSS for now. ALSA isnt of a urgancy for me now the stupid graphics card is.

davcefai · 01-03-2005, 11:48 PM

You could try booting Knoppix and seeing what the performance is like. (I assume that you don't have Windows on the machine, otherwise use that),

That will characterise the problem as being hardware or software. (You do have "Assign IRQ to VGA set as "yes" in CMOS setup haven't you).

Another thing you can try is to use the nv driver and see if that helps (uncomment "load dri" and replace "nvidia" by nv. Not that this might give you several "crash" errors in KDE - ignore them - they will only go away if yiu uninstall the nvidia drivers and this is only a temporary test. You can revert to the nvidia driver any time you want.

Mr.Ampersand() · 01-04-2005, 07:31 AM

This issue isnt a Hardware issue. I forgot to mention in the begginning that I have a dual booted machine. It has the Lilo boot loader (if that matters... forgot version). The current version of Windows I have is Service pack one. It also has the NVIDIA driver installed. There arent any performance problems with it there.

Quote:

Another thing you can try is to use the nv driver and see if that helps (uncomment "load dri" and replace "nvidia" by nv. Not that this might give you several "crash" errors in KDE - ignore them - they will only go away if yiu uninstall the nvidia drivers and this is only a temporary test. You can revert to the nvidia driver any time you want.

The IRQs are fine now. The NVIDIA driver seems to work ok now when you boot into Linux for the first time however it eventually slows down with an increased CPU noise (You could tell on my computer by hearing).

I still have to 'modprobe nvidia' even after you gave me the alias.

I'll get back to you when I do the XF86Config changes.

Thanks in advance,
George

Mr.Ampersand() · 01-04-2005, 06:24 PM

This is what I get when I load dri and replace nvidia with nv

[kc2keo@localhost kc2keo]$ glxgears
Xlib: extension "GLX" missing on display ":0.0".
Error: couldn't get an RGB, Double-buffered visual

And I also tried glxgears in super user mode.