I'm trying to install nvidia drivers on my new linux partition and whenever i try to access my /root it says i don't have permission and of course, there is a lock on the icon. The nvidia site told me that i need to install the drivers from the root so i am trying to move the file there, can someone tell me how to access the root? i'm the administrator on the computer of course and there is only 1 login i'm using, i didn't see an "administrator" login to use. Thanx for your help

It doesn't mean you have to move the file to /root. you can install it whereever it is located. It means you have to be logged in as root. root is the administrator login in Linux. It's the only account that has admin rights.

ok, so how would i install it then?

What distrobution are you running?

i'm running mandrake linux 9.2 but forget that post, i've figured out more, does anyone kno w how to turn off "x server" thats the newest error i'm getting, its telling me that x server is running and i can't install the drivers while its running....any hints?

If you're in KDE or Gnome, press ctrl+alt+F1
That should take you to a black screen and you'll be presented with a login prompt.
type your username <Enter> then your password <Enter>

Then type su<Enter>
your root password<Enter>

Then type telinit3<Enter>

That will turn off your X server.
Run your install script.
When it finishes, type:
vi /etc/X11/XF86Config-4<Enter>
(note: above should be typed with caps exactly as shown.)

use your arrow keys to go down to a line that says
Driver "nv"

Press insert on your keyboard. (this allows you to modify the file) change "nv" to "nvidia"
Press Esc on your keyboard.
Press
:wq<Enter>

type telinit5

You should then be presented with the Nvidia splash screen and your graphical login screen.

agh! i got x server off but now the installation is telling me i don't have the right kernel header files for the kernel, i'm running mandrake 9.2 and i downloaded the drivers for linux ia32 because the ones for linux amd64, linux ia64, and free BSD didn't seem right to me, did i get the wrong drivers? and if not can someone tell me what this error means? btw i have a pentium 2.8 Ghz w/ 512 cashe 800 fsb and multithreading, not the 64 bit processor though

it means that a pre-compiled binary of the driver wasn't found on nvidia's ftp site so it tried to compile a suitable driver for your system and failed because you don't have the linux kernel headers, and probably not the source either. look for a mandrake package of kernel-headers and kernel-source for the kernel version you are running, and install them.

go here
ftp://mirrors.secsup.org/pub/linux/m...dates/9.2/RPMS

download
kernel-source-2.4.22-21mdk.i586.rpm

That should take care of that error. Oh, and you got the right driver. And what axion0917 is right. You don't have the kernel source installed and that is why you're getting that error. For some reason that I haven't quite figured out yet, Mandy 9.2 didn't come with them on the CDs.

ok, i downloaded that file and double clicked it from my desktop, a message came up that said everything already installed

Ok, i also tried to install the drivers again, and i noticed something else, it said that they tried to download the kernel from the nvidia ftp but it failed, i think it was a....er....dns error? or maybe a dhcp error...can't member

are you positive it was a network error? usually the nvidia site will give you an error...it just means it doesnt have a suitable driver for your system. 9 times out of 10 this will be the case and the installer will build one for you.....but needs kernel source to do so.

i'm pretty sure it was a network error...

ok, i got my drivers installed and i changed the lin that says drivers "nv" to say drivers "nvidia"

could you let us know what the problem was and how you fixed it?