Just a note about the "Radeon fglrx" driver that comes with mandrake 10. If i selected that option when i installed mandrake, it seemed to install my card fine with the right 3d enabled, and there was no issues. When i typed fglrxinfo it would show my card, using ATI 3d GL.
However if i tried to change my video card to this anytime after the install, like in the mandrake control centre, there is no way i could get the 3d of the card to work right, it would always use the crappy Mesa3d renderer.

(thats just a tip, to let you know that it probably not human error why your "leap of faith" didnt work for you.)

These drivers can be a pain, but once you get them installed once, and you know the right steps, you can just breeze through it......

Thanks a lot Stuart. I'll post the results as soon as I get the task done. If all else fails, I'll backup all of my needed files before I begin the whole process and if needed, re-install Linux (the fglrx drivers are the default when I install). I have had 3d acceleration before when I had the Download Version of MDK 10.0. I don't know what's different this time. Thanks again!

Billy

yeah ther is no reason you shouldnt be able to get it going with this version of mdk

Not to mention that the kernel is installing 3.7.6 and he's trying to install 3.9.0 over it...

Good catch, guys. I've only used the Dowload Editions, and I'm not a Club member (yet) so I never knew what the kernel modules really did. A little behind on their drivers, aren't they? 3.9.0 is out long enough and is stable enough (somewhat more so than 3.7.6, even) that the kernel module should install it anyway.

AFAIK the newest drivers dont actually make any difference to performance on the cards and i dont think the people that managed to get it working had troubles with the older version of the drivers. I think the newest release deals with the issue of getting the drivers installed, which this version does quite well so long as a few things on your system are prepped right........as above

Also to note that its good that Mandrake put the drivers in their install in the first place....but everyone seems to go for the newer driver as soon as they get Mandrake installed and it kills the current install of the card which i havent been able to go back to and get working after it's been changed once. And then there is the need to remove the currently installed ati kernel etc etc and the trouble starts......maybe they should just leave it out and let people go do it on their own afterwards????

Maybe not though, i have just seen and tried to help so so many people on this issue and it just keep coming back up and back up

Well, it works! I finally got fglrxinfo to show the Radeon 9600 instead of Mesa 3D. The only thing is when I log in for the first time, fglrxinfo STILL says Mesa 3D, but if I log out and then log back in, fglrxinfo shows Radeon 9600 . Well, that is a small price to pay considering I have TRUE 3D acceleration. I have played Chromium for the first time ever. Used to, I'd click to play Chromium and it would bog down so much that it would lock up the X Server and the only thing I could do is Ctrl+Alt+Backspace. Now, Chromium is liquid smooth and Blender is SWEET . Thanks to EVERYONE who helped in this issue.

Billy

glad you got it working, i haven't experienced the issue you are seeing now so i can't help you on that one but like you said at least it works with a relogin