nVidia GeForce 2 MX setup on Mandrake Official 10.0 - Xfree86

Howdy,

I am running mdk 10 official, KDE, Intel PIII 1000MHz, 256MB RAM, GeForce2MX.

Everytime I try to install the latest nVidia Linux driver .run file, it asks a few
questions then trys to find a precompiled binary or something and then
says it will have to make one it's self. At this point it spits out
Error code 2 or the like and then won't go any further. Except to exit.

I have tried to install the latest XFree86 software but when I follow the instructions it comes up with "internal compiler error" or something to
that affect and exits. (i tried to modify all sorts of files - as per documentation but to no avail)

Is there something simple I am missing.

Why can't I get anything to compile? I have installed the kernel source and all the developer tools I could find on the disc/s.

Has someone got step by step, easy for a newbie, instructions on how to
set it up, from beginning to end, including any little things that people are
"supposed" to know?

Cheers.

PS I have been searching the net and trying for a couple of weeks now.

PS. Also - quite often under KDE, when I run a program, there is a little
rotating hourglass in the bottom bar for a few seconds and then it
disappears - but the program doesn't load. A friend suggested maybe my
RAM is faulty?

The kernel source doesn't come on the disks. You have to download it seperately.
Any thing that needs compiling will need the headers from the kernel source.
Try this; open a terminal, log in as root and type

urpmi kernel-source

As for your problem with kde.
Open a terminal and type in the command of the program you are trying to run.
Errors will be printed in the terminal.
If you don't know what they mean, ask here.

god installing nvidia drivers are a pain in the ass.
I can't do it either.

Am at work atm, will give it a try tonight and let you know

cheers for the advice.

bump

I just upgraded my linux system yesterday, There are a couple of points that you need to know to get it to work.
First, you need to exit X windows before running the NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-5336-pkg1.run program.

If you type NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-5336-pkg1.run -A, you will get extended help. Here is a segment from that help, that I think is part of the problem.

--kernel-source-path=[KERNEL SOURCE PATH] The directory containing the kernel source files that should be used when compiling the NVIDIA kernel module. When not specified, the installer will use '/lib/modules/`uname -r`/build', if that directory exists. Otherwise, it will use '/usr/src/linux'.

Note the extra '/build' directory.

So to work around that, make sure that the kernel is pointed to by the 'default' linux link.
unlink /usr/src/linux
ln -s /usr/src/`uname -r` /usr/src/linux

Then the program should work successfully. You need the kernel-source installed. Installing the kernel-headers might be a good idea ( from glibc-devel )

For those who have RTFM and still can't get the driver installed, I'm curious in how you are installing the driver. I just installed, for the first time, the 5336 driver in a newly built box with a G4 Ti, and I have to say it was the easiest installation of any driver I have done.

My Steps:

1) Install your choice of kernel + kernel-sources and all develop packages (gcc, automake, etc., you can remove the ones you don't need later) that you will be booting into.

2) Download the nvidia driver (duh!)

3) Edit /etc/inittab
- change your init default to 3

4) Reboot into the kernel you have choosen

5) cd to where the driver is

6) su

7) sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-5336-pkg1.run

8) Accept the license and select NO to find drivers at nvidia's website

9) Let the driver compile and install

10) vi /etc/X11/XF86Config-4
- change "nv"/"vesa" to "nvidia"
- make sure 'Load "glx"' is not commented out
- remove 'Load "dri"' and 'Load "GLcore"' if present
- [ESC], : , wq , [ENTER]

11) vi /etc/inittab
- change the init default back to 5

12) reboot (right after I had typed reboot, the x-server kicked back in and froze my
computer, so to reboot when all fails, hold down [Alt]+[SysRq] and hit S,U,B in
sequence.

Great news, all is working well now.

Many thanks in particular Munterman for the kernel-source bit
and Estatik for the step by step guide. (those were the 2 bits I used)

Yay I am so happy now!!

Cheers ppl.