Hello,
I've try a many times to install drivers for my video card GeForce2 MX/MX 400. I've download the NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-6629-pkg1.run and complete all instruction in the readme file. There's no error message at all, but after starting X it's crash. When I tried to compile sources it say that 'rivafb' driver is included as loaded module to the kernel and this may have problems with nvidia driver. No other error massages I've got. But again after starting X it crashes. X not crashes, it crash all system (The screen became blank, no keyboard, no sound, nothing even CTRL-ALT-F{1..7}).
Then I try to remove the rivafb module with
modprobe -r rivafb
but nothing happend. Then I try to remove it again with
rmmod rivafb
but again it's stays there.

Please tell me what to do to install the driver . I am newbie in Linux so please write me full commands or steps for doing.

Thanks in advance

This will get you started (this kicked my butt when we first did it; I feel your pain...)

go to /etc/X11/XF86.config

Verify that near the top of the file is written: # PLEASE DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE!

OK, edit it to include the following information:
1. If you have a riva driver in there, disable or delete.
2. Disable or delete "nv" driver
3. Enable or include "nvidia" driver
4. Check out NvAGP setting - your mileage may vary.
5. Issue #glxgears for a quick test (we get 1200+ FPS)
6. #cat /proc/driver/nvidia/status (and other parts of the /proc/driver/nvidia tree) for interesting diagnostic info...

Here are pertinent sections of our XF86Config:

=========== begin clip ===============
Section "Module"
...
Load "glx"
...
EndSection
(...)
Section "Device"
BoardName "GeForce4 Ti 4200"
BusID "1:0:0"
# BE SURE:
#Driver "nv" is deleted or disbled
Driver "nvidia"
Identifier "Device[0]"
Screen 0
VendorName "NVidia"
# ------ MODS by LOU ----------------------------------------------
# (many other options in here if you need 'em)
# we found NvAGP option absolutely essential on our hardware
# you may or may not need...
Option "NvAGP" "1"
# 0 : disable agp
# 1 : use NVIDIA's internal AGP support, if possible
# 2 : use AGPGART, if possible
# 3 : use any agp support (try AGPGART, then NVIDIA's AGP)
# - LOUnotes: (as of SuSE 9.0)
# got AGPGART working by first disabling the kernel module load...
# - /var/log/messages detects a VIA APollo MVP3 chipset
# NvAGP=1 DISABLES AGP, even with AGPGART module not loaded
# ( see /proc/driver/nvidia/status )
# GLX still works though, with glxgears (max) 1240 FPS
# ( mods to os-registry.c seem to have no effect)
EndSection
============= end clip ===============

FYI: We get tremendous, stable OpenGL performace. Tests include TuxRacer and Racer.

You'll get it running - not to worry!
Lou

Why dont you use y.o.u. (yast online update) and select

Download Nvida graphics driver

This will configure and setup the driver without you having to do anything.

...and if you still need to get rid of the rivafb module, you may need to boot with the kernel option vga=normal or video=vesafb. You may need to change this parameter in /boot/grub/menu.lst. Otherwise the module 'rivafb' will be in use to run the splashscreen and cannot be unloaded.

I had to open a terminal, su to root, then drop the runlevel to "init 3", a command-line. From there the nvidia driver installed fine. I also had to remove rivafb while in runlevel 3. It worked fine from there. The only problem I have is after a reboot I must (as root)
xauth merge /home/user/.Xauthority
then
xhost + localhost
to let my games & stuff access the screen.

BTW, I don't think the Y.O.U. approach will get you where you want to be...

If I recall NVIDIA's position on this correctly, the distributed 'nv' driver is a bare minimum, 'first pass' thing...

For copyright reasons, they do not make it available directly to 'The Distributions'.

To get full-blown performance, I believe you must download and build the 'nvidia' driver. The build is painless - remember to do it in without the xserver running - and takes only a few minutes. See the installer script and related info on NVIDIA's site.

Works great! Lou

Easiest way to install the Nvidia drivers is with YaST.

Try doing an update, and make sure you check the Nvidia drivers option.

Restart X and you should be all set.

You are right...and wrong

The driver that comes with SuSE (nv) is a minimal version indeed. But what you get with the YOU update is a full driver directly from nvidia. It is the same driver that you download yourself, only with an automated installer (actually it's only the installer that SuSE provides, the driver comes from nvidia automatically).

Thanks of all of you for your support and most to the DrLou.
I will try your way.
Only one question is it possible this to be happend because I have an internal graphic cards (I already disable it from the BIOS)?
When I try to start X from run level 3. I've got some error messages. I see first that X is probing both cards internal motherboard's card(SIS) and my external GeForce. Then NVIDIA got's error message that sounds like "No screen defined", even I put in driver section SCREEN 0. Anyway I try DrLou way, but not today. I will keep in touch what happend later.

BTW, I recompile the kernel as I remove at all rivafb driver, but again can't start the driver.

snairl:

Am happy to help, if indeed I'm not making things worse!

Here's a link to NVIDIA's most current instructions for SuSE. This is a document I should have pointed to in my first post; apologies: Installing NVIDIA Drivers under SuSE 9.1 (Nov 2004!) Note that this is an uplink directly to the SuSE ftp site. Note also there's a reference in there to those who want the 'latest and greatest' driver NVIDIA has to offer. Count me in!

Here's the forum which helped me most when we first figured this out... NVIDIA Linux Forum

Also, I hope I haven't confused you: You should not need to recompile your kernel to add the NVIDIA full driver!
On the other hand, you do have to run nvidia's installer script - which downloads, builds and links a new driver module - each time you rebuild or otherwise change your kernel.

abisk000 - Thanks for your comments. As there is some confusion, let's sort this out.
1) If you check out notes in YaST's Add/Change Software module, you'll see they indicate the included NVIDIA driver as a 'dummy' driver... And this was my experience; that the driver worked per se, but one cannot activate 3D acceleration in SAX2 or analogous areas of YaST - at least, I never could! Are either of you able to do so using just the driver installed by YaST Online Update?
2) Also, it seems to me I recently read an interview with Nvidia's guy who outlined their reasoning for - and intention to continue - not releasing their 'proprietary' driver either to open source or for inclusion in distros.
3) What kind of performance are you getting under your configuration? Were either of you able to activate 3D acceleration in YaST?

Please do me a favor: From a terminal window, invoke the glxgears program (from a term because the output will indicate your FPS achieved...)

If I am totally off here, please let me know. I'm happy to learn new stuff, especially since we wasted a lot of time on this about a year ago...

Lou

Hi DrLou,

I am sorry, if I might have caused confusion. I appreciate very much the support you are giving. I also apologize to have interfered with a topic where I have no personal experience, since I am not using NVIDIA hardware (I have to deal with Intel onboard graphics, you would laugh about my glxgears values).

The reason for my interference was, that I once looked to the installation scripts (fetchnvidia) that SuSE provides with a Online Update (YOU). I did this out of pure curiosity, after you claimed earlier in this thread, that a YOU update won't help. And this is what I found:

Please note, that this is not what you get with a default installation. This comes with a YOU update and only if you request it. Actually it is the same procedure as you proposed yourself. I hope there is no more reason to argue about.

I never refered to the nv driver as being a 3D driver. I simply wanted to point out, that the easiest way of obtaining the NVIDIA drivers is a YOU update:

Yast -> System -> Online Update -> check 'Manually Select Patches' -> 'Next' -> check 'Download NVIDIA(r) Graphics Driver' -> 'Accept'

No probs, and thanks for the clarification - Yes, NVIDA appears to have changed their position about how they deliver the driver, but...

I am still in the latest and greatest camp (please see NVIDIA notes on this) - note that latest driver is 1.0-6629! Among other things, the latest version improves support for the 2.6 family kernel (as in SuSE 9.1-SuSE 9.2). And, for those of constantly tweaking kernels, the manual module build appears to be the best choice.

Then this is the misunderstanding - Indeed I thought we were talking about building 3D hardware acceleration; after all, this is what the NVIDIA hardware was all about for us...

At least I hope the discussion was useful to others here.

Lou

This may just add to the confusion...

I have installed the NVidia driver in SUSE 9.1 using YOU and it does work for the GeForce2 MX400. It does give 3D acceleration, and, when installed in this way, does not need to be installed again after a kernel update. If you are using 9.1 Personal, which lacks the tools for compiling, this is a good choice.

It does not give the "latest and greatest" driver (6111 at the moment I believe, instead of 6629), but this is not a big issue for the MX400.

Thanks for this clarification. I never intended to say something else.
Maybe I am lacking communicational skills

Just for those who want the latest driver using the easy way:

Maybe you could download the script, change the driver URL to the latest version (which you have to lookup on the NVIDIA homepage) and run the script locally.

I have not tried this, but it could work.

SInce 9.0 I have never got 3D acceleration to work when downloading the driver from you. I've always had to install it manually, i'm not sure why, but i'm sure i'm not the only one that has that problem.