I have been unable to run the X window manager after installing Debian Woody. Part of the problem may be the drivers for my videocard, a Geforce 2 MX, and so I am trying to install the nVidia drivers for it.

Running make install gives the error: nv-linux.h:24: linux/modversions.h No such file or directory.

I found various internet pages (on other driver installations) that said that this was because the source code for the kernel was not in the /usr/src/linux directory; and sure enough it isn't. As I understand it (badly), I need to put the source file in /usr/src/linux and then make config and [make dep[/I] to generate modversions.h. Am I right so far?

Secondly, the source itself. When I do uname -r (learnt something new today ) I get back 2.4.18-bf2.4 - the kernel I chose at installation, but I am having trouble getting this source file. http://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian/pool...source-2.4.18/ has various files including kernel-source-2.4.18_2.4.18-5_all.deb Is this going to contain the file I need? I'm on dial-up so it's a big download if I'm wrong. And finally Debian prompted to me to remove PCMIA support from the kernel and I did - is this going to complicate matters?

Sorry if this post is long and rambling, but I'm not sure what is significant and what isn't just yet.

Jack,

Check the CD-rom that you installed from. Does it have an kernel-source-2.4.18 file for the installation kernel?

Check /usr/src. Is the a kernel-???.tar.bz2 file? If you don't that's what will be installed when/if you get an kernel-source deb installed. If so, then you need to unpack it to get the linux directory (you might need to symlink or rename what's unpacked)

HTH,

First of all - I don't have a nvidia card.
You can try apt-get install nvidia-glx-src and apt-get install nvidia-kernel-src.
Maybe that works.

George,

I have the binaries on CD-ROM, the source on DVD. Naturally I don't have a DVD drive: my rationale being that I would never, ever need the source files. /usr/src/ and all sub-directories are empty, sadly, so it looks like I'll have to bite the download bullet, or get a DSL enabled friend to do it for me.

Thanks a lot for your help.

Jack

It's enough to download the Kernel-Headers to get modversions.h
You can get them from the Debian Homepage. So you don't need to make a "make dep" from the full Kernel Source.

To install the nVidia drivers, look here:

http://channel.debian.de/faq/ch-confighw.html#s-nvidia