Hi

I'm completely new with Linux, in that I can just about log on to root and provide a password..apart from that, I don't know that much.

I bought a magazine with a free version of Mandriva 2006 and installed it, providing as much info in the setup as I could.

However, when I load Mandriva up, it tries to load the GUI but this is all distorted - stretched, discoloured (pinks and purples) and has frozen. Sometimes I can make out what I think is the KDE desktop, other times I can see the checklist as it starts it up, but has frozen.

From other posts, I took it to be a problem with the graphics card. I am using NVIDIA GeForce DDR, with a Iiyama MF-8617E monitor. I've set them up using xorgconfig and XFdrake, both of which were listed and I have tried with different resolutions (all I get is different shaped distortions) but I am having no success. Does the free version omit the drivers?

Many thanks

Thanks guys, i gather that it is quite a complicated problem.

Mandriva 2006 download edition is said to have problems with free NVidia and ATI drivers.

As you have an NVidia card, you'll have to use NVidia's proprietary driver, or update X.Org to a newer release, hoping the bug is fixed.
Alternately, you can switch to the VESA graphics driver (instead of nv).

Yves.