Installing the nVidia driver successfully

PiRaNhA.be · 02-23-2005, 12:58 AM

I'm sure this is a common question, but I can't find any support myself.

I try to install the latest nVidia driver on my laptop (I have GeForce 4 420 Go - distro is SuSE 9.2), succeed, but then I can't get back into KDE.
I was playing around with it last night however, and it tells me that I don't have a screen installed. Which is odd really since I made sure I configured it best I could before installing the driver.

It's a Toshiba Satellite 1410-604 if that helps at all.

Any help would be appreciated, since if I can't get any 3D acceleration on Linux but I can under Windows, I will be forced to abandon the mighty penguin, cute though he is.

Cheers in advance!

reddazz · 02-23-2005, 03:33 AM

Either sun SAX2 or xorgconfig and reconfigure xorg.

perfect_circle · 02-23-2005, 03:47 AM

I don't know how you did the install but in the nvidia site there is a how-to only for SuSE users
ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/sup...nstaller-HOWTO

PiRaNhA.be · 02-23-2005, 03:54 AM

Ah I failed to mention that when I tried that on monday and tuesday, it seemed the server was down. Or this place has blocked ftp access.... ( ! )

perfect_circle · 02-23-2005, 04:24 AM

I don't know, now the ftp seems to work fine

:

Quote:

1. SuSE Linux 9.2-IA32

It is recommended to use YOU (YaST Online Update) for (re)installation
of the nvidia driver. There are several reasons for this. First, it's
simple. Second, and this is the most important one, you won't need to
recompile the nvidia kernel module after a kernel update.

Inside YOU enable "Installable and Installed Patches" for "Show Patch
Category" and select "Download NVIDIA(r) Graphics Driver" from the
patches list (usually at the bottom of the list). Note, that you need
to mark it as "Update" (right mouse click) if you already installed it
before and the driver was uninstalled - for any reason. Proceed as
usual now. After YOU has finished restart your Xserver (i.e. logout
from your Xsession) and you're fine.

People who aren't afraid of recompiling the nvidia kernel module or
even reinstalling the nvidia driver each time the kernel has been
updated and want or need to use the latest and greatest nvidia driver
can use the following steps 1-3. The others should use the
instructions above using YOU and skip the steps below.

1) Kernel sources must be installed and configured. Usually this means
installing the 'kernel-source', 'make' and 'gcc' packages with YaST2.
Update it - if not already done - via YaST2 Online Update (YOU).

2) Use the nvidia installer for 1.0-6629.

a) kernel-default:
sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-6629-pkg1.run -q

b) kernel-smp/kernel-bigsmp:
sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-6629-pkg1.run -q -n

3) Configure X.Org with

sax2 -m 0=nvidia (0 is a digit, not a letter!)

NOTE: There is no need to try to enable 3D support. It's already
enabled, when the nvidia driver is running.

PiRaNhA.be · 02-23-2005, 05:51 AM

ooh thx very much! I'll give it a shot now, but I'm not able to connect my laptop to internet; school policy unfortunately...

PiRaNhA.be · 02-23-2005, 06:08 AM

Um... it says SaX: initializing please wait....

And I wait. And wait. And wait...

Um....?
EDIT:
Ok that's not good....

PiRaNhA.be · 02-23-2005, 06:19 AM

OK the driver is installed now, thanks for the help - BUT! When I try to set it to 1024x768 and test, it says X Server Test Failed:

(EE) NVIDIA(0): ***ABORTING***
(EE) Screen(s) found, but none have a usable configuration.

Any ideas?