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Ok, so here's the deal. I've been dabbling with linux here and there over the past couple of years. I basically know how to make it work, but I never keep it long because I have *never* been able to get my MSI GeForce4 Ti4200 to work with OpenGL support. I've just installed Mandrake 10 and I installed the kernel source for my kernel (2.6.3-7). The driver installs fine under init 3 and so I go edit the Xconfig file, then run startx and, voila!, it doesn't work. Here's the part of the log with the error:
(II) Setting vga for screen 0.
(II) Loading sub module "vgahw"
(II) LoadModule: "vgahw"
(II) Loading /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/libvgahw.a
(II) Module vgahw: vendor="The XFree86 Project"
compiled for 4.3.0.1, module version = 0.1.0
ABI class: XFree86 Video Driver, version 0.6
(**) NVIDIA(0): Depth 24, (--) framebuffer bpp 32
(==) NVIDIA(0): RGB weight 888
(==) NVIDIA(0): Default visual is TrueColor
(==) NVIDIA(0): Using gamma correction (1.0, 1.0, 1.0)
(--) NVIDIA(0): Linear framebuffer at 0xD8000000
(--) NVIDIA(0): MMIO registers at 0xDE000000
(EE) NVIDIA(0): Failed to initialize the NVIDIA graphics device!
(EE) NVIDIA(0): *** Aborting ***
(II) UnloadModule: "nvidia"
(II) UnloadModule: "vgahw"
(II) Unloading /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/libvgahw.a
(EE) Screen(s) found, but none have a usable configuration.
Fatal server error:
no screens found
And here is my Xconfig:
# File generated by XFdrake.
# **********************************************************************
# Refer to the XF86Config man page for details about the format of
# this file.
# **********************************************************************
Section "Files"
# Multiple FontPath entries are allowed (they are concatenated together)
# By default, Mandrake 6.0 and later now use a font server independent of
# the X server to render fonts.
FontPath "unix/:-1"
EndSection
Section "ServerFlags"
#DontZap # disable <Crtl><Alt><BS> (server abort)
AllowMouseOpenFail # allows the server to start up even if the mouse doesn't work
#DontZoom # disable <Crtl><Alt><KP_+>/<KP_-> (resolution switching)
EndSection
Section "Module"
Load "dbe" # Double-Buffering Extension
Load "v4l" # Video for Linux
Load "extmod"
Load "type1"
Load "freetype"
Load "glx" # 3D layer
EndSection
Thanks but it didn't make any difference. I think that the identifier is merely a name to point it to a device but I dunno, I'm no expert. Any other ideas?
Well, it's not the GeForce 4, it's something else. I tried a GeForce 3 and a GeForce 2 and both yield the same error even after reinstalling the nvidia drivers. Could it be something with my monitor? If so, any ideas on how to fix it without getting a different monitor? Thanks!
The files /dev/nvidia* are dynamically created at the start-up of the system by the "nvdia" module", IF THIS MODULE HAS BEEN PREVIOUSLY LOADED.
Basically it says that the nvidia module must be loaded at boot time so try adding it to the appropriate modules file for your distrobution. I think its /etc/modules.conf but I'm not sure.
Thanks, but why would that matter? I mean, if you load it yourself before starting X why would it matter if it was loaded during boot? Not trying to be rude just wondering.. I'm trying to understand exactly what I'm doing and why as I go. I'll try it tho.
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