Nvidia module not loading with new kernel

sureshot324 · 09-25-2007, 02:46 PM

After apt-get updated my kernel to 2.6.18-5 from 2.6.18-4, I couldn't start xserver anymore. When I type startx, I get an error that starts with 'FATAL: Module nvidia not found.'

I get the same error when I run modprobe nvidia. I did add nvidia to /etc/modules.

I did a search in /lib/modules for *nvidia* and I found the problem. /lib/modules/2.6.18-5/nvidia/nvidia.ko does not exist. However, it does exist in the modules folder for 2.6.18-4. I booted up using the 2.5.18-4 kernel and sure enough xserver loaded fine.

So I need to add the nvidia module to the 2.6.18-5 modules files. I tried removing and adding the nvidia-glx-legacy (it's a geforce 1) with apt-get but that didn't work. I even tried copying the nvidia.ko file from the 2.6.18-4 folder to the 2.6.18-5, but as I expected that didn't work either.

Can anyone tell me how I can get the nvidia module working with the 2.6.18-5 kernel?

pljvaldez · 09-25-2007, 02:55 PM

Are you using Debian (or a Debian derived distro)? If so, apt-get install module-assistant. Then change to single user mode (init 1 from a root shell). Then run

Code:

m-a update
m-a prepare
m-a a-i nvidia
init 2 (or init 5, some distros use 5 as multi-user gui mode)

m-a is a symlink to the module-assistant package. What these commands do is download a list of available module source code, then prepare the code for compile (i.e. make sure the right dependencies are installed), the a-i (automatically install) the nvidia kernel module.

sureshot324 · 09-25-2007, 03:14 PM

I did that, and now I get a different error when running startx:

FATAL: Error inserting nvidia (/lib/modules/2.6.18-5-686/nvidia/nvidia.ko): No such device.

Does this mean it's not finding my video card? I do now have the nvidia.ko file in the 1.6.18-5 modules folder.

I also have some more general questions. Why is a package like module assistant necessary? Shouldn't apt-get resolve all the dependencies and make sure the correct modules are installed? Also it seems like module assistant is compiling the nvidia module from source. Why can't it use a precompiled module like most other linux packages you install with apt-get?

pljvaldez · 09-25-2007, 03:21 PM

Sorry, I typically have used module assistant because I was running testing. Sometimes the binary wasn't recompiled and placed in the repositories in a timely manner. So you'd have to rebuild it from source yourself or use the nvidia installer. I think module-assistant will just download the binary if it exists in the repositories.

Not sure what that error mean. Were there any other errors on the screen during the compile? Maybe look in /var/log for module-assistant or nvidia logs?

By the way, are you using Debian?

sureshot324 · 09-25-2007, 03:26 PM

Thanks for your help so far. I am using debian etch. Here is what follows the error I posted before:

(EE) NVIDIA(0): Failed to load the NVIDIA kernel module!
(EE) NVIDIA(0): *** Aborting ***
(EE) Screen(s) found, but none have a usable configuration.

Fatal server error:
no screens found

pljvaldez · 09-25-2007, 03:51 PM

Is the module installed? lsmod | grep nvidia

Edit: sorry, duh, it says failed to load...

Try dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg

pljvaldez · 09-25-2007, 03:54 PM

Oh yeah, did you reboot into the 2.6.18-5 kernel and then run the module-assistant stuff? Or did you run it from the working 2.6.18-4 kernel?