I fixed my problem. I went to rpmfind.net and downloaded the kernel source for my kernel and installed it. Once installed I done a symlink between /usr/src/linux and the folder with the source in for the kernel. Then I ran the program again, but now I have another problem with it. I am using red hat so it might be slightly different. I have used mandrake but not to install this.

And your problem is what exactly ...

If you read a couple of replies back, you'll see the error outputs and an overview of the problem.

ScobieJ - appreciate you really helping us out on this. However, I don't know what you mean by nothing having installed the kernal sources/development headers. If you know what I can do to install these things, please let me know! thanks

OK. If you do this,

rpm -q kernel-source

what do you get? For me, I get
kernel-source-2.4.20-19.9

but you should get something similar. If you now look in /usr/src/linux-2.4.20-19.9/include/linux
(replacing the linix-2.40... with whatever you have), you should have a version.h file.

If you don't, the kernel source is not installed properly.

I typed what you said but it says I don't have a kernel source.
So I went to rpmfind.net and looked up my kernel source for mandrake and found the version 2.14.19-32.
I tried installing the RPM but it says "EVERYTHING ALREADY INSTALLED".

So if I have it, why aren't the ATI drivers intalling correctlY? Something about a symlink? Help!!!!

EVERYONE! I got my ATI DRIVERS TO WORK FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I went to my mandrake control center and looked up the kernel-source for the current version I had and installed it.
Then I just forced the installation of the ATI driver and rebooted and my tux racer game works!!!!!!!!

Hi everyone!!
I have the same problem as Micro420 and michael_mead.
I have a Sapphire Radeon 9500 Pro and mandrake 9.1 (kernel 2.4.21-13mdk). I tried to install ATI drivers for XFree86 but I got this problem

[QUOTE]
Preparing... ########################################### [100%]
1:fglrx-glc22 ########################################### [100%]
*** Trying to install a precompiled kernel module.
*** WARNING ***
Tailored kernel module for fglrx not present in your system.
You must go to /lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod subdir
and execute './make.sh' to build a fully customed kernel module.
Afterwards go to /lib/modules/fglrx and run './make_install.sh'
in order to install the module into your kernel's module repository.
(see readme.txt for more details.)

As of now you can still run your XServer in 2D, but hardware acclerated
OpenGL will not work and 2D graphics will lack performance.

failed.
*** Error: no kernel module build environment - please consult readme.
Installed: qt3 (gcc 3.2) based control panel application
===
ATI display drivers successfully installed
please run 'fglrxconfig' now
===
[QUOTE]

Then I build my kernel module and installed it (I did all in the same order explained in the readme file that comes with the rpm) and I reinstalled ATI drivers but I got this message:

[QUOTE]
--command: rpm -i --force fglrx-glc22-4.3.0-3.2.5.i586.rpm

*** Trying to install a precompiled kernel module.
*** WARNING ***
Tailored kernel module for fglrx not present in your system.
You must go to /lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod subdir
and execute './make.sh' to build a fully customed kernel module.
Afterwards go to /lib/modules/fglrx and run './make_install.sh'
in order to install the module into your kernel's module repository.
(see readme.txt for more details.)

As of now you can still run your XServer in 2D, but hardware acclerated
OpenGL will not work and 2D graphics will lack performance.

failed.
*** Found kernel module build environment, generating kernel module now.
ATI module generator V 2.0
==========================
probing for VMA API version...
cleaning...
patching 'highmem.h'...
skipping patch for 'drmP.h', not needed
skipping patch for 'drm_os_linux.h', not needed
doing script based build for kernel 2.4.x and similar
compiling 'agpgart_be.c'...
compiling 'agp3.c'...
compiling 'i7505-agp.c'...
compiling 'nvidia-agp.c'...
compiling 'firegl_public.c'...
linking of fglrx kernel module...
duplicating results into driver repository...
done.
==============================
- creating symlink
- recreating module dependency list
- trying a sample load of the kernel module
Warning: loading /lib/modules/2.4.21-0.13mdkcustom/kernel/drivers/char/drm/fglrx.o will taint the kernel: non-GPL license - Proprietary. (C) 2002 - ATI Technologies, Starnberg, GERMANY
See http://www.tux.org/lkml/#export-tainted for information about tainted modules
Module fglrx loaded, with warnings
done.
Installed: qt3 (gcc 3.2) based control panel application
===
ATI display drivers successfully installed
please run 'fglrxconfig' now
===
[QUOTE]

Then I run 'fglrxconfig' and got a new XF86Config-4. I thought the drivers was installed, but 'fglrxinfo' reports this:

[QUOTE]
display: :0.0 screen: 0
OpenGL vendor string: Mesa project: www.mesa3d.org
OpenGL renderer string: Mesa GLX Indirect
OpenGL version string: 1.3 Mesa 4.0.4
[QUOTE]

I should have got ATI as vendor string and FireGL (or something similar) as renderer.
Now, lokking up in XFree86.0.log I found this lines:

[QUOTE]
(EE) fglrx(0): [agp] unable to acquire AGP, error "xf86_ENODEV"
(EE) fglrx(0): cannot init AGP
(II) fglrx(0): [drm] removed 1 reserved context for kernel
(II) fglrx(0): [drm] unmapping 8192 bytes of SAREA 0xd8854000 at 0x40014000
(WW) fglrx(0): ***********************************************
(WW) fglrx(0): * DRI initialization failed! *
(WW) fglrx(0): * (maybe driver kernel module missing or bad) *
(WW) fglrx(0): * 2D acceleraton available (MMIO) *
(WW) fglrx(0): * no 3D acceleration available *
(WW) fglrx(0): ********************************************* *
[QUOTE]

I think this is the source fo the problem, but how can I make fglrx acquire AGP ?

Thank you for your patient (I know this is quite long, but after all is the result of an entire afternoon of attempts :-).

Hmm..

Ok this is how I got it to work! First Im running a Nforce2 board so I had to track down a kernel patch to enable agpgart. its called linux-2.4.21-agpgart.diff. do a search on Google & your find it. Its a modified version of the nvidia patch for 2.4.20. Make sure your sources are installed, then patch the kernel by placing the patch in /usr/src/linux then patch -p0 < linux-2.4.21-agpgart.diff
Then compile a custom kernel (there is documentation if needed in Documentation of all places, lol) Make sure you enable agpgart and nvidia chipset support. BTW if you have another chipset then make sure agpgart is enabled somehow(don`t know about other chipsets) Then D/L latest ATI driver, and FORCE install it. Driver docs will tell you how. run fglrxconfig, and select external agp. works like a charm for me, hope it helps.

I'm not using a Nforce2 chipset. I have an Athlon and a VIA KT400 chipset, so (unucky) that patch is useless to me...

Finally it works!!!

I post this for people with same problem then mine...
I found the solution in a thread in the Hardware forum in this same site (thank you very much jbparto), but I don't know how to link you there; so I write here the complete address:

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...ght=ATI+driver

However, if you don't want to spare time reading all the 7 pages and you have an ATI Radeon 9xxx and a VIA KT400/KT600 chipset or a VIA P4X400 motherboard you should do the following (this works for Mandrake 9.1 but I think it's the same for other distro):

1. Opened up Mandrake Control Center, Software Mgmt, RPM Drake, then did search for "kernel". It brought up the kernel source, select it and hit the install button.

2. open up a terminal as root go to directory with rpm driver. install the rpm with the following command. rpm -Uhv <filename>.rpm don't use the <> in the command.

3. go to /lib/modules/fglrx/build_modules and edit the agpgart_be.c, search for 8377, a couple lines below you will see the following line...
via_generic_setup}, //AGP v2 change this line to read...
via_kt400_setup}, //AGP v2 save the file.

4. in terminal type cd /lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod and hit enter.
type ./make.sh then type cd .. and press enter. type ./make_install.sh

5. type fglrxconfig go thru the options and pretty much take default choices. (i did change the monitor resolution and refresh rates). when it comes up and asks you if you want to use the external agp use the default option of NO. select YES when prompted to save.

6. restart xserver, or simply reboot.

I myself have run into all the problems in this thread. at first i couldnt even get out of the text based screens. after downloading the ATI.rpm i was able to force the install and startx worked! now it is on to getting the power out of my 9700 pro that i paid for..lol..i will do my best to follow the directions from within this thread and post any positive strides i make...thanks to everyone who provided their expertise.


also according the the quote below, you have to backup those files, i skipped that part because i didnt know . is there hope to remedy my situation or is a clean install the way to go?

Ok guys the easy way to install the ATi drivers on any rpm based distribution:

• Download the drivers from www.ati.com
• MAKE sure you have your kernel sources (otherwise the driver will not compile) installed. You have to know first what kernel you are running, so you can run these commands:
  
  Code:

  $ uname -r

  This will thell you your kernel version. Look in your distribution's CDs for the package containing the kernel sources (kernel-source<blah blah>.mdk.rpm Then install them:
  
  Code:

  $ su
  password:
  # rpm -Uvh /path/to/your/kernel-source*

• Now install the drivers and don't worry about the libGL files, the rpm comes with a pice of software called scriptlet that will do this for you:
  
  Code:

  # rpm -ivh --force fglrx*

• Pay close attention to any messages regarding a module loaded. If you get a message saying module loaded with warnings you are in the right path. These warning are because the drive is closed source and does not comply with the GPL (see the www.gnu.org page for details on the GPL)
• Now you may back up your /etc/X11/XF86Config file and then run the fglrxconfig script to generate one.
• Now you can safely start the X environment with startx

Hope this helps

Nice detailed post Thetargos!

As a newbie, I was getting confused about the kernel sources (I still have no idea what they are), but finally someone on IRC told me to install the kernel source, which is not install by default on Mandrake 9.1.
After installing my kernel source, everything was straight forward.

It's kind of weird, but when I play Enemy Territory, the game runs smoother with FSAA! Weird, huh? But I'm not complaining - it looks nice.

I hope future ATI newbs will see your detailed instructions and it will work for them.