serious x-server problem

~vAvE(!) · 05-26-2005, 07:23 AM

hi
i recently tried to install mandrake(vers. 10.2) additionly to windows.
it was working fine until setup asked me to configure my graphics
(i use flat panel and geforce 6800LE).
i went for obvious choice in the x-server selection (category Geforce 6800)
however, when i tried to test the settings, the background turned grey.
i still had a mouse pointer and could move it, but the computer didn't respond to anything anymore.
i finally switched it off after some time and reinstalled it, this time avoiding to test the graphic settings. the result was that setup didn't crash this time,
but when i tried to boot linux, the graphical naturally also started (i again got a blue screen and a mouse) and didn't respond.

i blindly tried some other x-server like vga which really didnt work (instead i got a screen with strange colours, but the computer still responded and went back to setup.
But i am able to start linux in console mode, so that is working.
i've never tried linux before, so i'm a real newbie, but i'm grateful for any help.
thanks anyway

fancypiper · 05-26-2005, 07:48 AM

Edit /etc/inittab file to boot into Full multiuser mode as indicated in the comments for your distro so that you boot into the command line login screen.

Now, you will have several virtual terminals (alt-F1 through alt-F6) you can switch between. Ignore the "open an x terminal" in the stuff below, since you are command line only just now.

You may have links or some other command line web browser installed if you can manage to get an internet connection if you need to web surf for the info you need.

If you need the nVidia driver, you want the Linux IA32 driver unless you are using a 64 bit CPU

# Compiling/installing kernel modules
You will need to have installed:
1. The developmental packages (compiler)
2. The kernel-source code that matches your running kernel
3. The module source or install code

Check out your system and look under the hood and see if you installed the stuff you need to do the job. Open an x terminal and type in this sequence of commands to see what kernel we are running and see if you have the kernel source installed:

Code:

[fancy@tinwhistle fancy]$ su -
Password:
[root@tinwhistle root]# uname -r
2.4.20-28.7

I am running kernel version 2.4.20-28.7. Do I have the proper source code?

Code:

[root@tinwhistle root]# cd /usr/src
[root@tinwhistle src]# ls -alc
total 3
drwxr-xr-x    4 root     root          136 Jun 12 14:53 .
drwxr-xr-x   16 root     root          424 Jun  4 12:04 ..
lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root           14 Jun  4 12:11 linux-2.4 -> linux-2.4.20-28.7
drwxr-xr-x   16 root     root          584 Jun  4 12:11 linux-2.4.20-28.7
drwxr-xr-x    7 root     root          168 Jun  4 12:08 redhat
[root@tinwhistle src]#

I do have the same kernel version source code installed in the directory /usr/src/linux-2.4.20-28.7 and there is a symbolic link named linux-2.4 pointing to it.

If you don't see something similiar to this (but in color), you will need to install the kernel source.

NOTE: I noticed that Red Hat didn't make the symbolic link /usr/src/linux that all of the INSTALL files that I have read mentioned that I need. I may as well make one now to save editing the files in the source code every time I need to compile anything concerning the kernel. So, I'll make that link just now:

Code:

[root@tinwhistle src]# ln -s linux-2.4.20-28.7 linux         
[root@tinwhistle src]# ls -alc
total 3
drwxr-xr-x    4 root     root          160 Jun 12 15:46 .
drwxr-xr-x   16 root     root          424 Jun  4 12:04 ..
lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root           14 Jun 12 15:46 linux -> linux-2.4.20-28.7
lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root           14 Jun  4 12:11 linux-2.4 -> linux-2.4.20-28.7
drwxr-xr-x   16 root     root          584 Jun  4 12:11 linux-2.4.20-28.7
drwxr-xr-x    7 root     root          168 Jun  4 12:08 redhat
[root@tinwhistle src]#

Ah, there it is, so that's done.

Next, did I install the compiler?

Code:

[root@tinwhistle src]# gcc -v          
Reading specs from /usr/lib/gcc-lib/i386-redhat-linux/2.96/specs
gcc version 2.96 20000731 (Red Hat Linux 7.3 2.96-113)
[root@tinwhistle src]#

Yes, I have a compiler installed.

If you don't have those two things installed, you have to install them first off your install CD.

If they are installed, download the source and happy compiling.

Make sure you carefully read the README and INSTALL files after extracting and before compiling/installing.

I don't know if you run xfree86 or xorg (newest x server). Can you find out? examine the files in /etc/X11 and see what config file you have. See section 3 of this guide for how to configure xorg.

I don't get a GUI/my resolution isn't what I want
# Configuring X
Linux Hardware Compatibility HOWTO - video cards
The Linux XFree86 HOWTO
Configuring XFree86 for a Non-Specific Linux Distribution

# Mandrake/Mandrivia links
Mandrake home page
Mandrake Users website (needs money to access now)
Software management configuration: Easy urpmi config for Mandrake
Software management: urpmi mini-HOWTO
Software management: All You Ever Wanted to Know About Urpmi But Never Dared Asking Before
You didn't install the developmental packages? As root, command:
urpmi gcc
An Introduction to the Midnight Commander. You can install it by commanding:
urpmi mc
Midnight Commander home page

~vAvE(!) · 05-27-2005, 06:59 AM

well thx for your answer fancypiper.
i am using Xorg and i checked the kernel:
on uname -r it showed
2.6.11-6mdk
when i did the [ls -alc] however it showed

drwxr -xr -x 3 root root 4096 May 27 06:19 ./

drwxr -xr -x 12 root root 4096 May 27 06:19 ../

drwxr -xr -x 3 root root 4096 May 27 06:18 RPM/

is that normal? what do i have to do?
thanx anyway

fancypiper · 05-27-2005, 08:00 AM

The kernel-source should be in /usr/src, not /root

Can you cd /usr/src, then ls?

Code:

Fri May 27 09:01 AM root@uilleann ~ # cd /usr/src
Fri May 27 09:01 AM root@uilleann /usr/src # ls -al
total 16
drwxr-xr-x   4 root root 4096 Apr 30 17:07 .
drwxr-xr-x  15 root root 4096 Apr 24 17:56 ..
lrwxrwxrwx   1 root root   24 Apr 30 17:07 linux -> linux-2.4.22-1.2199.nptl
lrwxrwxrwx   1 root root   24 Apr 24 19:49 linux-2.4 -> linux-2.4.22-1.2199.nptldrwxr-xr-x  16 root root 4096 Apr 24 19:49 linux-2.4.22-1.2199.nptl
drwxr-xr-x   7 root root 4096 Apr 24 18:05 redhat
Fri May 27 09:01 AM root@uilleann /usr/src #

If it isn't there, try:

urpmi kernel-sources (or is that kernel-source, one should be right).

~vAvE(!) · 05-27-2005, 11:32 AM

oh sorry, i was in /src , but forgot to write
i tried it again, but the result is still the same
instead of some kernel - source code i get only this:

[root@localhost ~]# cd /usr/src
[root@localhost src]# ls -al
total 12
drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 4096 May 27 06:19 ./

drwxr-xr-x 12 root root 4096 May 27 06:19 ../

drwxr -xr-x 3 root root 4096 May 27 06:18 RPM/

fancypiper · 05-27-2005, 12:32 PM

That means you will have to configure urpmi and command:

urpmi kernel-sources

If you haven't updated since the install, you can find the kernel-sources package somewhere on one of your install CDs.

It seems as if http://plf.zarb.org/~nanardon/urpmiweb.php has vanished from the web, though, so check out these:

urpmi mini-HOWTO

All You Ever Wanted to Know About Urpmi But Never Dared Asking Before

~vAvE(!) · 05-27-2005, 01:23 PM

wow, great! ty!
i have the kernel-source now installed and its shown under /usr/src:

...
lrwxr-xr-x 8 root root 27 May 19:15 linux->linux-2.6.11-6mdk
//and the other lines, tell me if you need exact documentation!
....

when doing urpmi kernel source there were two versions of the kernel source,
i had to take the stripped one because of disk space...
plz tell me if this is alright, else i have to get some free space.
should i have a go at compiling now?
Thx again!!

fancypiper · 05-27-2005, 01:30 PM

Download the driver for your video card and jump through the hoops I posted in the first answer in order to install the driver.

Post the errors if you run into trouble.

~vAvE(!) · 05-27-2005, 04:04 PM

alright, I download the drivers, but i have to compile the kernel source first. How do I do that?

fancypiper · 05-27-2005, 04:11 PM

I don't think you will need to compile the kernel, I didn't when I installed my nvidia driver.

You need the kernel source code in order to have the proper files created to store the driver as the module. You already have that kernel installed and running, you just need to load a module after it installs/compiles, so you may have to add the command to /etc/rc.d/rc.local file. That should be covered in the INSTALL and README files of the driver package.

~vAvE(!) · 05-28-2005, 04:50 AM

i installed the driver, but got this Error:

ERROR: Unable to build the NVIDIA kernel module

is my kernel source alright? as i said, i had to use the stripped down version when doing urpmi

fancypiper · 05-28-2005, 04:52 AM

If it quits with an error, you did not succeed in installing the module.......

From where did you get kernel-sources?

Compare the kernel-sources to the response to this command:

uname -r

How to get good answers with your questions about Linux

~vAvE(!) · 05-28-2005, 03:18 PM

good question, *lol*
i just typed in urpmi kernel-source
and it worked... (maybe because i had installed the whole installation cd on my hard drive)
the version number of the source and the kernel are matching,
but i can try to reinstall the whole linux and try again

EDIT: Wait, what did you say about adding the command to /etc/rc.d/rc.local file?
i haven't done that yet, how should i do that exactly?

fancypiper · 05-28-2005, 04:17 PM

Hmm.. all the distros that I use call that package kernel-sources rather than kernel-source (except Gentoo which calls it gentoo-sources). Perhaps with Mandrivia they could possibly be different packages? I'm not sure how Mandrivia handles modules. Check their site and see how they do it.

Anyhooo, after you are successful in installing the module, most distros (if not all) will add it to the list of modules it should load at boot when you issue this command as root:

depmod -ae.

If that doesn't work, in my Fedoras distros, you would put the command:

modprobe <module name>

in the last boot up script that is run (/etc/rc.d/rc.local). Check the Linux Loadable Kernel Module HOWTO for better info than I can provide off-hand.

Also see:
man depmod
info depmod
man modprobe
info modprobe

~vAvE(!) · 05-31-2005, 12:32 PM

wow, i made it! its working perfectly now!!
thx very much fancypiper!!!!